The Community Orthopaedic Surgeon Taking Trauma Call: Pediatric Midshaft Clavicle Fracture Pearls and Pitfalls

Pediatric diaphyseal clavicle fractures are a common injury, particularly in the adolescent athlete. There are no consensus guidelines for operative versus nonoperative management of these injuries; however, there has been a dramatic increase in operative treatment over the past 15 years, primarily guided by literature pertaining to the adult population. Despite this trend, current literature suggests that the majority of these injuries can be treated nonoperatively with good functional outcomes, high rates of return to sport, and low incidence of complications such as nonunion, symptomatic malunion, and refracture. For the rare patient treated nonoperatively who develops a symptomatic nonunion or malunion, delayed corrective surgery remains a viable treatment option. When surgical fixation is pursued, good outcomes have been universally reported, but the optimal indication for surgery remains elusive in this adolescent population.