Our 14-year old daughter got thrown from a horse and dislocated her collar bone. The doctor says just let it heal on its own. Is this really the best advice? Isn't it better to fix it now while she's young?
There are different ways to approach this problem. Some of the choices depend on the patient's age. As your doctor suggests, a child or young adolescent hasn't stopped growing yet. The body has very powerful reparative processes at this stage of life. It's quite true that a bone fracture of the clavicle (collar bone) will remodel itself.
Older patients may be faced with the risk of chronic dislocation or chronic pain from an unstable joint. Surgery to remove part or all of the clavicle may be needed. Other choices include reconstruction. The surgeon can take a tissue graft and wrap it around and through the bone in a figure-eight "suture."
In the case of a 14-year old, if conservative care doesn't work then surgery is still an option later.
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