AC Joint Reconstructive surgery
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Took out my AC Joint in a downhill mountain bike crash...totally tooled on the the shouler, separated it, tore the ligaments and the clavicle is now floating around and pointing at the sky. |
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I have a grade 5 AC separation, and I missed about 2 weeks of climbing before it didn't hurt to bad to climb. I decided not to have surgery, and it doesn't bother me at all after 3 years. Collar bone still sticks up though. |
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Thanks Rik. |
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Line 11 |
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I separated mine a few years ago, but I don't think it was as bad as yours sounds, and I didn't get surgery. I think I was in a sling for about a month, and it pretty much killed an entire climbing season, but since then it hasn't been a problem at all. |
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Chris, |
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i've separated my ac once and it took a few months to heal, And previously this winter i broke my collar bone and opted out of surgery. For recovery I decided I should learn the sport of climbing. For the collar bone to heal it took a solid 6 months. I still can here stuff grinding around in there but it doesn't hurt anymore during activity |
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Thanks guys! |
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So it appears that I have torn two of the three ligaments holding my clavicle in place and thus my clavicle is out of posterior alignment. the ligament attatching the collar bone to the corocoidal process is still intact (albeit a bit stretched out and stressed). Still tons of inflamation around the injury itself, but my surgeon suggested three weeks of intense PT and then check back in before weilding the scalpel. We will see how things go...still bummed about how uncomfortable this thing is after close to 5 weeks following the accident. |
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asset-usa.org/Guidelines/Mo…
I have a feeling this is the reconstructive technique the orthopod may be recommending. See the pdf link above. Although, the document is old and there may be a new and improved technique. Here's a newer one, this one doesn't make me cringe like the other procedure did. It would reinforce the coracoclavicular. deviceinnovation.com/index.… I'd do the PT and wait it out. The coracoclavicular ligament can tighten back up, and the acromioclavicular could scar up and get a little stability back in that manner depending on how displaced it is now. If still having pain, I'd do the Munford (which is mentioned in the pdf article above) and with an intact coracoclavicular, just leave that ligament alone. I sustained a grade 2 AC seperation bench pressing. :) I was only a cyclist at that time. Raced mountain bikes. It took 6 months to not hurt all the time and then felt it off and on for a couple years. I was a teen at the time. I did zero therapy. Take care. Do your PT. |
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Thanks Jen...yes, my surgeon was referring to the tightrope technique. It looks pretty cool...but I would certainly rather aviod any kind of surgery if I can. PT starts on the 26th which seems late, but the only time they can see me. I will definitely be religious with it. I had ankle reconstruction back in 1996 due to a basketball injury and I was up and walking in less than 2 months. I had a great PT team and went for treatment 3X a week. |
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going for a second opinion. I am currently being steered away from surgery, but I have been kicking ass with rehab, still climbing, biking, running and 8 weeks out and I can't seem to get past this plateau that I hit somewhere around the 4th week following the injury. Push ups still hurt like hell, crepidus is nasty..lots of popping and grinding going on in there and the joint itself just doesn't seem that stable still? Frustrated and a little disappointed in the recovery thus far. |
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Chris- I'm sure that ice climbing will take care of this !!! |
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LOL John...I am sure that would work...that and a bottle of 12 year old from the Mother Country!!!! ;) |
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Hope youre good for Ice Season Man! |
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So do I superkick...I need the cash!!! lol :P |
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Going in this Thursday for a second opinion. Been pretty faithful with PT and have been climbing rock and trying not to baby the injury too much, but I seem to have reached a plateau and the discomfort is still pretty significant. I am bummed out...the bump is still rediculous looking...I hate it!!! |
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Turns out I have completely torn the three ligaments of the AC joint and have a partial tear of the labrum...so I will have open surgery on the AC and they are going to scope the labrum going in from the back of the shoulder. I am electing to have it at the end of February so I can at least get some ice climbing in this season. Pretty bummed out, but my Dr. seems to think that we can get this thing back to close to what it was prior to the surgery. We will see... |
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Good luck, get your doc to take some pictures while he's in there. |
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dannl wrote:Good luck, get your doc to take some pictures while he's in there. :)I will. I would love to get some video footage! ;) |
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Chris, |