Clavicle fractures are one of the most common types of broken bones in children. These fractures usually heal on their own. A swathe (shoulder immobilizer) or sling helps with comfort. Pain usually lasts for 1–2 weeks. Avoiding new falls and injuries is important during healing.

• The arm below the fracture is numb, pale, or cold. 
• Your child can't move their fingers normally.

• Use ice for pain and swelling. Put an icepack, cold gel pack, or bag of frozen vegetables over the collarbone for 20 minutes every 2–3 hours for the first 2 days. Be sure to put a towel between the ice or cold pack and your child's skin.
• For the first 2 weeks: Keep the arm in the shoulder immobilizer most of the time. It may be removed for short periods of time when your child bathes and changes clothes. Keep it on at night until the pain goes away.
• For the first few days, your child will feel more comfortable sitting up rather than lying down. Sleeping on several pillows in a "recliner" type position is often more comfortable.
• For the first 4 weeks, your child should avoid:
  • raising their arm above the shoulder
  • lifting anything that weighs more than 5 pounds (2.3 kg). This is about the weight of a 72-ounce bottle of liquid laundry detergent.
  • all sports and physical education
• When bathing or changing, have your child keep the arm still. While washing, they should stand up and lean forward. This will bring the arm away from the body to wash the armpit area if it is too painful for your child to lift the arm.
• Think "first in/last out" with clothes: To put on a shirt, first put the injured arm into its sleeve, then bring the collar of the shirt over the head, and then put the uninjured arm into the other sleeve. To take off a shirt, first take the uninjured arm out of its sleeve, then bring the collar over the head, and then take the injured arm out of its sleeve.
• A button-down shirt or a loose-fitting T-shirt will be easier to put on and take off.

At 2–4 weeks:

• During this time, your child should be feeling more comfortable. There may be mild pain. 
• If your child is using a sling and swathe, you can change to just using the sling portion.
• If your child needs both hands to do a task while seated, like typing on a computer, they can take off the sling or shoulder immobilizer.
• If your child is younger than 5 years old, they should be closely watched when out of the sling (such as mealtimes).
• Most kids will be able to wash and get dressed normally. Your child will likely be able to sleep flat.

At 4 weeks (kids age 10 and younger):

Most young children (under 10 years old) should be healed by 4 weeks. You can discontinue the shoulder immobilizer or sling if you see signs of healing:

• If you can feel or see a bump, it means that your child is healing.
• Other signs of healing are no pain with movement (the shoulder may still be stiff), and no pain when you tap your finger right on the bump.

To help with healing:

• Your child may do stretching exercises and pendulum exercises. To do a pendulum exercise:
  • Have them lean forward over a table or chair and draw circles with their arm that is connected to the broken clavicle. They should gently move the whole arm in small to large circles for 2–3 minutes a few times a day.

If your child is younger than 10 and has no “bump,” or has more pain with movement or when you tap over the bump, follow up with your pediatrician or an orthopedic surgeon to check on the healing process.

At 6 weeks:

By 6 weeks, most children and teens are almost fully healed. Call your pediatrician or an orthopedic surgeon if your child still has pain with movement or doesn't have full strength.

When can my child go back to sports? Most children and teens can return to full activity (except for contact sports) at about 6 weeks. Your child is ready if:

• There is no pain when you press on the collarbone.
• They can move and use the arm without pain.
• They can do a jumping jack and the injured and non-injured arm move the same way.
• Their shoulder strength is normal and they can do a push-up without pain. 

How long does it take kids to go back to contact sports like football, lacrosse, or hockey? Most kids can go back to contact sports in about 8–12 weeks if they have normal shoulder movement without pain and full shoulder strength. If your child still has pain or weakness, check with your pediatric orthopedic specialist before going back to contact sports.

Will the collarbone heal straight? Even if the broken bones aren't perfectly lined up, the body usually can make the bones straight again. This is because the collarbone has a thick periosteum (outer layer of the bone). It usually does not break, so it acts as a sleeve to hold the bones together while they heal.

Sometimes while a broken collarbone heals, there is a bump where the bone was broken. In children who are still growing, the bump tends to get smaller and go away within a year. Sometimes the bump doesn't fully go away. The bump usually doesn't hurt or cause other problems with the arm or shoulder.