Displaced Clavicle Fractures in Teenagers
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. Among the world of injuries and fractures, some are more common than others. One of the most common injuries that someone can sustain is a damaged or broken collarbone. Due to risk-taking behavior, collarbone injuries are relatively common in teenagers. Recently, a review article was published discussing the causes and treatment of these injuries.
A Review: Causes of Displaced Clavicle Fractures
A team of medical professionals published a review article that took a look at all of the displaced clavicle fractures in teenagers that they could find over a period of several years. Displaced clavicle or collarbone fractures are bone fractures where a part of the collarbone has been moved from its traditional anatomical location. The medical professionals then ranked the most common causes of this traumatic injury. What they found was that:
Sports: Sports were among the most common causes, particularly contact sports. This shouldn’t be surprising considering the number of injuries that teenagers suffer while playing sports. Some injuries, such as ACL tears, might receive more attention; however, due to the size of the collarbone, this injury is very common as well.
Auto Accidents: Car accidents also ranked among the most common causes of a displaced clavicle fracture. Many parents consider giving their child a license to drive to be a rite of passage. While this is a significant milestone and deserves to be celebrated as much, it is also important to realize that teenagers can engage in risk-taking behavior and wind up in an auto accident where they subsequently sustain serious injuries. One of the more common injuries that they could develop is a broken clavicle.
It is important for people to realize that if the clavicle has been displaced from its typical position, this could lead to serious conditions and complications.
Complications from a Displaced Broken Collarbone
There are several different complications that someone can develop if they sustain a displaced or broken clavicle. In the upper arm and neck area, there are countless important structures that can be damaged by a bone fragment that is released from a damaged collarbone. For example, the brachial plexus is nearby. This is a key bundle of nerves that supply motor and sensory function to the arm. If a bone fragment damages these nerves, someone may have difficulty moving their arm in certain directions, lifting objects, or sensing pressure along their arm. There are also important blood vessels that flow through the area, including numerous branches of the aorta. If a piece of the bone slices through one of these blood vessels, it can lead to serious internal bleeding that could create complications from internally. These are only a few of the many complications that are often overlooked when someone sustains a displaced broken collarbone.
Treatment Options
Once the injury has been diagnosed, the treatment process can start. With a displaced collarbone, the bone has been moved from its anatomical home. Because this means it isn’t in proper alignment with the rest of the bones, surgery will be required to move the bone back into place so that it can heal in a proper manner. Screws or plates could be necessary to hold the bone in place and a typical fracture will take several weeks to heal. While all of this is happening, family members, particularly parents, could have questions about how or why this injury was sustained. They may also be wondering how they are going to pay for their teenager’s medical care. For assistance with finding answers to these questions, parents should reach out to a compassionate attorney to discuss all of the options available to them. An attorney can help a family make a decision that is in their best interests.
Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to the negligence of someone else, please contact me for free, friendly legal advice. Our phone number is (916) 921-6400 and our toll-free line is (800) 404-5400.
I am proud to be a listed in the California forum of the Million Dollar Advocates.
Please take a moment to review our verdicts and settlements here.
Take a few minutes to look at Avvo, Yelp, and/or Google to read summaries from some of my past customers.
Image Source: The image at the top was found originally on Unsplash and has been shown at this site with permission
:dr [cs 754] bw cv