Discharge Advice Following a Paediatric Clavicle Fracture (10 years and under)

• Your child has fractured (broken) their clavicle (collar bone)
• This injury is common in children and heals well with painkillers and use of a sling.
• In rare cases, the fracture can pierce the skin. Attend the Emergency Department urgently if you are concerned about the skin around the fracture site.
• The collar bone may be painful for four to six weeks.
• Your child may find it more comfortable to sleep sitting upright for a few days.
• The arm can be moved out of the sling for washing and dressing as comfort allows.
• The sling is usually not needed for longer than two weeks.
• A ‘bump’ over the fracture is normal. It is produced by healing bone and will smooth out over the next year. In older children a minor bump may remain but is nothing to worry about unless it is painful.
• Your child may return to gentle activities such as swimming as soon as comfortable but should avoid high impact sports (such as rugby, football and gymnastics) for six weeks.

If the pain gets worse, lasts more than six weeks, or your child has not regained full movement within this time please contact us on the details below.

Contact numbers

We hope that you have found this information useful. If you have any questions or are worried about anything, please speak to the following Dorset County Hospital staff:

Virtual Fracture Clinic: 01305 253305, Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm
VFCTriage@dchft.nhs.uk

About this leaflet

Author: Lauren Eve
Written: December 2024
Approved: February 2025
Review date: February 2028
Edition: 1

If you have feedback regarding the accuracy of the information contained in this leaflet, or if you would like a list of references used to develop this leaflet, please email patientinformation.leaflets@dchft.nhs.uk