Fractured collarbone
Introduction
A broken collarbone, or fractured clavicle, is a common injury. Itusuallyhappens after a fall or a blow to the shoulder.
It takes about six to eight weeks to heal in adults, and three to six weeks in children.
The collarbone, or clavicle, is a long slender bone that runs from the breastbone to each of the shoulders. You should be able to feel it running across the top of your chest, just below your neck. It is connected to the breastbone and shoulder blade via tough bands of tissue called ligaments.
See your doctor (GP) straight away if you've injured your collarbone. If your GP thinks it's fractured, they'll refer you to hospital for an X-ray to confirm the injury and have it treated with a sling and brace.
If you can't see your GP or if the injury is severe for example, the bone is poking through the skin or the pain is unbearablego straight to your nearest hospital accident and emergency (A&E) department.
This page summarises the signs of a broken or cracked collarbone, and explains what you can do while you wait to see the doctor and how this injury is treated.
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 4 Jan 2017
Introduction
A broken collarbone, or fractured clavicle, is a common injury that usually happens after a fall on to the shoulder.
Signs of a broken collarbone
A cracked or broken collarbone will be extremely painful. There may also be: swelling or tenderness around the injured area bruising to the skin bleeding if the bone has damaged the tissue and ski
What you should do
While you wait to see a doctor, stabilise the arm by using a towel as a sling (this goes under the forearm and then around the neck). Try to move the arm as little as possible. Take over-the-counter
How a broken collarbone is treated
Most broken collarbones are left to heal naturallyusing a simple triangular sling to support the arm and hold the bones together in their normal positions. The sling is usually applied in hospital af
How long does it take to heal?
In adults, it usually takes about six to eight weeks for a broken collarbone to heal, although it can take longer. In children, it usually takes about three to six weeks to heal. However, it will tak
Recovery advice
You may find the following advice helpful while recovering from a broken collarbone: use extra pillows at night to keep yourself more upright if you find sleeping uncomfortable use ice packs and pa
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