⚕️Monitored Care Plan
Caring Purchase Options:
- Fitted at NG334DS (Grantham, Lincs): Purchase directly from this website and expertly fitted by one of our trained fitters.
- Fitted at your home: Professional fitting is included and standard travel expenses will be charged separately.
- Self-fit: Purchase directly from this website and utilise our comprehensive fitting support and guidance via WhatsApp video.
- Private Healthcare Insurance: You are empowered to insist on a ClaviBRACE from your consultant as a non-surgical alternative.
Need more info: Call 07968510452
ClaviBrace Wins Breakthrough Technology Award
The ClaviBRACE won the prestigious Da Vinci breakthrough technology award for improving clavicle fracture treatment.
Championed by Professor Angus Wallace and further developed through collaboration with shoulder icon Mr. Ian Bayley, the device evolved into the gilet brace known today.
Both men were co-founders of UK shoulder surgery and the British Elbow and Shoulder Society (BESS).
The ClaviBrace Story
Fourteen years ago, after suffering a severe comminuted (shattered) collarbone fracture in a riding accident, I (Barbara Thompson) experienced relentless, excruciating pain that even strong painkillers couldn't touch.
Advised by Professor Angus Wallace to get surgical plating, I refused due to the potential scar. Driven by the philosophy, "Freedom from pain in the body is the ultimate aim of a happy life," and finding the standard arm sling inadequate, I began modifying every brace available online.
My customised version finally brought relief from the unrelenting pain. Weeks later, Professor Wallace was astonished to find the bone had united perfectly, stating it "shouldn't have united at all or as well as it had."
This success, combined with thirteen years of collaboration with shoulder legend Mr. Ian Bayley FRCS, led to the ClaviBRACE we see today..
🦴Clavicle Fracture: Facts & Treatment
A clavicle (collarbone) fracture is a broken bone, not just a crack. It is a common injury, usually caused by a sharp blow to the shoulder.
Signs & Immediate Steps:
- Symptoms: Swelling and tenderness at the fracture site, excruciating pain lasting up to four weeks, and potential crunching as the ends shift. Bruising will often appear and spread after a few days.
- Immediate Action: If a fracture is suspected, go straight to A&E for an X-ray.
- Pain Relief: Use Paracetamol for pain; avoid Ibuprofen as it inhibits new bone formation.
- Crucial Care: Do not attempt to lift your arm. To prevent complications like malunion (bad joining) or non-union (failure to join), keep the injured-side elbow close to the body at all times during the healing process.
Treatment Choice:
Once the break is confirmed, you can choose the course of treatment. It is important to know you can opt out of the NHS system and choose a private treatment plan, such as the ClaviBRACE or opt for private treatment.
Bone Function: The collarbones stabilise the shoulder and protect underlying nerves and blood vessels. Though softer than many other bones, they typically heal faster than most fractures (except for ribs).
Arm slings are insufficient for treating clavicle fractures. A sling is designed only to support the arm's weight, not to adequately support or align the shoulder. Using a sling for a broken collarbone risks rotation (malunion), permanent shortening of the bone, which can lead to shoulder-blade malfunction and loss of strength in the arm and shoulder.
Arm slings are insufficient for treating clavicle fractures. A sling is designed only to support the arm's weight, not to adequately support or align the shoulder. Using a sling for a broken collarbone risks rotation (malunion), permanent shortening of the bone, which can lead to shoulder-blade malfunction and loss of strength in the arm and shoulder.
🦴ClaviBrace vs. Traditional Figure-of-Eight Brace
This table highlights the differences in mechanism, comfort, and clinical goal between the ClaviBRACE and the classic figure-of-eight brace.
| Feature | The ClaviBRACE | Traditional Figure-of-Eight Brace |
| Primary Mechanism | Focuses on stabilising the entire shoulder girdle, scapula, spine & pelvis to achieve alignment. | Simple harness design. Focuses only on pulling the shoulders back (retraction). |
| Fracture Control | Superior Alignment: Provides stable, multi-point fixation to prevent shortening & angulation (rotation at the broken ends). | Poor Control: Alignment is often inconsistent. Does not reliably prevent fracture rotation or shortening. |
| Pain Relief | Dramatic, Immediate Relief: Lifts the broken bone ends away from underlying nerves. Prevents compression on the fracture. | Less Effective: Does not effectively draw back shoulders, instead bears down on the fracture site causing increased pain & discomfort and potential displacement of the broken bone. |
| Comfort | High Comfort: Padding and a full-torso design prevents straps from cutting into the armpits or placing pressure on nerves. | Low Comfort: Notorious for cutting in at the armpits, causing nerve compression, skin irritation and severe discomfort. |
| Lifestyle Impact | Greater Independence: Allows for easier movement, activity and day-to-day tasks due to greater stability and support. | Low Independence: Restrictive, difficult to wear constantly, and often requires assistance for adjustment. |
| Clinical Goal | Achieves Surgical-grade Outcomes (anatomical alignment and early functional recovery) without the need for an operation. | Simple immobilisation for pain management. Union often occurs with higher rates of shortening or malunion. |
| Medical Status | Class 1 Medical Device. Evaluated by leading shoulder surgeons. | Standard over the counter, simple splinting device. |
⚔️ ClaviBrace vs. Plating Surgery (ORIF)
Comparison table outlining the key differences between the ClaviBRACE (non-surgical) and Plating Surgery (ORIF) for a clavicle fracture also known as a broken collarbone
| Feature | The ClaviBRACE - Non-surgical option | Plating Surgery (ORIF) - Rigid metal plate internal fixation |
| Fracture Alignment | High: Designed for perfect anatomical reduction (alignment), preventing rotation, shortening and angulation. | Excellent: Achieves precise anatomical reduction (alignment),preventing rotation, shortening and angulation. |
| Risk of Non-Union | Low: Proven outcomes equal to surgery. | Low: Generally the lowest risk of failure to heal (5%) due to surgical stability. Moderate risk of plate failure and the plate lifting. |
| Initial Recovery Time | Faster: Earlier return to activity and independence (often immediate or only days). | Slower: Slower functional recovery in the first 1-3 months due to incision/wound healing. |
| Invasiveness & Risk | None: Non-invasive. Zero risk of infection, scarring or anaesthesia complications. | Invasive: Requires general anaesthesia, an incision, and carries risks (infection, nerve damage, lung injury). |
| Hardware & Follow-up | None: No foreign objects inserted. | Yes: Metal plate and screws inserted. Second surgery needed for hardware removal (up to 40%) or plate failure revision surgery. |
| Cosmetic Outcome | Excellent: No incision, no scarring. | Fair: Leaves a permanent surgical scar; hardware may be prominent/felt under the skin. |
| Ideal for | All closed fractures (not broken through surface skin), minimal to severely displaced fractures. Pediatric patients who have not reached skeletal maturity (approx up to 16yrs). | Severely displaced, shortened by more than 2cm, or open fractures (broken through surface skin). |
Summary
The ClaviBRACE offers a highly stable, non-invasive path for specific fractures, achieving high alignment without surgical risk or a second procedure. Plating Surgery guarantees the best anatomical alignment and lowest non-union risk, but requires anesthesia, involves surgical risks, and often leads to a second surgery to remove the metalwork.
✨ Design and Non-Operative Solution
"Having experienced the ClaviBRACE firsthand, I am excited by its potential to manage shoulder issues, including clavicle fractures, non-operatively."
Crucially, the ClaviBRACE obeys the principle of supporting the three pillars—the pelvis, spine, and shoulder blades—upon which effective shoulder function depends. Its components are cleverly concealed within an everyday gilet-style waistcoat, ensuring continuous 24/7 wear is possible without self-consciousness.
Mr Ian Bayley FRCS
BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital, Sudbury Hill, Harrow HA1 3RX
Why the Gilet Design?
The gilet style covers a greater surface area, delivering a more powerful and comfortable solution than standard braces.
This design allows for more effective traction at the shoulders, supporting the entire shoulder girdle, spine, and pelvis.
It stabilizes musculoskeletal structures, reduces disturbance at the fracture site, and provides an ideal healing environment for faster repair and calcification.
The ClaviBRACE design avoids the common issues associated with the 'figure of eight splint,' such as:
- Straps bearing down on the fracture, causing pressure on underlying nerves.
- Cutting up at the underarms, thereby, restricting blood flow to the arms.
- Slips round placing pressure on the back of the neck making it uncomfortable to wear.
The figure-of-eight splint is conceptually logical for drawing back the shoulders, but it fails to adequately support and resolve a clavicle fracture. The ClaviBRACE design successfully overcomes these issues.
SEE HOW TO MEASURE DIAGRAM & IMAGES. Call, WhatsApp or text with your size to 07968510452.
Prevents extremes of movement and attaches to the ClaviBrace
⚕️Professor Angus Wallace FRCS
Known as 'Coat Hanger Wallace', for treating a woman with a coat hanger onboard a flight, Professor Wallace is a pioneer in sports medicine.
He developed the brace position after researching the 1989 Kegworth air crash, advised the England FA on Wayne Rooney's fitness, and co-founded the British Elbow & Shoulder Society (BESS).
He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians in 2017 for his 30-year contribution to Sport & Exercise Medicine.
⚕️Mr Ian Bayley FRCS
Mr. Ian Bayley is a Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with private practices at 75 Harley Street and the Clementine Churchill Hospital (Circle Health Group).
He is a recognized leader in orthopaedics, having developed the Spinal Injuries Unit and Complex Shoulder Surgery Unit at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Stanmore.
He also served as the National Clinical Chair of the NHS Orthopaedic Services collaborative. His expertise spans the whole spectrum of clinical practice, from acute care to community reintegration.
A co-founder of the British Elbow & Shoulder Society (BESS), his clinical interests include complex pain states, shoulder instability, rotator cuff pathology, and primary and revision shoulder replacement.
Getting back to what matters most
Consequences of Ignoring a Collarbone FractureMr Ian Bayley FRCS
A broken collarbone conservatively managed, using the routinely prescribed collar and cuff or shoulder arm sling or a figure of eight splint, is not a treatment and can only be described as benign neglect of the broken bone. They do nothing to elongate the bone out to its original length or rectify rotation or encourage union of the two ends.
Those scenarios are a frequent cause of a condition called Scapular Dyskinesis (or winging scapula or shoulder blade malfunction).
Shortening of more than three millimetres can throw additional strain on the shoulder blade and other elements in the kinetic chain such as spine and pelvis and predispose the patient to future discomfort and even injury.
The relationship between muscles and bone framework is altered with devastating effect. Muscles contrive to work abnormally, shoulder blades can 'wing' unnaturally outward and shoulders fall forward; all adversely affecting pelvic and spinal alignment. Posture is weakened and, if left unchecked, cause the stronger muscles to reverse roles and weaker sets are then deployed. Chronic or intense pain ensues with a life left compromised by an altogether avoidable condition.
Our understanding of shoulder problems has increased in the forty years of my involvement in the field. We have come to understand the importance of the shoulder blade, how commonly it is compromised, and how resistant to surgery it can be.
So how do we tackle such an important and potentially life-changing condition?
Scapula dyskinesia comes in varying degrees and can often go undiagnosed. It is a debilitating but not untreatable condition and we need to be able to treat all degrees of severity, not just the critical cases that come into my clinic.
One of the complications in treating the condition is the lack in the scapular (shoulder blade) of good mechanoreceptors - sensory receptors that rapidly transmit sensory information to the brain and the means by which the brain senses the position of shoulder joints/scapula.
Patients simply don't know if their scapula is winging, added to which the brain readily accepts the abnormal movement as normal.
For the vast majority of patients, physiotherapy is the first line of combat. In many cases, again for the majority, corrective exercise alone does not solve the problem. With surgery very much a last resort and no promise of success, patients are often left disappointed and in despair.
We need new ways to tackle this condition. Having had first-hand experience of Angel Med’s ClaviBrace Gilet, I am very excited with the results we are seeing.
For me it obeys the crucial principle of supporting the three pillars, or better stepping stones - namely the pelvis, spine and shoulder blades – upon which effective shoulder function ultimately depends and it delivers this in a way acceptable to the wearer.
This is still a medical brace, but components have been cleverly concealed in an everyday-looking gilet and since long-term wear may be necessary, it avoids any feeling of self-consciousness.
🔪Risks & Considerations of Clavicle Plating Surgery
While surgery is often preferred over a poor natural outcome, all surgery involves risk and should be weighed up carefully.
Plating Surgery Overview
- Procedure: A metal plate, held by up to nine screws, is fixed to the broken collarbone.
- Healing Time: Requires six months for screws to consolidate and a full two years (one year post-plating, plus one year after removal, if applicable) to heal solidly enough for high-impact sports.
- Drawbacks: Not all plating is successful. Risks include scarring, rejection of metalware, loosening screws/plate failure, and numbness in the plated area. A recent study suggests a risk of the brain disconnecting from the surgical area, causing shoulder malfunction.
Risks of Keeping the Plate In
- Re-fracture Risk: Future impact can cause the collarbone to break beyond the plate, resulting in a more complex fracture than the original.
- Hardware Issues: Impact could push the metal plate into the neck. Patients may also experience straps rubbing or a constant feeling of coldness in the shoulder.
- Procedure: Takes around 35 minutes under general anesthetic. Recommended if the patient plans to return to high-impact sports.
- Post-Removal Risk: The screw holes create a line of weakness, making the bone highly unstable and prone to re-fracturing for 6–8 weeks. A re-break can cause the bone to arch upwards, forming a protrusion under the skin.
- Post-Plate Convalescence: The holes take a full year to heal completely; patients must avoid falls or knocks during this time. Lifting or raising the arm above the head should be avoided for the first six months.
When to Start Wearing Your ClaviBRACE?
📅 ClaviBRACE Use Guidelines
Ideally, the ClaviBrace should be fitted on the day of your fracture, as its most effective healing window is the first three weeks. Success has also been achieved in older fractures (up to six months).
Application and Duration
- Initial Wear: The ClaviBrace must be worn continuously, day and night, for the first three weeks (similar to a cast) to hold the fracture in good alignment.
- Preparation: Wear a Lycra top to your fitting. Due to continuous wear, only "bird bath" bathing is recommended.
- Monitoring: Regular appointments will be scheduled to check the fit and healing progress. You'll receive physiotherapy exercises for your neck, elbow, wrist, and hand to prevent stiffness.
- Intermittent Use: After the initial three weeks, most fractures are stable enough for the gilet to be worn intermittently, as advised by your specialist.
- Discarding the Brace: Your Orthopaedic consultant will perform a final examination and X-ray to determine when you can safely discard the ClaviBRACE completely. A final physiotherapy appointment will provide a graded strengthening programme to restore full strength and function.
🐴Rider Tina Canton's Rapid Return to Sport
International event rider Tina Canton, owner of Tinderbox Sport Horses and a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, chose plating surgery for her severely fragmented clavicle fracture, hoping for a fast return to competition.
Disappointed by her consultant's mandated eight-week sling period, and under pressure to compete, Tina elected to use the ClaviBRACE paired with the Bayley Upperarm Gaiter.
This combination securely supported her fragile, plated collarbone, allowing her to successfully compete three horses at four weeks post-fracture—significantly sooner than advised. Tina is a highly qualified equestrian professional, competing at the three-star eventing level.