Why fractured collar bone

[alp1950]

Must be loads of cyclists on the site who have sustained fractured collar bones (clavicles) through cycling crashes.

Why is this such a common injury?

Is it because in a impending fall the cyclist reflexly extends the arm, as a consequence of which the force is transmitted up the arm to the clavicle or is there a different mechanism eg a fall directly onto the outside of the shoulder?

 

[iAmiAdam]

It's as simple as it being the point in which you fall on.

I know from experience, you either go over the handlebars, in which case your hands arn't there and you fall onto your collarbone, snap, or in my case, you fall sideways and your hands are on the bars and again the shoulder hits the floor, crack.

It happens, and hardly even hurts tbf. I could of ridden on with a few paracetamol.

 

[gavintc]

It happens, and hardly even hurts tbf. I could of ridden on with a few paracetamol.

Lucky bugger, mine was bloody sore and kept me off the bike for about 2-3 months.

 

[iAmiAdam]

Lucky bugger, mine was bloody sore and kept me off the bike for about 2-3 months.

Yeah it does depend where it breaks, mine was a clean snap and I still had about 45 degrees of movement in every direction, after that it was just pain. I'd stopped taking pain killers the day after.

Mine was more mentally annoying, took me ages to stop worrying and get the courage back.

 

[benborp]

All four of my clavicle fractures have come from direct impacts on the shoulder despite the fact that I roll pretty well. I've always found them to be quite comfortable breaks at the time of injury; the last hardly hurt at all even though it was quite severe. The problem for me has been deterioration in the stability of my shoulders and chronic pain, although that is due to unusual complications.