A broken collarbone (also known as a clavicular fracture) most often happens from falling and landing directly onto your shoulder, such as while bicycling, skiing, or snowboarding.

The collarbone, or clavicle, is directly under the skin with very little overlying tissue, which makes fractures visible to the naked eye. Sometimes, the fractured ends of the bones can even protrude through the skin. Clavicular fractures are generally very painful at the time of the fracture.The clavicle is challenging for your body to heal on its own, as an immobilizing cast cannot be placed correctly around the fracture. In a less serious fracture, when the broken ends of the bones don’t overlap (less than 1.5 cm), the collarbone can heal without surgical intervention. We recommend treating this fracture with a shoulder sling for immobilization and gentle range of motion exercises.