The clavicle is commonly fractured, often by indirect force resulting from violent impacts to the outstretched hand during a fall, transmitting the impact through the bones of the forearm and shoulder, or by falls directly onto the shoulder itself.

The weakest part of the clavicle is the junction of the middle and lateral thirds. This is where the fracture occurs.

In a fracture of the clavicle, the medial fragment is elevated by the sternocleidomastoid, and the lateral fragment is depressed by the weight of the shoulder and is pulled medially by adductor muscles that override the fragments.

The ossification of the clavicle is often incomplete in children, and this leads to what is known as “greenstick” fractures.