Clavicular Stress Fracture Following Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: A Case Report

We describe the case of a ninety-year-old woman with a clavicular stress fracture that occurred ten months following reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. Conservative treatment was preferred by the patient, given her age and comorbidities. There was an important loss of function but a decrease in pain at four months after diagnosis.

Clavicular stress fracture following reverse total shoulder arthroplasty is rare, but shoulder surgeons should be aware of the possibility of this complication. The cause of stress fracture of the clavicle rather than the acromion remains unclear.