Most broken collarbones in adults heal without surgery. A sling is usually worn for comfort for about 2 to 6 weeks, and the bone typically takes 6 to 12 weeks to knit. Most people are back to daily tasks and desk work within that window. Heavy lifting, contact sport and manual work often take about 3 months, sometimes longer. Plating is usually discussed when the broken ends overlap a lot, sit far apart or press on the skin.
This page assumes your collarbone (clavicle) fracture has been X-rayed and you have a plan from your doctor. Most breaks are in the middle third of the bone. If the skin over the break is tight, white or broken, go to the emergency section near the end first.
Key takeaways
- Most heal without surgery: many adult collarbone fractures are treated with a sling and time.
- Bone healing: typically 6 to 12 weeks in adults; heavier work and contact sport often about 3 months or more.
- The sling: usually worn for comfort for about 2 to 6 weeks, while the elbow, wrist and hand keep moving.
- A bump is common: new bone forms a firm lump at the break, which usually gets smaller over months.
- Plating is discussed: when the ends overlap or sit far apart, press on the skin, or the bone has not joined after several months.
Where are you right now?
- Just broken: start with “Sling care” and the week-by-week section.
- Weeks in and not settling: go to “If it isn’t going to plan” and “When plating is discussed”.
- After surgery: if you have had a plate or a rod fitted, your surgeon’s protocol comes first.
- Getting back to work or sport: the “When can I…” table gives typical ranges.
Sling care
- Purpose: the sling takes the weight of the arm so the ends move less. It is for comfort, not to hold the bone.
- Keep the rest moving: bend and straighten the elbow, turn the forearm and open and close the hand several times a day.
- Sleeping: many people find it easier propped up on pillows for the first 1 to 3 weeks.
- Dressing: put the injured arm into a sleeve first and take it out last. Loose, front-opening tops help.
Week by week
- Weeks 0 to 2: pain is sharpest, and you may feel the ends grate when you move. Wear the sling, avoid lifting the arm, and keep the elbow and hand moving.
- Weeks 2 to 6: pain usually eases. Gentle shoulder movement below shoulder height often begins as your doctor allows, and the sling is used less.
- Weeks 6 to 12: once an X-ray or examination shows healing, movement builds to full range and light strengthening starts.
- Months 3 to 6: strength builds for lifting, manual work and sport. The bump is still felt and slowly smooths.
When plating is discussed
Surgery usually means holding the bone with a metal plate and screws. It is often discussed when:
- The ends do not touch: the broken pieces have moved fully apart.
- The bone is shortened: the pieces overlap so the collarbone is noticeably shorter, often quoted as about 2 cm (3/4 inch) or more.
- Skin or nerves at risk: a bone end presses on the skin, the skin is broken, or there are nerve or blood vessel problems.
- Several injuries: other fractures in the same arm.
- Slow to join: the bone has not joined after several months (nonunion), more likely with a large gap or smoking.
Plating can mean a faster early return for some people, but it has its own risks, and some plates are removed later.
The sling rests the arm. The bone does the healing, on its own timetable.
Where else this could be coming from
- Separated shoulder (AC joint sprain): pain and a bump at the very outer tip of the collarbone, where it meets the shoulder blade, rather than along its length.
- Sternoclavicular joint injury: pain where the inner end of the collarbone meets the breastbone. Rare, but a bone pushed backward here needs emergency care.
- Rib fracture: pain at a point on the chest wall that is worse with deep breaths and coughing.
- Shoulder stiffness: after weeks in a sling, the joint can stiffen, with an ache deeper than the break.
- The neck: pain that changes with neck movement, or tingling running down the arm.
Is this normal?
- “I can feel it grind or click.” Common in the first few weeks before the bone is firm. It usually stops as healing progresses.
- “There is a hard lump where it broke.” This is new bone (callus). It is often largest at 6 to 12 weeks and usually shrinks over months.
- “The bruising has spread to my chest.” Common in the first 2 weeks.
- “My shoulder looks lower on that side.” A slight droop or shortening can happen when the ends overlap. Raise it with your doctor if it is noticeable.
If it isn’t going to plan
It is week ten. You can still feel a catch at the break when you reach for the top shelf, and lifting a full kettle with that hand makes you wince. The thought in your head is that you should keep the arm in the sling a few weeks longer to be safe.
After the first weeks, more time in the sling usually adds stiffness rather than safety. Bone responds to gradual load, and a shoulder kept still loses movement. Sharp pain at the break itself, though, can mean the bone is joining slowly.
What a healing collarbone needs is the right balance: protection while the bone is soft, then steady return of movement and strength once your doctor confirms it is joining.
If you are 8 to 12 weeks in with pain at the break, get it reviewed by your doctor or a physical therapist. Ask:
- Healing: does the X-ray show the bone joining, and when should it be repeated?
- Movement: how far can I move the shoulder now, and when can I start strengthening?
- Risk factors: does smoking, my age or the gap between the ends change my outlook?
When can I…
| Activity | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Sleep on that side | Often 6 to 12 weeks after a broken collarbone |
| Drive | Often 4 to 8 weeks, once out of the sling and able to steer and brake safely |
| Reach overhead | Often 6 to 12 weeks, once healing is confirmed |
| Lift | Light items within weeks; heavy lifting often about 3 months |
| Desk work | Often within 1 to 2 weeks, with the arm supported |
| Manual work or sport | Often about 3 months; contact sport sometimes longer |
If you have had surgery, your surgeon’s protocol comes first.
Call your local emergency number or go to the emergency department if
- Skin at risk: a bone end is pressing the skin tight and white, or has come through it.
- Breathing: new shortness of breath or sharp chest pain on breathing in.
- Circulation: the arm or hand turns cold, pale or blue.
- Swallowing or voice: trouble swallowing or a change in your voice after an injury at the inner end of the collarbone.
See a doctor today if
- Numbness or weakness: new tingling, numbness or weakness in the arm or hand.
- Uncontrolled pain: severe pain not controlled by your advised medicine.
- After surgery: redness, discharge or fever around the scar.
Get it checked soon if
- Still moving at the break: you can feel the ends shift or grate after about 8 to 12 weeks.
- Pain at the break: pain at the fracture is not clearly easing after 6 weeks.
- Stiff shoulder: you cannot lift the arm to shoulder height by about 8 weeks.
More on this area: shoulder conditions.
Most broken collarbones heal well without surgery, and the work after the sling is what brings the shoulder back into use.
Written by Louise Yow, Neck & Shoulder Physio.