Pediatric clavicle fracture

Are you familiar with clavicle fractures in children?

Do you know why clavicle fractures occur in children?

Do you know the signs and symptoms of pediatric clavicle fractures?

Do you know what are the treatment options for broken pediatric clavicle?

If your child also has a clavicle fracture and you want to get scientific information about a bone fracture, we recommend that you read on.

 

 

Introduction

Clavicle fractures are the most common bone fractures in childhood. These bones do not fully heal until adulthood. Children under one year of age and even older children are more prone to fractures. In the following, we will first give a brief overview of anatomy and then talk more about clavicle fractures in children.

The clavicle bone is located between the acromion appendage of the scapula and the sternum. The clavicle is classified as one of the longest bones in the human body and is a bone that can be touched all the way down. Lean people can easily see the clavicle under their skin.

 

What are the functions of the clavicle bone?

The functions of the clavicle can be summarized in the following three cases:

1. The first function is to be considered as a part of the. Due to the presence of this girdle, your upper limb is attached to the trunk.
2. The second function is to transfer forces from your upper limbs to your axial skeleton.
3. The third function is that the clavicle supports and protects the very important nerves and arteries that are located behind it.

 

What are the clavicle bones made of?

The clavicle consists of two ends and a trunk between them.

An end of the clavicle, which is on the side of the sternum or sternum, is called the medial end, or the inner end, or the sternal end.

The other side of the clavicle, which is the appendage of the scapular acromion, is called the outer end, the lateral end, or the acromial end.

This area is also the junction of the ligaments.

The end of the medial is the junction of several important ligaments

The lateral end is also the junction of several ligaments, one of which is very strong and rigid and plays a very important and efficient role in keeping the upper limb hanging.

One of these ligaments is very hard and strong and very efficiently and effectively holds the upper limb hanging from the clavicle bone.

The third part, which is actually located between the lateral end and the medial end, is called the trunk or shaft of the clavicle and is considered as the starting point of several muscles.

 

Clavicle fractures in children

We must say that the most common bone fracture in children is the clavicle fracture, and we must say that because this bone remains soft and unstable until adulthood, there is a possibility that it will suffer more fractures.

Fractures occur in children under one year of age as well as older children.

 

What is the mechanism of clavicle fracture in a child?

We have said that the clavicle is considered to be one of the long bones that is part of the shoulder girdle and provides the connection between your upper limbs and the trunk. The mechanism by which a child develops a clavicle fracture should include the following:

Clavicle fractures occur in children when the child falls to the ground on their shoulders and hands (When the hand is stretched).

Another mechanism that we can have a clavicle fracture is due to the difficulty of delivery or the so-called withdrawal of the fetus from the birth canal.

 

What are the symptoms of clavicle fractures in children?

If your child’s clavicle is broken, the child cannot and does not want to move his arm in the direction that the clavicle is broken. If the child has a clavicle fracture, it is possible to keep the injured hand and arm on the side of the body. A child with a clavicle fracture may have a lot of pain. For example, if you lift this child under his armpit, he may cry a lot. The injured area of the child may be swollen, and there may be a fracture, bruise, or bump at the site. It is generally said that within about 7 days a mass called a callus will form at the point where the bone is healing. Interestingly, the only symptom of a clavicle fracture in some children is that seven days after the fracture, the parents notice this prominent mass, which is the callus.

 

Treatment of clavicle fractures in children

How is fracture treated if the child has a clavicle fracture?

The doctor should carefully examine the child with a clavicle fracture to make sure that the fracture bones are not damaged the nearby arteries and nerves. Probably one of the most common diagnostic aids in clavicle fractures is when your doctor requests a simple x-ray, i.e., a simple x-ray of your chest.

Imaging helps the doctor see the exact location of the fracture and become more aware of its severity.

Consider the following tips on what to use to heal the clavicle fractures:

Many clavicle fractures in children may heal well without the need for surgery.

Sometimes the arm on the injured side of the clavicle must be immobile, that is, arrangements must be made so that the upper limbs of the injured side does not move. In this way, the clavicle does not move so that the bone can heal.

In these cases, a special bandage or figure of eight brace method is used, which is a type of shoulder hanger.

This method causes your baby’s shoulders to be pulled back, creating all the conditions that are suitable for repairing that broken part.

Along with these measures, you should learn the correct method of lifting the child so that your child does not suffer from pain until he recovers. It is best to ask your child’s doctor about this method, and your child’s doctor will usually recommend acetaminophen drops and syrup for your child to reduce pain.

Cold compresses should be applied for the first 48 hours to reduce swelling. This means that you put some ice cubes in a bag, wrap a plastic bag in a soft, clean cloth, and put it on the swollen and damaged area every two to three hours for 15 to 20 minutes during the day. Avoid putting ice directly on the skin.

In cases where the clavicle fracture is mild in children and there is not much movement of the broken parts, reduction should be performed and then a bandage should be hung from the shoulder to immobilize the damaged clavicle.

If the fracture is accompanied by excessive displacement or the child’s clavicle fracture is associated with vascular damage, surgery must be performed, and when surgery is performed, the affected limb must be bandaged, And this situation should continue for a month to a month and a half.

 

What are the symptoms of a clavicle fracture in children?

first symptom: The child feels severe pain at the fracture site

Second symptom: There is ecchymosis at the fracture site

Third symptom: There is a bulge at the fracture site

Forth symptom: Disorder of shoulder joint movement on the affected side.

There may be bleeding in open fractures. Finally, another sign is that the pain is spreading to the organs associated with the shoulder.

 

Postoperative measures

When surgery is performed or therapies are adopted by a physician, standard physiotherapy is necessary to restore normal range of motion of the shoulder joint and speed up the recovery process.

 

What are the complications of clavicle fractures in children?

It is said that bad bone healing in clavicle fractures in children are one of the complications of this injury, but this complication usually occurs rarely and usually will not cause a significant problem for the affected person.

 

Tips for clavicle fractures

Clavicle fractures are classified into the following types:

The most common site for clavicle fractures is in the middle part which is the trunk of the clavicle (80%).

15% of clavicle fractures are in the lateral part.

5% of them occur in the medial part.

When a clavicle fracture occurs, the outer end of the clavicle will move downward due to the tensile weight created by the arm and inward due to the tension created by the pectoralis major muscle.

On the other hand, the inner end of the broken clavicle bone is pulled from above by the SCM muscle.

The last point is to be careful with the anatomical differences in the clavicle bone. The clavicle has more anatomical differences than any other long bone.