You can suffer a variety of injuries in a motor vehicle accident. For example, due to the force, a broken collarbone is a common injury.
While this is not the most serious injury you can suffer, it can be associated with quite a bit of pain and discomfort. Furthermore, it can change the way you live your life until the injury is healed.
The biggest problem with treating a broken collarbone is keeping the bone stabilized. The best way of doing so is with an arm sling.
Note: It typically takes 12 weeks for a broken bone to heal in an adult. For this reason, you can expect to wear a sling for this period of time.
Other forms of treatment include:
— Medication. For example, you may require medication to counteract the pain and discomfort.
— Physical therapy. Even though you’re wearing a sling, you’ll still want to partake in therapy to ensure that you maintain some range of motion.
— Surgery. This is not typically required, but it may be necessary if the collarbone is severely displaced or has fractured into several pieces.
As you can imagine, no two collarbone injuries are identical. This is why you need to consult with a medical professional that can run the right tests and provide an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.
Since a broken collarbone has a way of changing your life for an extended period of time, while also impacting your finances, it’s important to learn more about your legal rights. If somebody else caused the accident and injury, you may be able to seek compensation.
Source: Mayo Clinic, “Treatments and drugs,” accessed May 02, 2017
