The Surprising Reason Why Doctors Say to Rest a Sore Shoulder but Not a Sore Collarbone

Your collarbone and your shoulder blade have different functions, and because of this, they tend to get injured in different ways as well. This means that doctors might recommend resting only one of these bones when it’s injured—but you might not know why unless you ask them about it. Here’s why you need to rest a sore shoulder but not a sore collarbone.


Because the muscles attach differently

Muscles attach to the collar bone at a different angle than they do the shoulder, which is why doctors will recommend resting a sore shoulder instead of a sore collarbone. The muscles that attach to the collar bone in the front are called subclavius and pectoralis major, and those that attach from behind are called scalenus anterior and longus colli. These muscles all need different degrees of motion for your neck, shoulders, and chest to function properly.


Because the blood flow is different

Doctors will often recommend different treatments based on the severity of the injury. If a shoulder is sore, they will often recommend rest because the blood flow to that area is high. If a collarbone is sore, doctors may not recommend rest because the blood flow to that area is low and resting may cause more damage.


Because the range of motion is different

Doctors often say that we should rest our sore shoulder because it has a greater range of motion and is more prone to injury. In contrast, the collarbone is not as flexible and therefore is less likely to be injured from overuse.



Because the types of injuries are different