Anyone know anything about broken collar bone?

[Lancer]

Sixish year old son of my bro in law broke his collar bone. So his wife took him to the govt hospital today and got an xray. Though the bottom part of his left collar bone is connected, the top is separated and it forms an angle that is greater than his right. There is a bump where the bone pushes on the skin. The govt doctor said 'it's cracked, come back in a month' I think the thing needs to be pushed down and held in place. We're bringing the kid, Josh, to the provincial hospital in Tagbilaran hoping for a better outcome, but I really don't know what's best. Having it heal like that doesn't sound right though. Anyone with experience?

[Max Webster]

geesh lancer it was really hard reading your post without cringing.

have no advice, but good luck with it all

[snoopy369]

Broken collarbones suck, and there's not a lot that can be done for them from what I remember... for a six year old you can't even give him lots of vicodin

[Spec]

Nothing to do except relax and get it healed up. Just like ribs, collar bones need no braces.

Also, 99% chance it will never heal like it was. There will always be a bump or somethign showing it broke at some point.

Spec.

[b etor]

my friend broke my other friend's collarbone during a volleyball game when we were 13. they gave her some pain killers but that was about it.

[germanos]

One should immobilize the arm with the use of a sling.

I remember pictures of my brother who broke both in a car accident. He was put in cast, but maybe he had severe breaks.
It was also fourty years ago.
And it was a French approach

There's some usefull info on wikipedia

BTW: broken collarbones will allways leave a bump after healing. No worries about that, the bone will be thicker at the healed break.

[Zkribbler]

The "good" news:

The collar bone is small and therefore heals quickly, compared to other bones.

If the doctor is right, and it's only cracked (which I doubt), it will heal ever quicker.

[Ninot]

When I was 7, I had a fractured collar bone. Or, that's what I remember it being. They gave me a brace, which I'm not sure helped other than to keep pressure on it.

[DirtyMartini]

Like everyone already said -- Usually don't require setting or fixation. Generally heals well and quickly. Sling is usually recommended, but is more for comfort IIRC. Bump will probably persist.

Zkribbler -- why do you doubt the doctor is right?

[Zkribbler]

There is a bump where the bone pushes on the skin.

..sounds more like a break than a crack.

[DirtyMartini]

Originally posted by Zkribbler


..sounds more like a break than a crack.

Kids' bones are bendy. Think of a fresh-cut green twig: when you bend it in half, the inside of the bend remains intact, while the outside splinters apart. This is what kids' bones do, thus the term 'greenstick fracture'. Crack isn't really an accurate word I guess, but it gets the picture across: the bone is abnormally angulated, but only a part of the cortex is broken.

Adult bones snap in half the old dry sticks you rake up in the fall. No bending allowed.

[Zkribbler]

True. Kids bones are mostly cartiledge--especially the collarbone, which is the last to completely ossify. OK, DM, you win.

[Lancer]

So the doctor may have been correct. One thing bugs me. If you take a green stick and bent it until it cracks it won't be as long as it was. Josh has two collar bones, so from here on out the right is going to be longer than the left?

If you look in germano's link at the X ray titled "X-ray of a right clavicle fracture", it looks like Josh's X ray except that there is no large break near the shoulder, just the one in the middle. (Plus it's the flip side)

[Whoha]

Re: Anyone know anything about broken collar bone?

Originally posted by Lancer
Sixish year old son of my bro in law broke his collar bone. So his wife took him to the govt hospital today and got an xray. Though the bottom part of his left collar bone is connected, the top is separated and it forms an angle that is greater than his right. There is a bump where the bone pushes on the skin. The govt doctor said 'it's cracked, come back in a month' I think the thing needs to be pushed down and held in place. We're bringing the kid, Josh, to the provincial hospital in Tagbilaran hoping for a better outcome, but I really don't know what's best. Having it heal like that doesn't sound right though. Anyone with experience?

I've heard that it hurts. a lot. And yes, get a second opinion.

So the doctor may have been correct. One thing bugs me. If you take a green stick and bent it until it cracks it won't be as long as it was. Josh has two collar bones, so from here on out the right is going to be longer than the left?

Maybe, but the stick won't grow or heal itself like a bone, so that is not such a great comparison.

[Whoha]

Re: Re: Anyone know anything about broken collar bone?

argh.