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Review
. 2025 Jan 25;17(1):e77961.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.77961. eCollection 2025 Jan.

Adolescent Clavicle Fractures: A Management Dilemma?

Muhammad Bin A Hamid  1 , Zubair Younis  2 , Muhammad Mannan  1 , Rudra M Prabhu  1 , Nayan Shrivastava  1 , Ali Tauseef  1 , Manjunath A Nagaiah  1 , Ariz Raza  1 , Andalib Kashani  1
Affiliations
Review

Adolescent Clavicle Fractures: A Management Dilemma?

Muhammad Bin A Hamid et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Clavicle fractures are among the most common orthopaedic injuries in adolescents, particularly male athletes, arising primarily from sports-related trauma and vehicular accidents. While non-operative treatment remains the standard approach due to favourable recovery outcomes and lower complication rates, the trend toward surgical fixation has gained traction, driven by emerging studies suggesting potential benefits in certain cases. This review critically examines the indications, outcomes, and complications associated with both conservative and operative management of adolescent clavicle fractures. Non-operative treatment demonstrates high healing rates, minimal long-term functional deficits, and excellent patient satisfaction. Conversely, operative interventions, including plate fixation and intramedullary nailing, are associated with improved alignment in displaced fractures but carry risks of hardware-related complications, such as implant irritation, hardware failure, and the necessity for removal surgeries. The role of surgical intervention remains controversial, with no definitive consensus or Level 1 evidence favouring one approach over the other.

Keywords: child and adolescent; clavicle fractures; family medicine; orif; pediatric fractures.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Left clavicle, superior surface.
Reproduced with permission from [11].
Figure 2
Figure 2. Left clavicle, inferior surface.
Reproduced with permission from [11].
Figure 3
Figure 3. Anteroposterior (A) and Zanca (B) views of the clavicle at injury, three months, and 12 months showing re-modelling potential in a 12-year-old adolescent.
Reproduced with permission from [26].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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