REHABILITATION OF A CONSERVATIVELY MANAGED CLAVICULAR FRACTURE

The collarbone, or wishbone, is a thin, S-shaped bone about 6 inches (15 cm) long and serves as a support between the shoulder blade and the sternum (sternum). Clavicle fracture so occur as a result of injury or trauma. The most common site of fracture is the junction between the two curvatures of the bone, which is the weakest point. The displacement post fracture is most common in clavicular fracture because the attachment of the muscle sternocleidomastoid pulls the Sternal head upwards and the pectoral muscle pulls the distal clavicle downwards. After a distal clavicle fracture, radiographic nonunion has been identified in 10% to 44% of patients. Most of clavicular fractures are managed non-surgically by physical therapy which consists of a rehabilitation program without hampering the fracture healing, the rehabilitation consists of pain reduction, improving strength and range of motion of the shoulder, Scapular and neck muscles and postural correction exercises in addition to a brace to support the upper limb as the clavicle is the bone connecting the Axilla to the shoulder girdle. And the patient is started with medical management which usually consist of analgesics. 62 year old male patient with left clavicle fracture was diagnosed on x-ray after a hit from a bullock cart. Following this incident the patient underwent a prompt series of physical rehabilitation which included strengthening exercises, thoracic expansion exercises, breathing exercises. The case report suggests that a physiotherapy treatment procedure led to the improvement of functional goals progressively and significantly.

Unusual and nondescript type of distal clavicular fracture

Displaced fracture of the distal third of the clavicle usually occurs after direct trauma to the shoulder and typically results in superior displacement of the proximal fragment. We report a previously undescribed case of downward displacement of the clavicle caused by a fall on an outstretched hand, and we suggest the mechanism of injury.

Functional outcome of displaced middle third clavicular fractures treated by plate osteosynthesis

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Clavicle fracture is a common traumatic injury around the shoulder girdle due to its subcutaneous position. Recent studies have shown a higher rate of nonunion and shoulder dysfunction in subgroups of patients with clavicle fractures. The purpose of the study was to prospectively analyse the functional outcome of mid-third displaced clavicular fractures treated by open reduction and internal fixation with plate osteosynthesis. To study the outcome of displaced middle-third clavicular fracture streated by plate osteosynthesis.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> This was a prospective comparative on-randomized study was conducted in Government District Head Quarters Hospital Nagapattinam with a follow-up ranging from September 2018 to January 2019 5 months. Thirty-four cases of middle third displaced (Robinson type 2b1 and 2b2) clavicular fractures are treated with plate osteosynthesis. We used a reconstruction plate, a locking compression plate, and a 1/3^rd tubular plate for study.<strong></strong></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> The mean time to union was 9.5 weeks. At the latest follow-up, the entire patients returned to the pre-injury activity level. One case had a superficial infection which was treated with intravenous antibiotics. There is no difference between the reconstruction group and the locking compression plate group in terms of functional outcome and union rate. We also noticed that road traffic accident and direct injury to the shoulder causes Robinson type 2b2 fractures.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Open reduction and rigid internal fixation of displaced midshaft clavicular fracture have resulted in a good fracture union rate and excellent functional outcome.</p>