Along with the changing of the seasons, comes a multitude of athletic activities for children and young adults. Hampton Roads Orthopaedics Spine and Sports Medicine discusses a common shoulder injury that often occurs in contact sports, that being an injury of the AC or acromioclavicular joint. More importantly, we will outline what kind of treatment options are available to get patients back on their feet and feeling healthy again.
What is the AC Joint?
The AC joint is the bony protrusion located at the junction where the outermost part of the clavicle bone meets the scapula, or shoulder blade. Repetitive motions such as repeatedly throwing a football can injure the ligaments surrounding the joint, as well as trauma from contact sports that involve blunt force movements such as pushing and shoving. Sometimes an individual will injure their AC joint by a direct fall on their shoulder. If an injury to the AC joint is severe enough, it is referred to as a separated shoulder.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Anyone who is experiencing pain in their shoulder needs to seek immediate medical attention in order to receive a proper diagnosis. Left untreated, an injury to the joint could lead to permanent disability, leaving an individual with reduced muscle strength and without full range of motion throughout their shoulder and arm.
Physicians will typically grade an AC joint injury on a scale from 1 to 6. For the lower levels, such as a 1, 2 or 3 injury grade, a physician will most likely recommend rest, followed by series of physical therapy treatments in order for their patient to regain full use of their shoulder and arm. For more a serious injury such as one graded a 4, 5, or 6, a physician will likely recommend surgery followed by physical therapy after an appropriate length of time.
If you would like to know more about a shoulder injury involving the AC joint, please contact HROSM for an appointment. We are happy to help!
