AC Joint Seperation

[lewy009]

Hello, a week ago i had a bad fall on my bike and i had a lump sticking out of the top of my shoulder, i went for xray and there is no broken bones. However my collar bone is sticking out. i went to see a specialist down the hospital today and he said that it will heal 100% and i will have the bone sticking out forever. he said i could have an operation but they are not very succesful as they pop back out.

i just want to know will this injury heel 100% with the colar bone sticking out? as i play cricket i want to know will it affect my throwing once it has healed completly?

Am i going to be prone to this shoulder injury?

is the doctor right about surgery not being very successful in terms of it just poping back out if doing sports etc?

if someone with knowledge in this area could adivise me i would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

[Heidi]

Hi
It is an AC joint injury caused by damage to the ligaments between the end of the collar bone and where it attaches to the acromion process of the shoulder blade.
There are 3 ligaments there and it is likley you have only damaged one or 2 of them otherwise you would have a serious problem and surgery would be the best answer.
Have a look at this page and the images to get a better understanding. Surgery tends to be reserved for grades 4, 5 and 6. A few grade 3's maybe.
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/shoulder/acjoint.htm
Once it's healed and you strengthen it then you should be able to throw again ok

[lewy009]

thankyou for the reply. the doctor just told me to leave it heal with the bone sticking out which i was really annoyed as i really do not want a bone sticking out. i can move my arm quite alot now after 1 week. is it to late to tape my shoulder? if not where would i get the tape needed to do it from?

Thanks

[Heidi]

You can get tape from return2fitness.co.uk
I don't think this will make any difference to how it heals with the bump. Unfortunately these injuries do result in a bump on the shoulder and there's not a lot you can do about it

[jarv000]

Hi,

Sorry for tagging on to this Thread (I haven't worked out how to post a new one).

I've been doing lots of one-arm press-ups, following Pavel's book "the naked warrior" A couple of weeks ago I was doing one-arm one-leg press-ups and suddenly felt a loss of power in my left arm. I had no pain and was able to do more press-ups almost straight away.

Later on I realised I had a bone sticking out of my shoulder, I'm guessing clavicle / ACJ separation of some kind. I've rested for 2 weeks now, and still have no pain (though a little tightness) and I have full movement.

MY GF is a Physio (not sports) - she tried pushing it back but it doesn't seem to have anywhere to go, it's solid, doesn't move. What I want to know is whether it's worth getting it looked at, and if so by what sort of specialist? Can anything actually be done? Is it likely to cause me any problems in the future? Is it safe to continue with one-arm push-ups, and what about pull-ups?

I'd appreciate the advice. I had considered going to the doctor

[Heidi]

Hi
Yes it is worth getting it checked. If you are concerned about anything you should always get a professional to have a look.
The fact that there is no pain at all is a good thing and means any damage is minimal. I presume there are no remaining neural symptoms, such as weakness, pins and needles or numbness? If not, I would rest it for a couple of weeks and then start a slow build up of training again, provided everything feels ok.
If there has been an injury to the AC joint then this can lead to biomechanical problems in the shoulder girdle so you should make sure you are training the shoulder area appropriately. Most importantly, don't overtrain the chest muscles! Make sure you work on the postural muscles around the posterior shoulder, specifically lower trapz and serratus anterior and of course, the rotator cuff.

[jarv000]

Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it. Correct I have no remaining neural symptoms - I really only had a loss of strength for a moment and no problems since.

I'm booked in to see the doctor on Tuesday, who will hopefully refer me to a specialist - which could take up to 8 weeks. Is there any risk to a delay in getting seen? or am I better off seeing someone privately?

Is the bone likely to go back?