Collarbone Pain

Collarbone pain

Pain to the collarbone can be caused by injury like a fracture. The pain is at its worst when applying arm movement. Patients may also witness a dull pain in the shoulder that may also be felt even though the arm is not being used. Fractures can occur from a number of events, but quite commonly it is one of the many injuries to hit pensioners after taking a fall due to their brittle bones.

Another injury that can cause pain to the collarbone is a acromio-clavicular tear. This type of injury does not heal fast. If the injury is not attended to swiftly, it can lead to further complications like disability. This would render the use of the arms and hand. Most cases result in the need of surgery.

Causes

Common

The most common causes of pain to the collarbone are:

• Swollen collarbone
• Pulled or overly stretched tendon
• Lifting of heavy w
• d through sport, car accidents and falls
• Compound collarbone fracture, when fragments of the bone break off and can be seen just under the skin by the naked eye. Sometimes
• eights, putting pressure on the shoulder
• Fractures, injuries causethey pierce the skin and can cause infections if not treated.
• Joint injuries, the more the pressure put on joints the greater the risk of injury

Collarbone pain can be a very painful and is more likely to be the pain associated with athletes. A fractured collarbone is the most easily fractured bone of the body.

Uncommon causes of pain

There are also some uncommon causes of collarbone pain such as:

• Dislocation of shoulder
• Arthritis
• Bruise of the affected area
• Infection
• Clavicle cancer, bone tumors although very uncommon.

Dislocated Shoulder

A dislocated shoulder happens when the humerous dislocates from the scapula at the shoulder joint. The shoulder joint has the greatest range of movement out of all the joints of the body.

But this great range of movement comes at a price. That price is low joint stability. This means that the joint is always liable to a partial dislocation or full dislocation.

Most of emergency room joint dislocation reports, come from or involve the shoulder. Symptoms of a dislocated shoulder are significant pain felt along the arm past the shoulder, inability to move the arm from its current position especially reaching away from the body with the upper arm twisted, numbness of the arm, visibly displaced shoulder as the shoulder may drop on the injured side of the body and no palpable bone on the side of the shoulde

Collarbone Arthritis

Arthritis can develop in any moving joint of the body. The AC joint is formed by the collarbone and part of the shoulder blade. Arthritis of the AC joint often develops from past injuries to the ligaments or from a breakdown of the padding between the bones gradually over time.

The AC joint is situated on top of the shoulder. Minimal movement occurs in the joint. The collarbone rotates with every shoulder movement, so any present arthritis in this joint can make it very uncomfortable and painful.

Shoulder Infection

A shoulder infection is a bacterial infection of the shoulder joint or surrounding structures. Most cases the shoulder itself is the cause but other joints can also be infected. The usual symptoms are pain in the shoulder, radiating pain from the shoulder into the upper arm, swelling, redness, fever or chill in some cases can be present. Most shoulder infections are diagnosed late because of the slight symptoms. Shoulder infections are serious and must be treated as soon as they are diagnosed.

A shoulder infection can develop by bacteria getting into the shoulder joint. It can be from the outside through an open wound or from the inside through the blood system. The infection is removed by an operation. This is where antibiotic chains and drainers are used to clean the actual shoulder joint.

Collarbone Cancer

Symptoms of collarbone cancer can include bone pain, broken bones, irregular urinary or bowel movement, along with weakness in the arms and legs. It is also noted that not all patients of cancer that spreads to the bones experience symptoms at all.

Collarbone cancer is cancer that was initiated in another part of the body and spread to the bones. The usual suspect is lung and breast cancer that spreads to nearby bones including the collarbone.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of collarbone fractures are:

• Painful to move the arm and shoulder or lack of movement
• The dropping of the shoulder on the side of the body of the fracture
• Bruising and swelling of the skin in the affected area
• Continuous ache that continues days after the initial injury

What to do in case of a fracture?

• Seek medical advice immediately
• Take the full course of any prescribed medications
• Do not wear clothing that restricts movement
• The use of ice or cold packs is always a good remedy to bring down swelling
• Absolutely no lifting
• Complete rest
• Always best to sleep on your back for 1-2 weks after injury

Treatment

The following treatments are common when dealing with collarbone injuries:

• Bandage or brace, stretches the collarbone to align the bone. The overall healing time for this treatment is 4-6 weeks
• Surgery, a compound fracture needs surgery to limit infection caused by open wounds, followed by a course of antibiotics
• Tears are also treated by surgery but not until 3-4 weeks after the initial injury.