Fractures of the collarbone occur in both adults and children quite often, in most cases as a result of a fall on the arm or shoulder. A similar injury can occur in a newborn during childbirth. Also, such a fracture can be obtained due to acute muscle contraction, which occurs, for example, during an attack of epilepsy.
Types of injury
Depending on the location, there are three types of fractures: the inner, outer and middle third of the clavicle. The thinnest part of the bone is the middle third, which is often where it breaks. In addition, clavicle fractures can be closed and open, although the latter are quite rare; without offset and with it.
Symptoms
Clavicle fractures are usually accompanied by a number of characteristic symptoms. Immediately in the affected area there is pain, the forearm swells. Make any movements of the damagedthe limb becomes quite difficult, the victim cannot raise his arm up. If such an injury is accompanied by displacement of fragments, the injured limb becomes longer, the damaged joint decreases compared to the he althy one and can strongly protrude forward. If this violates the sensitivity, as well as the mobility of the fingers and the whole hand, then there is a possibility of damage to the nerves and blood vessels. It is worth saying that in young children, of all the listed signs, only swelling and slight pain can be observed, some children, in the presence of a fracture, can almost freely use the injured hand. Therefore, even with seemingly minor injuries, you should definitely undergo an x-ray.
First aid for broken collarbone
Before professional assistance is provided to the victim, a number of measures must be taken that would not only alleviate the condition of the injured, but also avoid all sorts of complications, such as damage to the veins, arteries, and nerves. To reduce pain, any available analgesic should be taken. It is strictly forbidden to try to set bone fragments into place on your own. In the armpit of the victim, you need to put a tightly folded lump of cotton wool or a piece of cloth, bend your arm at the elbow and hang it on a scarf tied to your neck. If there are open wounds, they should be treated with some kind of bactericidal agent. After that, you should expect the arrival of an ambulance or take the victim tomedical institution independently. During transport, the patient must be in a sitting position.
Treatment
A broken collarbone heals quite easily in young children, so for them, as a therapeutic measure, it is enough to apply an ordinary bandage of wide bandages to the affected area, which fixes the bone in a special way. Children older than three years of age and adults are not effective in treating clavicle fractures with this method, they need to fix the bone with a plaster cast. For fractures complicated by displacement, a special splint is used to return the fragments to the correct position, sometimes surgical intervention is performed. Sufficiently severe injury - fracture of the collarbone. Its consequences can be (in case of improper fusion of fragments) in a persistent violation of the motor function of the hand and even its absolute immobility.
