Everything You Need to Know about Returning to Sport After a Collarbone Fracture!

Some general information on resuming sport after a broken collarbone

There are many factors involved in determining when to resume sport after a broken collarbone. That’s why 2 people who have broken their collarbone may not be able to resume sport for several weeks or even months!

These are the factors that influence how quickly you can get back into sport. You’ll probably be able to get back into the swing of things more quickly if :

• your fracture is not displaced or complex;
• you were already fit and athletic before the fracture;
• you have not had any other fractures or problems in addition to this fracture;
• you have had no complications, you are progressing well, the pain is diminishing over the days and weeks;
• you broke the middle of the clavicle rather than the end;
• you’re keen to get back into sport, so plan to start early.

Whatever the sport, the vast majority of people who break their collarbone manage to get back into sport within a few months(those who were already doing so before):

• 97% of those who broke their collarbone in the middle (middle-third);
• 86% who have fractured the clavicle at one end (distally). It may take longer to heal, as this part of the clavicle moves more.

The minimum time observed for adults to return to sport is 9 weeks (2 months), and up to 22 weeks (4 and a half months) for the most complex fractures.

I’m now going to give you more specific information on the sports for which our physiotherapist’s opinion is most sought.

As you’ll see, some sports, such as cycling, can be taken up beforehand. Just like sports for children.

Source: Robertson 2016, 2017

⚽ Resuming soccer after a fractured collarbone

There are 3 risks in returning to soccer too soon after a fractured clavicle:

1. fall again while the clavicle is not yet well consolidated;
2. catch the ball in the collarbone;
3. putting too much stress on the clavicle when it’s not consolidated.

This is why soccer is generally not played again for several weeks after a clavicle fracture. In general, at least until a follow-up X-ray 1 or 2 months after the fracture, which shows the degree of consolidation.

If consolidation is well underway, the ideal solution is to start again gradually, adapting your training to limit the risk of falling. First, resume running and weight training without a ball, then some ball training.

Finally, after a few weeks, return to more risky matches and situations.

By way of illustration and anecdote, the return to sport after an operated fracture of the middle third of the clavicle was monitored in a young first division footballer (Rabe 2011). Soccer was resumed as early as 5 weeks after the fracture, and after 6 weeks he was able to rejoin his training and competition preparation group.

It was a middle-third fracture, which generally consolidates faster than a third-distal fracture.

🏈 Resuming rugby after a fractured collarbone

Here again, there are 3 risks in returning to rugby too soon after a fractured clavicle:

1. risk of direct physical contact with the still consolidating clavicle;
2. risk of falling (tackling) during play, resulting in trauma to the collarbone,
3. intensive running and playing, which can put excessive strain on the healing clavicle.

Only adapted running and weight training can be resumed initially, usually after a few weeks (3/4 weeks).

Once consolidation is well underway, situations with greater risk of impact and falls can be gradually integrated, often 2/3 months after the fracture.

🚴 Resuming cycling after a fractured clavicle

Exercise bikes and home trainers can be resumed in the days following the fracture, even if only one arm is placed on the handlebars for the first few days.

You can put on as much resistance and physical exertion as you like, but there’s no trauma to the fracture.

Cycling on the road or mountain bike exposes you to the risk of falling. That’s why we strongly recommend waiting until consolidation is well underway before resuming.

So, resume after the follow-up X-ray about 2 months after the clavicle fracture. Start gradually, to get your arm used to the bike position again!

In a high-level footballer whose gradual return to sport was rigorously monitored and analyzed, cycling on a cycloergometer was resumed as early as the first week after the fracture (Rabe 2011):

The chart also shows that he was already on the elliptical trainer in week two.

🏃 Resuming running after a clavicle fracture

There are 2 risks with running when you’ve broken your collarbone:

• and cause further trauma to the clavicle;
• putting too much strain on your collarbone when running: there’s more strain on your arms when you’re running than when you’re walking, especially if you’re running fast or downhill. Especially if your clavicle is broken at one end.

Some people still want to resume jogging quickly, and do so 2-3 weeks after the fracture. Others err on the side of caution and wait until consolidation is well underway (around 1? to 2 months after the fracture).

In the footballer I mentioned earlier (Rabe 2011), running was resumed as early as three weeks after the surgically-treated mid-clavicle fracture:

🏋️‍♀️ Resuming weight training after a clavicle fracture

It’s perfectly possible to continue doing strength training exercises involving only the legs, abdominals and non-fractured arm for the first few days after your clavicle fracture.

Of course, you’ll need to adapt the exercises to suit your own feelings, and avoid those that could stress your collarbone due to the risk of falls or impact, such as jump squats.

Muscle-building exercises involving your fractured arm, such as weight lifting, bench presses, pull-ups and push-ups with both arms, should be resumed gradually, once your collarbone is well on the way to healing. That’s at least 1 to 2 months after the fracture, sometimes longer.

The reason is that these exercises strain the clavicle and limit bone consolidation, especially if your clavicle is broken at one end.

Let’s take a look at the strength training and stretching protocol of the top-level footballer whose entire recovery from a clavicle fracture was monitored (Rabe 2011):

🧒🏼 Children’s return to sport after a clavicle fracture

Clavicle fractures are relatively common in babies and children. And rest assured: babies and children recover VERY well!

In general, they recover much faster than adults. Depending on your child’s age, it’s likely that you’ll have trouble getting him to understand that he shouldn’t run or climb everywhere (I’ve had 2 children, I know what it’s like 😉 ). That won’t stop him from consolidating well.

If your child is old enough to be able to curb the urge to run around, sport is generally contraindicated for at least 1 month, often until a follow-up X-ray.

This doesn’t mean he can’t go about his life on the playground, as long as he limits activities involving a high risk of falling (running on unstable ground, bike rides, combat sports, etc.).

Summary of returning to sport after a clavicle fracture

Here’s a chart for an overview of returning to sport after breaking your collarbone:

Sport	Trade-in times
🚴 Bicycle	Immediately (exercise bike, home trainer) After at least 4-8 weeks for outdoor cycling (risk of falls)
🏋️‍♀️ Bodybuilding	Immediately (legs, abs, non-fractured limb) After a minimum of 4-8 weeks for the fractured arm and movements involving the shoulder, very gradually
🏃 Running	Impact stress and risk of falls mean that it is advisable to wait for consolidation(4-8 weeks) before gradually resuming work.
⚽ 🥋 🎾 Soccer, rugby, judo, contact sports, skiing, gym, horse riding, tennis, etc.	Risk of falls and shocks or heavy use of the arm mean that it is advisable to wait for consolidation and the resumption of more gentle activities (running, weight training) before considering resuming them, i.e. after 2/3 months.
🧒🏼 Children	Children generally consolidate faster and can often resume sport after 1 or 2 months. Babies and young children return to running more quickly because it’s difficult to get them to understand to limit their activities 🙂 Teenagers tend to return to sport within a similar timeframe to adults.

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Do you have an experience to share or questions? Comment below the article!

If you feel the need to learn more about the recovery period after this type of fracture, I wrote this guide in eBook format:

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You may also be interested in these articles

• Healing time and treatment of a clavicle fracture

📚 SOURCES

Robertson GA, Wood AM. Return to sport following clavicle fractures: a systematic review. Br Med Bull. 2016 Sep;119(1):111-28. doi: 10.1093/bmb/ldw029. Epub 2016 Aug 22. PMID: 27554280.

Ngai ASH, Beasley I, Materne O, Farooq A, Tabben M, Chebbi S, Ellouze Z, Arnáiz J, Alkhelaifi K, Bahr R, Chamari K. Fractures in professional footballers: 7-years data from 106 team seasons in the Middle East. Biol Sport. 2023 Oct;40(4):1117-1124. doi: 10.5114/biolsport.2023.125588. Epub 2023 Mar 8. PMID: 37867759; PMCID: PMC10588583.

Robertson, Greg A; Oliver, Christopher W; Scott, Hilary (2017). Infographic: Return rates and return times to sport after Middle-Third clavicle fracture: Important knowledge for management of these injuries in athletes. British Journal of Sports Medicine, (), bjsports-2016-097445-. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2016-097445

Rabe SB, Oliver GD. Clavicular fracture in a collegiate soccer player: a case report of rapid return to play. J Athl Train. 2011 Jan-Feb;46(1):107-11. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-46.1.107. PMID: 21214359; PMCID: PMC3017482.