It’s been two weeks since your neighbor’s Ford Escape backed into your motorcycle and caused you to break your collarbone. Although your doctor has informed you that the break is healing, he told you he had some concerns about potential future problems, and would like to talk to you in more depth at your next visit.

What could he be concerned about? Are complications common for broken clavicles? What should you expect?

Your Future Following a Broken Collarbone

According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, there are approximately 100,000 reported motorcycle accident injuries each year in the United States. What’s even more alarming, is that the Mayo Clinic and American Academy for Orthopedic Surgeons estimate that a majority of these accidents—even the minor fender bender types—result in painful broken collarbones.

Although broken clavicles aren’t generally life-threatening, it can still cause a lot of pain and future complications. These long term and unpleasant complications include: 

  • Nerve or blood vessel injury. The jagged ends of a broken collarbone or any bone chips can puncture and sever nearby nerves and blood vessels. Numbness, partial paralysis, and temperature changes in your arm or hand are common
  • Poor healing. A severely broken collarbone may not heal completely or shift unexpectedly during recovery. If the bones do not heal evenly, it could cause the bone to be noticeably shorter than it was before the break, causing your entire arm become slightly deformed.
  • A lumpy bone. Much like a seam, during a bone’s healing process the place where the bone knits together forms a bony lump. This lump is easy to see because it's so close to the skin and can be permanent.
  • Bone infection. If any part of your broken bone breaks the skin, you can become susceptible to germs, bacteria, and infections. These foreign invaders can not only infect your blood stream, but can also cause bone deterioration. Medical attention is critical for these types of injuries to help prevent catastrophic consequences.
  • Osteoarthritis. As with any broken joint, your risk of arthritis drastically increases due to the fact that once a bone is broken, it is never as strong as it was before the break.
  • Surgical Complications. If your break requires surgery, you run the risk of infections, bleeding, blood clots, lung injury, and permanent hardware irritations.

Finding Stability in Uncertainty 

When you’re injured in any type of accident, you automatically begin to worry about your future. How will you pay for treatment? How long will recovery take? What happens if you can’t work, how will your pay your bills? This kind of uncertainty can not only weigh on your mind, but it can also affect your overall recovery. This is why we feel that you shouldn’t have to deal with the extra stress and confusion that comes with filing an accident claim by yourself. Our vast experience with motorcycle accident cases and injury claims can help you find the stability you need in an otherwise uncertain recovery.

Contact us today for a free consultation and review of your accident case and see how we may be able to help you get the compensation and justice you deserve.

Help your friends and family know their risks by sharing this page with them via Facebook and Google Plus. You can also tell them to contact us directly to discuss any potential questions or concerns they may have about a recent accident.

 

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