Jonathan Cluett, MD, is board-certified in orthopedic surgery. He served as assistant team physician to Chivas USA (Major League Soccer) and the United States men's and women's national soccer teams.

Stuart Hershman, MD, is board-certified in orthopaedic surgery. He is the director of adult spinal deformity & complex spinal reconstruction at Massachusetts General Hospital and is on the faculty at Harvard Medical School.

Nick Blackmer is a librarian, fact-checker, and researcher with more than 20 years’ experience in consumer-oriented health and wellness content.

The collarbone, also called the clavicle, is the bone over the top of your chest, between your breastbone (sternum) and the shoulder blade (scapula). It is easy to feel the clavicle because unlike other bones that are covered with muscle, only skin covers a large part of the bone.

Clavicle fractures are extremely common, accounting for between 2 and 5% of all fractures. Broken collarbones occur in babies (usually during birth), children and adolescents (because the clavicle does not complete development until the late teens), athletes (because of the risks of being hit or falling), or during many types of accidents and falls.

Usually, clavicle fractures are separated into three types of injuries depending on the location of the fracture.

Most often, patients with a clavicle fracture complain of shoulder pain and difficulty moving their arm.  Common symptoms of this injury include:

At the healthcare provider's office or in the emergency room, an X-ray will be obtained to assess for the specific type of clavicle fracture.

Your healthcare provider will also perform an examination to ensure the nerves and blood vessels surrounding the clavicle are intact. The nerves and vessels are rarely injured because of a broken collarbone but in severe cases, these associated injuries can occur.

The treatment of a clavicle fracture is accomplished either by allowing the bone to heal or performing a surgical procedure to restore the proper alignment of the bone and hold it in position.

Unlike many other fractures, some common treatments for broken bones are not appropriate for clavicle fractures. Casting a clavicle fracture is not performed. In addition, resetting the bone (called a closed reduction) is not performed because there is no way to hold the bone in alignment without performing surgery. 

In making a decision about surgery, some of the following factors may be taken into consideration by your healthcare provider:

Your healthcare provider can have a discussion with you about the pros and cons of surgery. While the vast majority of clavicle fractures can be managed without surgery, there are some situations where surgery may provide a better outcome.

Several types of supports are used for the non-surgical treatment of clavicle fractures. These include a sling or figure-of-8 brace. The figure-of-8 brace has not been shown to affect fracture alignment, and many patients generally find a sling more comfortable.

Clavicle fractures should heal within 6–12 weeks in adults, and 3–6 weeks in children, but the pain usually subsides within a few weeks. Often patients are back to full activities before 12 weeks have passed, especially with younger patients. Immobilization is seldom needed beyond a few weeks and at that point, light activity and gentle motion can usually begin.

As a general guide to return to activities, nothing should cause worsening pain. If not wearing a sling causes pain, wear a sling. If driving hurts the fracture site, don't drive. If throwing a ball hurts, don't throw. Once an activity doesn't cause significant pain, a gradual return can be attempted.

Recovery is usually complete, with a full return expected. Patients may notice a persistent bump where the fracture was (often for months or longer), but this should not be bothersome.

Fractures of the collarbone are very common orthopedic injuries they can occur in just about any age group. The vast majority of clavicle fractures can be treated with nonsurgical treatments, usually, a simple sling is sufficient.

Sometimes, when clavicle fractures are badly displaced, they may benefit from surgical treatment. Usually, there are options for treatment, and discussing the pros and cons of different types of treatments with your orthopedic surgeon is the place to start.

Recovery time from a broken collarbone depends on age, the fracture's location, and the extent of damage. Children younger than 8 can heal in four or five weeks. In adolescents, it can take between six to eight weeks. Teenagers who have stopped growing may recover at 10 or 12 weeks, or even longer. For adults, most clavicle fractures will fully heal after four months.

For some people, a bump may form in the place they experienced a collarbone fracture. It may take several months for this bump to fully heal, but it shouldn't be a significant issue. If the bump appears inflamed or irritated, it may be a good idea to inform your healthcare provider.

When the sternoclavicular joint (SCJ, where the collarbone connects to the breastbone) swells up or grows larger, it is referred to as clavicular swelling. This swelling is commonly caused by trauma, disease, or an infection that affects the fluid found in the joints.

With a broken collarbone, you should avoid doing anything that worsens the pain. For example, if driving is painful, then avoid driving until the fracture is healed. You can gradually ease yourself into doing activities that involve little to no pain.

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Cleveland Clinic. Broken collarbone (clavicle fracture).

Johns Hopkins Medicine. Clavicle fractures.

Edwin J, Ahmed S, Verma S, Tytherleigh-Strong G, Karuppaiah K, Sinha J. Swellings of the sternoclavicular joint: review of traumatic and non-traumatic pathologies. EFORT Open Rev. 2018;3(8):471-484. doi:10.1302/2058-5241.3.170078

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