Tony Romo Suffers Clavicle Fracture

The Dallas Cowboys’ season went from bad to worse last night, as injury was added to insult when quarterback Tony Romo suffered a clavicle fracture after being sacked by New York Giants linebacker Michael Boley. The injury occurred on the first play of the second quarter, and although Romo got up and began wincing, it did not appear too serious at first. However, Romo quickly left the field and headed to the locker room to receive x-rays, which revealed the broken collar bone.

Luckily for Romo, the break did not occur on the side of his throwing arm, which means that, when he does return, he likely will not have to deal with lingering problems. This type of injury, which happens somewhat regularly in the NFL, is estimated to keep Romo out anywhere from 4-8 weeks, depending on the severity of the break, which should be announced today. Depending on how bad the break is, Romo may require surgery, which would take more time to heal.

But how exactly does the clavicle break? The Cleveland Clinic tells us that “those sports that have a high probability for direct or indirect trauma from falls or contact are most likely to result in clavicle fractures,” and that “high velocity trauma may be a cause for a clavicle fracture.” Football would most certainly qualify for both of those requirements. The Cleveland Clinic website also tells us that there are two treatments options, medical and surgical. Either way, once the injury does occur, the victim should have the affected arm immobilized, and that is exactly what trainers did for Romo last night after his x-ray when he returned to the sidelines in a sling.

Most collar bone fractures can be treated without surgery, although there are some situations where fracture fragments become widely separated, at which point surgery would be the best option.

More on Romo:

Tony Romo breaks left collarbone [ESPN]

Romo's season in doubt after he fractures clavicle vs. Giants [NFL]

Romo diagnosed with fractured clavicle [Fox Sports]

More on clavicle fractures:

Collar bone (Clavicle) fracture fundamentals [Cleveland Clinic]

Fractured Clavicle - Collarbone - Shoulder Fracture [About.com]

Broken collarbone [Mayo Clinic]