AC Joint Reconstructive surgery

Thanks CHippa!

Hey Chris,

In quite a similar situation as yourself; 5 Nov I went down while kiteboarding. Mine is a grade 3, labral tear, ruptured shoulder capsule and dislocation where the clavicle meets the sternum. I opted for surgery and had the tightrope procedure done on 15 Nov.

I've been going to PT twice a week and progress has been great. I have however hit somewhat of a plateau in the last couple weeks. Pain is moderate and usually worst when I wake up after sleeping on it.

My range of motion is around %80 of what my other shoulder is but its very weak and any type of resistance has me cringing. I have yet to get on rock, only ride a road bike every other day or so. I was told that i cant perform any pec, biceps or trap exercises for another 2 weeks (8 weeks after surgery).

I do believe that the surgery was the best course of action for me. I'm 24 and in great shape so thought that the recovery would be best if I went for the surgery. I don't regret it and honestly think that this will be the best way to regain the strength and ROM that I had prior to the accident considering the depth of the injury.

Hope that it works out for you. If you have any more questions about the surgery or anything at all let me know and I'll answer what I can and ask my doc if I can't.

Cheers and good luck.

-SR

Thanks Scott!

Sounds very similar. My surgery will be a full reconstruction where they will attempt to reconstruct the torn ligaments on the AC and then scope the labrum and anchor it down via 3 anchor points. From what I understand, this procedure and this Dr. has seen some great results in Olympic and professional athletes, but I will be paying for it in recovery as it takes close to a year to fully get back the strength and range of motion. Given the situation now...I will take the chance.

Good luck with your recovery bro and hope you are back out there 100% soon!

Chris

Chris--
Good luck with your surgery. I had a very similar injury (bike wreck) and surgery and the rehab/recovery was tough. You are going to be pretty uncomfortable for a while, but that will go away. Whatever you do, do NOT try to rush your recovery-- it will only set you back. Give it 6 months (or whatever your surgeon says...)

So did you have the surgery? How's it going?

I just dislocated my left shoulder to include a bonus 2 AC separation from a hockey incident. I had to have open surgery (capsule shift) several years ago on my right shoulder for chronic dislocation/instability due to previous hockey injuries. Rehab was very long. About three years later I crashed my dirt bike and got a 3 AC separation on that same shoulder. I chose not to have anything done, and it healed fine (bone sticks up but no big).

I'm debating what to do now. My current injury is more painful. I've heard some pluses and minuses on repairing AC separations and wanted to hear from someone with recent experience. Any regrets?

Hey Man!

Surgery is scheduled for the 22nd of Feb...two weeks and counting. I blew out all three ligaments and tore the labrum in the process. I have been climbing with the injury but still experience a lot of pain. I have difficulty sleeping at night and my traps get very tight and almost feel bruised after climbing. The clicking, and popping is getting old and I can't lift heavy objects the way I used to (tough when you heat your house with wood!!!) so I decided to go ahead with the surgery.

My Dr is going to do a complete reconstruction with donor tissue, and graft them in so I am not doing the tightrope or screw it down method. This was the only surgery that seemed to address the AC joint itself. I will definitely send you a shout when I get it done and keep you posted on my progress. I am currently working on a video to document the process.
Chris

Surgery is in one week (Feb 22nd), getting nervous and trying to let the idea of inactivity to settle in...I generally don't do well with being idle!

My goal is to be back climbing slab and easier routes by June! We will see.

Chris, just think of it as an extended mud season ;-)

clemay wrote:Chris, just think of it as an extended mud season ;-)

success! surgery went an hour longer than expected as they discovered that i also had torn my rotator cuff so they fixed that while they were in there. let the recovery begin! thanx to all of you for the love and support. it meant a great deal to me and still does as i face the months ahead.

Starting to feel the tightness in my shoulder. Stitches are being removed one week from today then rehab begins. My goal is to be climbing at Cathedral Ledge before June. I am feeling like I have pulled something in my bicep, but can't be sure. Really tired of being in this flipping sling and sleeping on the couch.

Only had two stitches...the rest were glued and still have steri-strips over the wound. Eventually, the strip will disintegrate and fall off. Good news is that I can now have a full shower, and the x-rays taken today looked good. The bad news is that I am stuck in this flipping sling for 6 more weeks with very limited mobility.

got the green light yesterday from my Dr to start PT next week. I am now without the sling and so happy for that. Already starting to extend the arm a bit, picking small objects up with the right arm...even brushed my teeth (pain level 5) this morning! Can't wait for PT to begin.

hey guys!

Just a quick update on my recovery. 13 weeks post op this week, I bettered my goal of June climbing and have been climbing now for over a month! I have sent a number of hard routes here in NH, been back on the bike, have about 90% of my full range of motion back...still some soreness and there are a few movements that pinch, but for the most part, I am very happy with the progress that I have made and happy with the whole procedure. The graft is definitely the way to go. The shoulder joint is very stable and everything feels locked back in place. Now I am working on strengthening the surrounding muscles but feel that in another month I will be right back where I should be...plus a little weight (working on that one too!!!)

grammy

Hey there!

I am now 6 months post op and thought I would write a brief update:

The shoulder is feeling good and I would say that I am at somewhere between 70%-75% back to where I was prior to the accident.

Limitations are as follows and really only apply to climbing and little else:

1. gastons to the right both at shoulder height and above
2. lack of total strength pulling up from a straight arm hang
3. The throwing motion is coming...slowly but coming. I think it will be better by next spring.
4. deadpoints on the right arm are still uncomfortable but doable...they were out of the question two months ago
5. shoulder press still lacks strength but is getting stronger
6. Crimps above shoulder level still are uncomfortable but doable

Benefits to the surgery:

1. Ticked off a few 5.11's by the end of June so I have adapted to some of the lack of strength and range of motion
2. shoulder is much tighter
3. can lift backpack with the right arm and wear it comfortably
4. underclings are strong again!
5. pushing and pulling motions above, level to and blow shoulder 100%
6. Range of motion almost 100% and getting better
7. Virtually no pain or discomfort in the joint whatsoever
8. Can sleep on the right side with no discomfort and find myself forgetting that I ever had the procedure which is HUGE!!!

Tomorrow I race again in the 24 hour race that blew out my shoulder last year, so I am both excited that I am able to race again, but nervous that I may re injure the shoulder or something else. Today was nothing but rain, and they are predicting steady rain tonight and tomorrow for the race...right through sunday. I am not thrilled with the forecast but will take it easy and get through it.

If I had it to do all over again, I would definitely go through with this procedure. I am now able to do pretty much everything that I was able to do prior to the surgery with just a few exceptions and those my Doctor promises will get better the more I use it and with more time to heal.

If ever there was a test for my new shoulder, my latest project was it with two cruxes that opppose both arms and hands...sent it on the 1st of September...shoulder feels great!

Awesome, thanks for the progression of updates!

dannl wrote:Awesome, thanks for the progression of updates!

An ac separation can be serious for grade 3 and up. Most need surgery on grade 3s and all of the grade 4 and up require surgery if you wish to use that shoulder ever again. As for the individual who said he had a grade 5 and only missed 2 weeks before climbing again, he was either miss diagnosed about his injury or lying. With a grade 5 which is very sever, you would never be able to do any climbing or any other activity that requires the use of your shoulders. Many waffling ideas about whether or not to do surgery on grade 3 or higher. Get the surgery. If you dont, youll regret it later. Your shoulder will deteriorate faster, arthritis will set in stronger, and you will never regain decent strength without re attachment. I had a grade 4, and am a steel worker, and i can tell you that without surgery it would have been impossibe to do my job. You risk further injury and why take the risk. The recovery time depends on you. After surgery for the first four to six weeks, do nothing. Then gradually rehab the shoulder with a therapist. Work your way up, be consistant and dont over do it. You should do well to recover near or at 100% within a year, and your shoulder will be strong, be healed correctly, and have the support it is supposed to have so you can perform the activities that require such strength and strain. If your below a 3, surgery may not be needed. otherwise, dont fool around and risk a more serious injury or have it fail you in a most critical time. Scar tissue is no replacement for ligaments.

hi all,
had surgery 3 weeks ago for a stage 4+ separation after downhill mountain bike crash
how long before the pain stops?
its worse in the morning
many thanks
tony