Fred Smoot plays in the secondary for the Minnesota Vikings. He's known as a hard hitter, and has put a number of players out of the game in his 5 seasons in the NFL. This time, it's Fred being put out of the lineup. A broken collarbone is what is sidelining Fred Smoot for up to 6 weeks.

What is a collarbone? A collarbone also goes by the name clavicle, and your body has two of them. They are the bones most people call a shoulder. The collarbone runs along the top of your shoulder and is designed to connect your sternum to your shoulder blade.

How do you break your collarbone?

Fall on your outstretched arm: This transfers the force on your fall onto the collarbone, which cannot absorb the tenacity of that force.

Fall on your shoulder: This impacts the collarbone directly and causes a break due to stress.

Direct impact to your collarbone: If someone were to hit you with a heavy object, or you were to run into a very solid object, your collarbone will break.

What are the symptoms of a broken collarbone?

1. Intense pain in the shoulder area
2. Swelling of the upper arm extending to the neck
3. Bruising of the shoulder area
4. Deformity of the shoulder
5. Limited shoulder mobility

How do you treat a broken collarbone? Because the collarbone isn't a typical bone, it will heal on it's own. You'll need immobilize the arm in a sling. In rare cases surgery will be needed.

Physical therapy after the collarbone heals will treat any mobility and strength issues.