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Knitting Up Your Broken Collarbone

Tom Willemann |

Anytime we get an injury or even go so far as to break about him, it is definitely painful and extremely inconvenient. One specific injury that can cause a lot of pain and inconvenience above the rest is what is commonly known as a broken collarbone, or in medical terms, a clavicle fracture.
Contrary to popular opinion, the collarbone is actually not part of your neck. Instead, it is a bone that connects your shoulder blade to the upper section of your rib cage. What we typically see is the collarbone will actually break in the middle because that is the weakest point of the bone. People typically will break their clavicle after they fell on their shoulder, or in a car accident or experienced direct hit to the shoulder.
Here are some common symptoms that you will experience if you have actually broken your collarbone:
1) any bulging in close proximity to your shoulder
2) The inability to move your shoulder or any significant stiffness
3) significant pain when you move around your shoulder joint
4) noticeable bruising, tenderness, swelling or discoloration
5) from an audible standpoint, any grinding sound when you move your shoulder around
A surgeon experience with this type of injury my install pins, screws, or plates but most often the clavicle fracture will likely need to heal without any need for surgery. Clavicle will heal itself providing there is a good supply of blood to the affected area and the location of the fracture ends are closely aligned. If you are fortunate to not need surgery, your doctor will likely require you to wear a brace or a splint to keep your shoulder in a neutral position for at least six weeks.
During this healing period of time, you will definitely be losing significant muscle strength and muscle mass. Your collarbone will start to experience less paying overtime.
It is advisable to work closely with a physical therapist to help build muscle strength and mobility as your healing process continues.
If you are looking for a physical therapist and live in the Wyckoff New Jersey area, we can definitely assist you in your healing and strength conditioning. We will build a custom physical rehabilitation program based on your injury to ensure you retain full strength and mobility as your injury heals.

Tom Willemann

Tom Willemann

Tom Willemann is a premier physical therapist based out of Bergen County, New Jersey. He holds an MS in physical therapy from the University of Miami, is credentialed in the world-renowned McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT), and holds an OCS (Orthopedic Clinical Specialist) certification. As of 2018, there are approximately 14,000 ABPTS certified specialists in the nation and less than 400 of them are located in the state of New Jersey. Tom is the owner and director of Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation in Paramus. He opened the clinic, which specializes in spine and sports injury prevention, in 2004 after many years of experience in the field. Tom’s caring interest in others and his strong belief in continuity of care, combined with his clinic’s ability to find solutions for the most difficult orthopedic problems, have earned Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation its excellent reputation with patients and medical professionals in northeastern New Jersey and beyond. A true “family man,” Tom takes pride in his clinic’s warm and welcoming environment.
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