Fracture of clavicle: symptoms and treatment

Fracture of the collarbone is a common trauma. It may be the result of a direct impact on it, but more often it happens due to a fall on the arm elongated or bent at the elbow or the side part of the shoulder. The most vulnerable parts are the middle third of the bone and the border between it and the second third - this is the most subtle and curved place.

Classification

The following types of fractures are most common in adults:

- transverse;

- Splintered (the most complex, with a large number of fragments, displaced relative to each other);

- slanting.
In children, the most frequent is a fracture of the type of the "green branch" - the subperiosteal. In some cases, the neurovascular bundle and the dome of the pleura are damaged, sometimes a sharp fragment pierces the skin.

How to recognize a clavicle fracture

The most easily recognizable fracture is displacement. From the damaged side, the shoulder joint is slightly lower in comparison with the other and protrudes forward. A person with such trauma holds a bent arm at the trunk, pressing his elbow. The arm seems longer than from the side of a healthy clavicle. The head is also inclined in the same direction, a hemorrhage and a tumor are visible at the fracture site, touching it painfully. In children, the symptoms of a clavicle fracture are reduced to swelling and tenderness when feeling, possibly the appearance of a hematoma. To make sure of the presence of a fracture and determine its type, an X-ray examination is performed.

Treatment of clavicle fracture

The bone fragments are returned to the correct position, lifting the shoulder up and pulling it back, however, fixing this position is very difficult. However, even if the clavicle does not grow together exactly, noticeable changes, both functional and aesthetic, usually do not occur. The only exception is the prolonged fixation of the shoulder joint, which can lead to its stiffness. Treat fracture of the clavicle with a slight displacement or without displacement using an 8-band dressing, which is applied to, pre-anesthetized with 20 ml of 1% novocaine, place. For adults, the bandage is strengthened with a plaster bandage, while children are treated as usual. If the injury is complex, many fragments strongly displaced by each other, a special tire is used. It is made of two Cramer tires, bending them and tied together. Such a device firmly fixes the peripheral fragment in a position elevated and slightly retracted.

The bandage is removed after 2-4 weeks, depending on the complexity of the lesion, the functioning of the hand is completely restored 4-7 weeks after the fracture. In the case of compression or damage to the neurovascular bundle, or if there is a risk of a breach of its integrity, an urgent surgical treatment is performed while trying to correct the fragments. Surgery is also indicated in cases with a significant displacement of fragments. When this manipulation is performed, the clavicle is fixed with a spoke or a steel rod, which is removed after 3-4 months. Removal is carried out under local anesthesia. The incision is made for this purpose in the place where the tip of the rod is probed.

Fracture of collarbone in newborns

Among birth injuries of the musculoskeletal system, it is the fracture of the clavicle that occurs most often. Approximately 3% of all children are born with this diagnosis. The cause may be rapid childbirth, the wrong position of the child and other reasons that make it difficult for the child to move through the birth canal. As a result, the baby's shoulders are squeezed by the pelvic bones of the mother, and a fracture occurs. Treat such small patients, pribintovyvaya handle to the body, putting a cotton pad between them. For 5-8 days such an inborn fracture overgrown completely, the movements are restored after a while and nothing reminiscent of what happened.