The collarbone
The collarbone is a part of the shoulder. Its function is to connect the arm to the body. The collarbone sits directly above several important nerves and blood vessels. These vital soft tissues are rarely injured when the collarbone breaks. The collarbone is a long bone, and most breaks occur in the middle of the bone.
Cause.
A broken collarbone, or the medical term a fractured clavicle is a common injury. Many babies are born with a broken collarbone this is due to child birth, also to people in contacted sports such as rugby or just general accidents where a fall results in a severe blow or a heavy fall to the shoulder .
The collarbone doesn’t harden until a person is about 21 years old; a child’s collarbone can easily be broken from a direct blow or fall.
Symptoms include.
A hump or “bump” over the fracture area
Shoulder hanging down and forward
Unable to lift the arm due to the pain
A grinding sensation attempting to raise the arm
Diagnosis.
There is always an obvious deformity, or “bump,” around the fractured area. A small amount of pressure over the fracture area will bring about pain. Also, a grinding feeling can be felt when the patient attempts to raise the arm. Its rare for a fragment of bone to break through the skin, An X-ray is often done to pinpoint the location and severity of the break. Then an assessment should be carried out by a medical trained practitioner.
Nonsurgical Treatment .
Most broken collarbones heal well without surgery.
A simple arm sling will be used to immobilize the arm. A child may have to wear the sling for 4 to 6 weeks; an adult may have to wear it for 4 to 8 weeks. Depending on the location of the break
Medications, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, will help reduce pain. But for a speedy recovery and pain relief, view our cold/ Low Level laser therapy section this is under inflammatory conditions on the home page.
Cold/Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)
Cold/Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) has a 5 star rating for soft tissue injuries,conditions and inflammation. Cold/ Low Level Laser Therapy is a handheld, non-invasive, light-emitting medical device which is used over different areas of the body. It provides an unmatched advantage in the treatment of conditions such as;
Collar Bone Fracture,and Fractures
Athletic and sports Injuries, Soft tissue injuries including Sprains and Strains, Tendonitis and Haematomas
Lower leg (calf pain) inflammation, Shin splints, Hamstring, Achilles tendonitis, Bursitis, conditions and disorders
Ankle sprains, injury, and fractures, inflammation conditions and disorders
Heel and foot injury, pain, Bursitis, Achilles Tendonitis, Plantar fasciitis, conditions and disorders
Knee pain, injuries, tears, ligament, Tendon injury, ruptures, Runners Knee, inflammation, Bursitis, conditions and disorders
Shoulder injury, pain, Shoulder tears, fractures inflammation, Tenosynovitis ,Tendonitis, Bursitis, conditions such as frozen shoulder, and disorders
Neck injury, Neck Pain, Neck sprain, Whiplash injury.
Back Injury, Lower back pain, Sciatica, slipped discs, prolapsed disc, herniated / bulging discs, Trapped nerves and inflammation.
Elbow, Wrist and Hand injury, Tendonitis, inflammation, fractures, conditions and disorders, such as Tennis Elbow,(Golfers Elbow) Carpal Tunnel Syndrome,
Hip injury and pain, Sacroiliac Joint inflammation, groin and thigh strain (pull), sports hernia, Hip Bursitis/Tendonitis, Trochanteric Bursitis, conditions and disorders
Muscle sprain and spasms, Cramps, Joint Pain and stiff Joints.
Pain Relief, including Arthritic pain relief.
Wound Management including Skin Ulcers, Pressure Sores and Burns, Skin infections
Chronic pain such as Trigeminal Neuralgia and Chronic Neck and Back pain.
Safety
Cold/Low level laser therapy(LLLT) is not harmful. Lasers used for tissue stimulation have insufficient strength to damage cells. 30 years of clinical studies and clinical use have shown no adverse effects whatsoever.
The Advantages of Low Intensity Laser Therapy
- Non-invasive
- Non-toxic
- Easily applied
- Highly effective
- Cure rate > 95%
- No known negative side effects
Mechanism of Action
Therapeutic lasers work by supplying energy to the body in the form of photons of light. The tissues and cells then absorb this energy, where it is used to accelerate the normal rate of tissue healing.
Therapeutic Benefits of Laser Therapy:
- Anti-inflammatory Action: Laser light reduces swelling, leading to decreased pain, less stiffness, and a faster return to normal joint and muscle function.
- Rapid Cell Growth: Laser light accelerates cellular reproduction and growth.
- Faster Wound Healing: Laser light stimulates fibroblast development and accelerates collagen synthesis in damaged tissue.
- Reduced Fibrous Tissue Formation: Laser light reduces formation of scar tissue, leading to more complete healing, with less chance of weakness and re-injury later.
- Increased Vascular Activity: Laser light increases blood flow to the injured area.
- Stimulated Nerve Function: Laser light speeds nerve cell processes which may decrease pain and numbness associated with nerve-related conditions.
Frequency of Treatments
While some patients get immediate results, others require 6-12 treatments before seeing a lasting effect. Less severe or acute injuries will require fewer treatments than chronic or severe conditions.
Cold/Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) Applications, Case Studies and Low Level Laser Research with some Worldwide Clinical Studies are presented below:
Musculoskeletal pain syndromes, both chronic and acute.Cold/Low level laser therapy (LLLT)has been shown to be effective in a variety of musculoskeletal conditions and associated pain presentations.In Rheumatoid Arthritis, LLLT can benefit not only the pain of acute small joint inflammation but also the chronic pain.In a review article on rheumatology (3), some 18 papers were considered. All studies involved double-blind trials with LLLT in chronic rheumatoid, and reported significant improvement in pain (80% success rate in relieving pain). Upon comparing LLLT to a similar rate of pain attenuation using anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), the LLLT was free of any side-effects while 20% of patients treated with NSAIDs suffered unacceptable side-effects of medication . In another study of 170 patients with rheumatoid arthritis using LLLT (4), pain attenuation of up to 90% was noted.Trellis et al (6) used LLLT for osteoarthritis of the knee in 40 patients. He reported a significant reduction of 82% of the patients with improved joint mobility. Among 36 randomized patients, with pain caused by cervical osteoarthritis, those who received Infra-Red and Low Level Laser treatment improved 75% compared with the group receiving mock treatment (31%) . Similarly, a study of 60 patients with Cervical Osteoarthritis, Low Pulsed Laser was successful in relieving pain and in improving function.
The results of a study show that cervical myofascial pain is significantly improved at 3-month with Diode laser . A similar successful LLLT treatment has been described for whiplash injuries.In a randomized study with 30 patients with supraspinatus or bicipital tendonitis, the results demonstrated the effectiveness of laser therapy in tendonitis of the shoulder . Another study with a patient population (n = 324), with either medial epicondylitis (Golfer’s elbow; n = 50) or lateral epicondylitis (Tennis elbow; n = 274), and randomly allocated, provides further evidence of the efficacy of LLLT in the management of lateral and medial epicondylitis .
Treatment with low-level laser therapy (LLLT) was shown effective in treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome pain. Another study, significant decreases in McGill Pain Questionnaire scores, median nerve sensory latency, and Phalen and Tinel signs were observed after treatment series with Low Level Laser Therapy. Patients could perform their previous work .
In acute trauma there is a soft tissue injury comprising swelling, haematoma, pain and reduced mobility. Sporting injuries and domestic accidents usually involve damage to muscles, joint ligaments and tenclass. In the absence of bone fracture or other injury demanding priority treatment, LLLT should be instituted at the earliest opportunity. Kumar reported a comparative study in 50 patients with inversion injuries of the ankle. He found that compared to conventional physiotherapy, the LLLT treated patients showed a more rapid resolution of symptoms and an earlier return to full weight-bearing .
Fibromyaliga (FM) is characterized by widespread pain in the body, associated with particular tender points. It is often accompanied by disturbed sleep patterns, fatigue, headaches, irritable bowel and bladder syndrome, morning stiffness, anxiety and depression. FM can cause a high level of functional disability and have a significantly negative effect on quality of life. One study suggests that “Laser Therapy is effective on pain, muscle spasm, morning stiffness, fatigue, depression and total tender point number in Fibromyalgia”.
A randomized controlled study with 63 with non-radiating low back pain showed that LLLT significantly improved pain and function.
In summary, the bulk of published work to date supports the use of LLLT for treatment of a variety of musculoskeletal conditions and associated pain. Moreover, the LLLT proved to be not only more effective than conventional methods, but more economical as well. The added advantage of absence of side effects, non-invasive nature of therapy and the ease of application, ensures good patient acceptance of the treatment modality.
Low Intensity Laser Therapy(LILT) for Head, Neck and Facial Pain.
Prof P.F. Bradley
The clinical application of low incident power density laser radiation for the treatment of acute and chronic pain is now a well established procedure. This paper reviews the currently available English speaking literature and summarises a selection of serious scientific papers which report a beneficial effect following the treatment of a wide variety of acute and chronic syndromes whose main presenting symptom is pain.
Head and Neck Clinical Applications of LILT
LILT is proving useful in a wide variety of painful conditions in the Head and Neck but the following are particular applications:
1. TM Joint Pain Dysfunction
2. Post Herpetic Neuralgia
3. Trigeminal Neuralgia
4. Painful Ulcerative Conditions
5. Pain of Advanced Oro Facial Cancer
The above information has been suppled by Quantum Healing Lasers .Com
The Ability of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) to Mitigate Fibromyalgic Pain.
The CFIDS Chronicle Physicians’ Forum Fall 1993
Douglas Ashendorf, MD, FAAPMR Newark, New Jersey
Physiotherapist Shows Lasers Relieve Pain.
A physiotherapist at Royal Brisbane Hospital (Australia) recently received a PhD from the University of Queensland for demonstrating that laser treatment prompts the release of endorphins into the bloodstream. Endorphins are a type of natural morphine that dulls pain. Physiotherapist Liisa Laakso studied the effects of lasers on 56 people who suffered myofascial pain syndrome, a chronic hypersensitivity often secondary to a person’s primary painful affliction, such as arthritis. Previous experiments linking endorphin release and lasers have only been done on rats.
In the study, Laakso applied different doses and wavelengths of a laser diode to “trigger points” on the body and took blood samples measuring endorphin levels in these subjects and a control group. The control group reported some pain relief – most likely a placebo effect – but endorphins were present. Those patients that underwent laser treatment reported pain reduction of up to 78%, and endorphins were present in their blood.
THERMOGRAPHIC STUDY OF LOW LEVEL LASER THERAPY FOR ACUTE-PHASE INJURY.
Yoshimi Asagai, M.D.1, Atsuhiro Imakiire, M.D.2, Toshio Ohshiro, M.D.3, 1. Shinano Handicapped Children`s Hospital Shimosuwa, Nagano, Japan 2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tokyo Medical University Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan 3. Japan Medical Laser Laboratory, Shinanomachi, Tokyo, Japan.
Acute-phase injury is generally treated by localized cooling of the region, and rarely by theactive use of low level laser therapy (LLLT) in Japan. Thermographic studies of acutephase injury revealed that circulatory disturbances at the site of trauma occurred due to swelling and edema on the day following the injury, and that skin temperature was high at the site of the trauma and low at the periphery. Following LLLT, circulatory disturbances rapidly improved, while temperature in the high temperature zone around the site of trauma fell by 3 degrees on the average, but at the periphery the low temperature rose by 3 degrees on the average to nearly normal skin temperature. Clinically, swelling and edema improved. LLLT was also useful in treating necrosis of the skin in the wound area and in accelerating healing of surgical wounds of paralytic feet, which are prone to delayed, wound healing and also wounds due to spoke injury. LLLT is useful in treating swelling and edema in acutephase injury and in accelerating healing of surgical wounds.
For in depth information on shoulder injuries and treatment please go to top left corner under“Conditions” “Pain” and “Treatments” for Cold Low Level Laser therapy for in depth information.
