One page summary: Clavicle fracture in newborns

In two sentences

The clavicle, or collarbone, is the bone most often broken during birth. Most of these fractures heal on their own within weeks and leave no lasting problem. ¹

The important thing is not the bone. It is to check whether the nerves to the arm were injured at the same time, because a brachial plexus injury needs completely different care and it is easy to attribute a limp arm to the fracture alone. ²

The numbers, with their sources

• What it is. A break in the collarbone, most often in the middle third, occurring during the passage of the shoulder ¹
• The usual treatment. Comfort measures and gentle handling. Most newborn clavicle fractures are not set, splinted or operated on ¹
• How healing shows. A firm lump of new bone forms over the break within a few weeks, which alarms parents and is a normal part of healing ¹
• The associated injury to rule out. Brachial plexus injury, which occurs at around 1.5 per 1,000 live births and can happen alongside a fracture ²
• The main risk association. Shoulder dystocia and larger babies, though fractures also occur in births with neither ³
• Long-term effect. Newborn clavicle fractures generally heal completely and do not cause lasting problems with shoulder function ¹

What to do this week

1. Ask specifically whether the arm nerves were assessed, not just the bone.
2. Ask whether shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand were each checked.
3. Ask about a droopy eyelid or smaller pupil on that side.
4. Ask how to hold, dress and feed your baby comfortably.
5. Expect a lump. Ask what it should feel like and when it should fade.
6. Request the delivery note, including any shoulder dystocia documentation.
7. Book the follow-up check to confirm full movement has returned.

Questions to take with you

Take these with you. Write the answers down in the moment, because you will not remember them later.

For the pediatrician

• Was the arm nerve function checked separately from the bone?
• Is the hand gripping normally? Is the elbow bending?
• When should the lump appear and when should it fade?
• What pain relief, and for how long?
• When do we come back to check movement?

For the obstetric team

• Was there a shoulder dystocia, and what maneuvers were used?
• Was the clavicle fractured deliberately as a maneuver?
• Is all of that documented in the delivery note?

You can also build a printable list with the question generator.

Where to read more

The full page on this condition covers how it happens, causes split into what happens even with perfect care and what is associated with gaps in care, signs by age, diagnosis, treatment, outlook, daily life and lifetime cost.

Read the full page on Clavicle fracture in newborns

Related pages are listed at the bottom of it, including the events that can lead to this condition and the guides that cover therapy, school and money.