Surgical Treatment
Your doctor may recommend surgery if your clavicle is broken into pieces, broken in more than one place, or improperly aligned. The processes involved in treating complex fracture include:
- Putting metal screws and a metal plate or pins and screws alone to hold the bone in place so that it heals properly.
- Putting on a sling after surgery to immobilize the arm for a few weeks.
- Repositioning your collarbone.
- Taking painkillers as prescribed after surgery.
- Pins and screws are removed once the bone has healed. Metal plates are typically not removed unless there is irritation of the overlying skin.
- Undergoing follow-up X-rays to monitor healing.
You may experience surgical complications, like problems with the one healing, infection of injury to your lungs, and irritation from the inserted hardware. Doctors are looking for minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery [5] for fractured collarbones. Clavicle fractures in children usually heal without surgery. Medical complications are rare.