A fall onto the shoulder or outstretched arm — cycling, sport, ice — and the collarbone gave way. Clavicle fractures are among the most common fractures in active adults, and once the bone heals, the part that decides your final result begins: shoulder rehabilitation.
What is a collarbone fracture?
The clavicle links your shoulder to your trunk and most often breaks in its middle third. Initial treatment — orthopaedic (sling) or surgical (plate) — is the orthopaedist’s decision based on displacement. Our role: complete recovery of the shoulder after immobilisation, which otherwise stays stiff and weak.
What problems follow immobilisation?
Shoulder and elbow stiffness, strength loss along the whole arm chain, a protective posture with the shoulder slumped forward, fear of movement, and scapular imbalances that predispose to impingement if left uncorrected.
How does rehabilitation work?
In stages, coordinated with your orthopaedist: the protection phase (safe early mobility, keeping elbow and hand functional), progressive restoration of shoulder mobility, then strengthening the rotator cuff and scapular stabilisers, and finally retraining overhead movements and return to sport.
Why guided rehab matters
Because the most common after-effects — a stiff shoulder, reduced strength, chronic discomfort — come not from the fracture itself but from incomplete rehabilitation. A guided programme prevents exactly that.
How we work at Medicine Park
We take over rehab per your orthopaedist’s indication: assess mobility, strength and posture, build the staged programme and guide you week by week with clear progression criteria — communicating with your doctor where needed. All in English.
How long does recovery take?
Bone typically consolidates in 6–12 weeks; full functional shoulder recovery takes 2–4 months from the fracture, depending on severity and how early rehab starts.
When to start
Ideally during the immobilisation period (safe exercises exist even then). If your shoulder stayed stiff after an older fracture, rehab works late too. Your first assessment at Medicine Park is free.
