clavicle (examination)
Last reviewed 01/2018
Examination of the clavicle should be carried out standing behind the patient. Commence at the sternoclavicular joints and palpate laterally in a sliding motion along the smooth, subcutaneous anterosuperior surface. This surface is traversed by the thin sheet of platysma but occasionally, the supraclavicular nerves can be palpated.
Moving laterally, compare the bilateral symmetry of the convex medial two-thirds and concave lateral third. Swelling, crepitation or loss of continuity may indicate a fracture of the clavicle.