A number of factors can cause collarbone pain. Tendonitis or swelling of the tendons is a common reason. Repetitive movements and lifting heavy stuff can also lead to collarbone (known as the clavicle) pain. Sometimes, the collar bone separates from the scapula or the shoulder blade. The ligaments can also stretch or tear due to trauma or injury. Gall bladder disease can sometimes lead to referred pain in the shoulders. A person having a heart attack might also experience shoulder pain. Today we will take a look at some remedies to heal a broken collarbone faster and relieve clavicle pain.
1. See a doctor
Your doctor will need to take your complete medical history. Any sharp pain in the clavicle needs evaluation, especially if you have been through trauma. If the bone is fractured, your doctor will set it and place it in a cast. You will need to wear this for several weeks or months depending on the extent of the injury.
2. Take rest
If your work involves lifting heavy stuff, you need to lay off it for a few weeks. Take adequate rest to heal the collarbone fracture quickly. Your doctor will prescribe anti-inflammatory medicine-so take it as directed. Discuss some broken collarbone sleeping positions with your doctor- this will help alleviate pressure from the injured arm. Take support of pillows and elevate the bed a bit if needed. Continue using broken collarbone cast or sling as advised. If your bone is not broken, you can work-out but you must avoid upper body workouts. You can do lower body workout as usual.
3. Ice
An ice pack is the best home remedy to heal collarbone pain. Note that it won’t heal a broken collar bone but it can give relief from swelling and pin by numbing the area. Apply the ice pack to the shoulder for 15 minutes several times a day to fight inflammation.
4. Hot pack
Apply hot pack or hot compress to the collarbone pain when there is no injury. A warm compress relieves strain and sprain caused due to improper sleeping posture. You can also use hot water bottle. Fill up a glass bottle with hot water and cover it up in a think cloth. Apply this gently on the neck and shoulder bone.
5. Massage
You can relieve clavicle pain and swelling with gentle massage. Perform a self massage or ask a partner to massage you. Use a bit of pain balm or massage oil with menthol or thymol. This relieves pain and stiffness and improves mobility. If these do not give you relief, you may want to consider professional massage therapy, spinal manipulation etc.
6. Yoga/exercise
Some gentle yoga poses and neck and shoulder exercises can help relieve collarbone pain in case of no injury. You can do asanas like the cobra pose, sarvangasana and so on.
7. Remove toxins
Swollen lymph nodes due to toxic overload can also lead to intense pain in the collarbone. To remove toxins from the lymph nodes, use apple cider vinegar. Drink organic apple cider vinegar every day in the morning on an empty stomach. This will make your system alkaline. If you aren’t fond of the taste, you can mix it with some juice or honey. Also swish the oral cavity with a mixture of coconut oil and apple cider vinegar. Spit it out after 20 minutes. Doing so will eliminate toxins from the lymph nodes and stop collarbone pain.
8. Alkaline diet
Acidic diet can cause pain and inflammation in the body. Unfortunately most of us eat highly acidic diets consisting of sugar, refined grains and processed foods and drinks. Switching to an alkaline diet can help in many ways. It can not only relieve inflammation and pain; overtime you will notice more energy. Here are some remedies to alkalize the body.
9. Herbs for fractures
In case of fractured or broken collarbone, you may take some herbs. These are:
- Arnica– This herb is available in form of cream and pills. Gently massage the cream and take the medicines as directed.
- Comfrey– Comfrey tea can speed up healing of broken clavicle and stop collarbone pain. You can also make comfrey poultice or apply its cream on the shoulder.
- Thyme and rosemary-Make an infusion using these herbs and brew for 10 minutes. Strain and add the tea to bath water. Soak in the bath for 20 minutes.
- Cramp bark-Take 1 tsp of the tincture 2 times a day and also rub the tincture on the shoulder and neck area.
10. Homeopathy for collarbone fracture healing
Following homeopathic home remedies can speed up healing of broken bones:
- Arnica 30– Take the pills 3 times a day. For severe trauma and shock, give 5 pills every 2 hours.
- Byronia 30 C– For excruciating pain and joints which are swollen and hot. Take 5 doses every 10 minutes until pain subsides.
- Calc phos 6x – this is for broken bones. You must take it 3 times a day for 4-5 weeks to speed up healing.
Use these home remedies for collarbone pain. However, do see your doctor immediately if the pain worsens or you develop other symptoms like tingling, numbness etc.