Treatment of shoulder girdle fractures

Thanks to my many years of experience in the shoulder team in the trauma surgery department at Klinikum Ottakring, surgical treatment of bone fractures is also part of my treatment spectrum. Bone fractures in the shoulder girdle can be treated immediately or sometimes after up to two weeks.

I am happy to provide detailed information about the corresponding surgical methods in a detailed consultation in my medical practice. Here is an overview of some of the most common fracture operations:

• Simple dislocated fractures: If the two fracture sites are dislocated (tilted) in a fracture just below the humeral head, so that the bone would not heal together in the correct position if immobilized with an arm sling, the bone can be splinted with a special nail (Multilock). Only a small surgical approach is required for this.
• Complex multi-part fractures: In the case of multi-part, severely displaced fractures of the humeral head, the blood supply to the bone is no longer guaranteed and therefore shoulder arthroplasty is often the best choice to achieve satisfactory shoulder function.
• Fractured humeral head (proximal humerus fracture): A fracture of the humeral head, i.e. the ball of the shoulder joint, often occurs in falls or other accidents. In order to bring the bone back together and maintain the full function of the shoulder joint, the fracture site is covered with a plate (Philos plate) and this is screwed into the bone. To ensure that this construct remains stable until the bone heals, additional cement can be inserted through the screws into the bone head. In some cases, a supporting bone block also helps to additionally stabilize the bone head.
• Clavicle fracture: A common fracture site of the shoulder in children and adults is the clavicle. In most cases, falls onto the shoulder or outstretched arm result in a fracture of the clavicle. If the fracture is displaced so that conservative therapy with short-term immobilization in an arm sling cannot achieve pain-free and complete healing, surgery may be necessary. This involves restoring the normal clavicle contour using a special anatomically pre-bent plate. This plate is fixed to the clavicle bone with screws and stitches, pulling the bone parts back together and allowing natural bone healing to begin. If necessary, the plate can be removed after one year at the earliest.