Broken and Repaired Clavicle Pictures
Click Pics for full size images
The Break
Can't say much, mostly just "ouch"
The Repair
Typically clavicle's do not require surgery to heal. When surgery is
needed
I found there are three ways to put things back together.
My Doctor discussed two methods with me.
The first is a plate with multiple screws to hold everything in place, the
second, as shown in the pics below is a single screw that runs down the length
of
the clavicle. Lastly there is external fixation, which does not seem to be used
much
in the US, it consists of pins that stick though the skin and are attached to an
external rod to hold everything still.
The Scar
According to my Doctor, the single screw method is less invasive than the
plate
method, allowing things to heal faster and leaving a smaller scar, pic below.
For an excellent source of "first hand" information on broken
clavicles check out
the posts on CyclingForums.com, from heal time, surgery
options, to new
pains...
http://www.cyclingforums.com/t-133419-15-1.html