Clavicle fracture surgery realigns a broken collarbone and holds it with a plate and screws, or with a rod inside the bone, while it heals. It is used for fractures that are badly displaced, shortened or in several pieces, and for those that failed to heal.
Fixation lowers the risk of non-union and gets many people moving sooner. Most collarbone fractures still heal well in a sling, and long-term shoulder function is similar with or without surgery, so an operation is a choice, not a necessity, in many cases.
What Clavicle (Collarbone) Fracture Surgery involves
You are positioned semi-sitting under general anaesthetic, often with a nerve block. An incision of 8 to 12 cm is made along or just below the bone, taking care with the small skin nerves that cross it. The fragments are cleaned, brought back to length and held with clamps; a loose wedge piece may be fixed with a small screw first. A pre-contoured titanium locking plate is laid on the top or front surface and secured with at least three screws on each side, with the drill guarded to protect the lung and the large vessels beneath. For simple mid-shaft breaks an elastic titanium nail can be passed inside the bone through a small cut near the breastbone. Fractures at the outer end may need a hook plate or ligament reconstruction with a suture-button device.
Who is a good candidate for Clavicle (Collarbone) Fracture Surgery?
The decision rests on the X-ray pattern and on your activity demands.
- Mid-shaft fractures displaced by more than the width of the bone, or shortened by about 2 cm or more
- Multi-fragment fractures with a piece tenting the skin
- Open fractures, or those with nerve or vessel injury
- Unstable fractures of the outer end
- Painful non-union after 3 to 6 months in a sling
- Athletes and manual workers who need a predictable, earlier return
It is usually not the right choice if:
- Undisplaced or minimally displaced fractures, which heal in a sling
- Most children and adolescents, whose bones remodel well
- Heavy smokers and people with poor skin over the bone, who have more complications
- People for whom a scar, numb patch and possible plate removal outweigh the benefits
Technique options
- Superior or anterior locking plate: The standard; strong enough for early movement.
- Intramedullary nail: A smaller scar for simple two-part fractures; it is removed later.
- Hook plate: For outer-end fractures; must be removed at about 3 to 4 months.
- Coracoclavicular suture-button fixation: Keyhole-assisted option for outer-end injuries.
- Plate with bone graft: For established non-union.
What happens during your treatment
Surgery takes 60 to 90 minutes under general anaesthetic. Most people go home the same day or after one night, with the arm in a sling and a waterproof dressing. The nerve block keeps the shoulder numb for 8 to 12 hours.
Preparing for your trip
Plan for 5 to 7 days in Istanbul. Your surgeon reviews photographs and your medical history before you book, and you meet in person the day before surgery for examination, marking and consent with a professional interpreter.
- Stop smoking and nicotine at least four weeks before and after surgery; it is the single biggest avoidable cause of wound problems
- Tell the team about every medicine and supplement you take; blood thinners, some herbal products and hormone treatment may need to be paused on your doctor's advice
- Arrange for someone to travel with you or to be reachable, and keep the first days at home free of work and lifting
- Book a changeable return flight; your surgeon confirms when you are fit to fly
Recovery and results
Wear the sling for comfort for 1 to 2 weeks, with elbow and hand exercises and gentle pendulum movements from the start. Desk work is possible within a week. Avoid lifting the arm above shoulder height under load for 6 weeks. X-rays at 6 and 12 weeks confirm healing. Non-contact sport resumes at about 6 to 8 weeks, and contact sport and cycling on roads at around 3 months.
- Back to everyday activity: 1 week for desk work; 3 months for contact sport
- When results show: Pain falls within days; bone heals in 8 to 12 weeks
- How long they last: Permanent; plate may be removed after 12 to 18 months
Safety, risks and revision policy
Complication rates are moderate, and a second operation to remove hardware is fairly common.
- A numb patch below the scar, in a large proportion of people; usually permanent but rarely troublesome
- A prominent plate that irritates under straps or bag handles, leading to removal in roughly 10 to 30 in 100
- Wound infection
- Non-union or plate failure, more often in smokers
- Re-fracture after plate removal
- Injury to the lung, major vessels or nerve plexus, which is rare
- Frozen shoulder or stiffness
Every written proposal arranged through Clinic-Y states what the clinic covers if a correction is needed. Ask for it before you book, not after.
Cost of Clavicle (Collarbone) Fracture Surgery in Türkiye
Clinic-Y does not publish a single price for Clavicle (Collarbone) Fracture Surgery, because the honest figure depends on your case. What moves it:
- Plate type or nail, and any bone graft
- Day case or overnight stay
- Nerve block and anaesthesia
- Later removal of the implant
- Physiotherapy sessions
Send your photographs or reports and you receive written, all-inclusive proposals from suitable teams, side by side. Reviewing your case is free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it realistic to travel for this?
Fresh fractures are best fixed within about 2 to 3 weeks, so travel suits only those who can arrange it quickly, or people with a non-union. Flying with a broken collarbone in a sling is generally possible; ask your doctor about lung injury first.
Do I have to have the plate removed?
No. It is removed only if it bothers you, and not before the bone has fully healed at 12 to 18 months.
Will airport scanners detect the plate?
Titanium plates seldom trigger detectors. A letter from the surgeon is useful but rarely required.