Sternoclavicular Sprain (Separation)
The collar bone connects to the sternum (or breast bone) in the middle of the chest at the top. If the shoulder is subjected to a hard impact this joint can become injured.
Symptoms of Sternoclavicular Injury
- Pain when you push in at the point where your collar bone meets your breast bone.
- Pain radiating into the shoulder.
- There may be a visible bony lump.
What is a Sternoclavicular injury?
The clavicle (or collar bone) connects to the sternum (or breast bone) in the middle of the chest at the top. If the shoulder is subjected to a hard impact this joint can become damaged. It must be said however that this is a very rare injury but if it does occur and is quite bad you should seek medical help because the bones are dangerously close to important blood vessels.
Treatment of Sternoclavicular Injuries
What can the athlete do?
- Rest If the injury is not severe then there is little else they can do.
- The athlete should be able to return to sport within a few weeks but pain may still be present for a few months.
What can a sports injury therapist do?
- Determine how bad the injury is and advise on when it is OK to return to sport.
- Do a CT scan of the joint and if it is bad you could be confined to hospital due to the risk of damaging blood vessels (it does not show up on an X-ray)
- An operation called a clavicle resection is a possibility. However it is reported that few Surgeons will attempt it and it is only 50% successful.
