Is my Shoulder Separated?
Shoulder separation is an injury to the ligament between the shoulder blade and collarbone. Whereas shoulder dislocation occurs when the top of the arm bone loses contact with the socket of the shoulder blade.
Shoulder separation is an injury to the acromioclavicular joint on the top of the shoulder. The shoulder joint is formed at the junction of three bones: the collarbone (clavicle), the shoulder blade (scapula), and the arm bone (humerus). The scapula and clavicle form the socket of the joint, and the humerus has a round head that fits within this socket.
Shoulder separation occurs when the clavicle and scapula come together. The end of the scapula is called the acromion, and the joint between this part of the scapula and the clavicle is called the acromioclavicular joint. When this joint is disrupted, it is called shoulder separation. Another name for this injury is an acromioclavicular joint separation or AC separation.
How does a shoulder separation occur?
Shoulder separation is almost always the result of a sudden, traumatic event that can be attributed to a specific incident or action. The two most common descriptions of a shoulder separation are either a direct blow to the shoulder (often seen in football, rugby, or hockey), or a fall onto an outstretched hand (commonly seen after falling off a bicycle or horse).
What are the symptoms of shoulder separation?
Pain is the most common symptom of a separated shoulder and is usually severe at the time of injury. Evidence of traumatic injury to the shoulder, such as swelling and bruising, is also commonly found.
The diagnosis of shoulder separation is often quite apparent from hearing a story that is typical of this injury, and a simple physical examination. An x-ray should be performed to ensure there is no fracture of these bones. If the diagnosis is unclear, an X-ray while holding a weight in your hand may be helpful. When this type of X-ray is performed, the force of the weight will accentuate any shoulder joint instability and better show the effects of the separated shoulder.
Separated shoulders are graded according to the severity of the injury and the position of the displaced bones. Shoulder separations are graded from type I to VI:
Treatment of a separated shoulder depends on the type of injury:
The initial treatment of a separated shoulder consists of controlling the inflammation and resting the joint. The early steps of treatment should consist of:
Type I and Type II shoulder separations are by far the most common types of a separated shoulder, and these types of injuries rarely need surgery – and only if there are problems with non-operative treatments.
Whatever is required depends on the type of shoulder separation injury, and that is why it is important to have a team of doctors that is able to identify the exact type. At BBC Health, we know how to identify, treat, or refer in the proper direction for shoulder separation injuries.
