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Acromioclavicular Joint Treatment Twyford

  • Physiotherapy
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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.

How Can a Physiotherapist at Physiocare Twyford, Reading Help?

Your physiotherapist will work with you to design an individualised strategy geared to your specific shoulder condition and goals once other problems have been ruled out and an injury to the AC joint has been detected. Many physiotherapy therapies have been proven to be useful in the treatment of this illness. Your physiotherapist might concentrate on:

Range of Motion

An injury to the AC joint, whether traumatic or due to overuse, irritates the joint, causing swelling and stiffness, as well as a loss of normal motion. Reaching across your body and lifting your arm directly overhead are two of the most challenging motions to perform following an AC joint injury. While it’s critical to reclaim your normal shoulder motion, it’s equally critical to let your injury heal without putting undue strain on the recovering joint. Your physiotherapist will evaluate your range of motion and the severity of your injury before recommending a treatment plan that balances joint protection and motion restoration.

Strength Training

The surrounding muscles show weakening after an injury. To allow for normal, coordinated upper-body action, all of the muscles surrounding the shoulder and elbow, as well as those in the upper back, function together. As a result, ensuring that the shoulder joint is protected and operates efficiently requires balancing the strength of all upper-body muscles. Your physiotherapist will create a specific exercise programme to strengthen the muscles in and around the shoulder, ensuring that each muscle can execute its function appropriately.

Manual therapy

Manual (hands-on) therapy is taught to physiotherapists. If necessary, your physiotherapist will move and mobilise your shoulder joint and surrounding muscles to increase their range of motion, flexibility, and strength. These methods can be used to treat regions that are tough to reach on your own.

Pain Management

To help with pain management, your physiotherapist may offer therapeutic modalities including ice and heat.

Functional Training

The AC joint is a tiny joint that is frequently expected to carry a heavy load. Functional training, which teaches your entire shoulder how to work effectively in different situations, is required to meet this demand. Poor coordination, for example, puts unnecessary stress on the shoulder while lifting overhead. Physiotherapists are skilled at determining the quality of movement. To assist you keep a pain-free shoulder, your physiotherapist will be able to point out and correct your actions.

Education

Rest is the first step in treating shoulder pain. The amount of time you need to rest depends on the severity of your injury. Your physiotherapist will devise a specific rehabilitation plan for you so that you can safely resume your everyday and recreational activities.

Cortisone Injection For AC Joint

Cortisone/Steroid injections into the AC joint can be used to treat injuries or pain. Injections into the AC joints can also be used to treat the following conditions:

  • Primary osteoarthritis, Degenerative disease of bones resulting in chronic pain.
  • Traumatic arthritis: Arthritis resulting from an injury or trauma.
  • Distal clavicle osteolysis: Shoulder joint pain because of bone degeneration and damage.

To book for a steroid injection you can call our normal reception line, 0118 934 4055 or email direct to physio@physiocare.co.uk requesting an appointment for an injection. Please include your name, date of birth, your address and GP contact details. You will be sent a form to complete and forward back to us or bring along on the day which gives information about the injection.
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Imran Ul-Haq
Elizabeth Jones
Margaret Manthorpe
Jacqueline Montgomery
Melinda Cairns
Lizzie Budge
Monika Mazur
Lydia Osborn

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