Acromioclavicular Joint Treatment Twyford

What Are Acromicioclavicular (AC) Joint Injuries?

The AC joint’s two bones (the acromion and the clavicle) are held together by four ligaments. These ligaments are pressured when an AC joint injury occurs, resulting in some degree of joint separation. Traumatic and overuse injuries are the two forms of injuries that can occur at the AC joint.

A traumatic AC joint injury occurs when the joint is disrupted by ligaments that hold the two bones of the joint together. A shoulder separation is the medical term for this type of injury (in contrast to a shoulder dislocation, it involves the ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder).

Traumatic AC joint injuries are most common in those who fall and land on their outside shoulder or on their hand (for example, a tackled football player, a bicycle, or a manual labourer who falls off a ladder).

The amount of separation of the joint in traumatic AC joint injury is classified from minor to severe. A physiotherapist will most likely treat minor cases; more severe cases may require surgery followed by rehabilitation.

An overuse AC joint injury develops over time as the joint is subjected to repeated, excessive stress. The joint is protected from daily wear and tear by cartilage at the ends of the acromion and clavicle bones. The stress imposed on this cartilage over time may be more than it can withstand, leading in an overuse injury. Arthritis is the result of significant cartilage wear. Heavy weight lifting (bench and military presses) and jobs that involve manual labour with the arms raised over the head are the most common causes of overuse AC joint injury.

Symptoms

With an AC joint injury, you may experience:

• General shoulder pain and swelling
• Swelling and tenderness over the AC joint
• Loss of shoulder strength
• A visible bump above the shoulder
• Pain when lying on the involved side
• Loss of shoulder motion
• A popping sound or catching sensation with movement of the shoulder
• Discomfort with daily activities that stress the AC joint, like lifting objects overhead, reaching across your body, or carrying heavy objects at your side

Diagnosis

An AC joint injury is diagnosed after a detailed evaluation of the patient’s medical history, which includes specific questions about when the pain began and what aggravates and relieves it.

Your physiotherapist in Twyford will check your shoulder for sensation, mobility, strength, flexibility, discomfort, and edoema, among other things. To check the structures in the shoulder joint, your physiotherapisti nTwyford, Reading, will perform a series of tests specific to that joint. The therapist may also ask you to demonstrate the activities or positions that trigger your pain for a short period of time. Other adjacent areas, such as your neck and upper back, will be checked to see whether they, too, are contributing to your shoulder problem.

While a shoulder examination may typically detect an AC joint injury, diagnostic imaging, such as ultrasound, x-ray, or MRI, is frequently utilised to confirm the diagnosis and assess the degree of the damage.

Can this Injury or Condition be Prevented?

Many severe AC joint injuries, such as bicycle crashes, falls to the ground, and so on, may be impossible to avoid. Accidents do take place. Fortunately, there is a lot that can be done to avoid the chain of events that leads to AC joint overuse injuries, including:

• Learning about the risks of pushing through pain.
• Monitoring work and weight-lifting activities, particularly repetitive overhead lifting.
• Avoiding repetitive overhead lifting when possible.
• Maintaining adequate general shoulder strength and motion to safely perform desired tasks.
• Consulting with a physiotherapist if symptoms are persistent or worsening despite rest.