AC joint seperation recovery time.

Fell off bike in Alps whacked shoulder and AC joint seperation, told by Doctor in France need surgrey within week. So drove home slowly and went to  A&E and they said no surgrey and gave appointment for physio in a couple of weeks. Just had appointment canceled. Its been over 3 weeks since off and getting a bit bored with it(self employed) , what should I be able to do or not do ?

No idea, but your injury is graded 1 – 4, treatment & recovery would depend on what grade of injury you have. I believe the French are more aggressive with their management of clavicles than the UK, hence maybe why they suggested surgery & your local ED not.

Yep, need to know what grade – but plenty on here have been there before. Don’t remember if mine what grade mine was, but I got away fairly lucky. Back on the road bike quite quickly but the mountain bike and dojo took about 6 months.

Advice I got from the NHS physio was mobility based but I had no issue with mobility. Saw a private physio who did more to get the strength back.

Mine was a grade 3, I think they said 4 or above was an operation. I had my arm in a sling for a few weeks, managed to ride on the road after 5 weeks and a bit of gentle mtb after 6 weeks.

I found out recently that I had separated my AC joint 15 years ago but it was never picked up by the French docs or thereafter, until I went for physio on the other shoulder.

I’ve had years and years of gyp with it – pain, stiffness etc so make sure you get decent physio – knowing what I know now, I would pay if the NHS ones are cancelled.

The usual 6 weeks for mine and it’s never given me gyp since.

I think it’s graded 1-5, as mine was described as a high 4, in the words of the consultant, “any worse would be a mess”

I had surgery to put mine back together as I couldn’t raise my arm above shoulder height.

I’m pretty sure I did my left one in a more minor way falling off in my early 20s as it’s been cruncy ever since too.

Sorry forgot to say grade 3, all 3 ligaments snapped.  Also if I wanted to pay for Physio how would I find a good one ? Shropshire based .

All 3 snapped – I’d go for the surgery.  Some people do and have got by OK with nothing holding the clavicle down but skin, but I didn’t.  I got the surgery done 3 months later and within a week it was obvious that I’d done the right thing.  I hardly ever think about it now.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/separated-shoulder-grade-34-surgery/

June 5th, operation 3 weeks later and just started physio but struggling a little at the moment – range of movement and very painful if I move it too far the wrong way. Not sure of grading but they offered surgery straight away.

As far as riding goes I had hoped to start again soon but the break in the clavicle is complicated as it’s near the end with not much bone to fix into. They’re happy it’s healing well but worried that feedback through the bars will disrupt the repair.

Given the okay for turbo but advised not to ride outdoors for now, next update in 2 weeks.

Good luck, hope it heals up quick.

I am still wondering how it heals up, what holds it in place if they don’t do an operation. Did ask but they said it would scar over.

thanks all

blastit, I asked similar.  I was told that there’s so little stability in the joint that the torn ends of the ligaments have no chance of knitting together as they’re constantly being moved apart and moving over each other.

The ragged, torn ends scar over to a smoother finish, but they don’t connect up and heal together without something artificial holding the clavicle down in place.  There’s one procedure which needs to be done within a week or two which is an angled steel bracket that holds the clavicle down to the acromion so the fresh ends can meet and knit, then gets taken out again after a few months.

Some like it, some don’t, as it commits the patient to 2 surgeries, and 2 sets of all the associated risks.

I went to see this guy for a second opinion. In my case, by the time I went to see him, the hook plate wasn’t an option because too much time had passed since the operation.  Link below shows the hook plate

ACJ (Hook Plate, Surgilig)

I did mine in the first week of June, Grade 3/4.

I felt ready to ride towards the end of July.

Keep it in a sling as much as poss even if its not tight, you need the support while its knitting.

ICE pack twice a day for about 15mins at a time.

Don’t go to a Foo fighters concert about 4 weeks in and start lifting your Mrs up while dancing.

I could just about do a push up after the middle of August, I can now do about ten push ups but it aches after.

I find pump tracks and tight busy single track is the worst, sending big ole jumps is fine though.

If you can get it K-taped up that helped loads with isolating it and its do able indoors once you have been shown by the pro, assuming you have an assistant obvs.

At least you did it towards the end of the season, I have barely ridden this summer as I had to have my appendix out at the end of July!

Image here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj7lMdEAn1h

Grade 3 or 4 on mine…. took six weeks until fully recovered. On road bike in 3

Grade 2/3 at the start of May (jennride casualty).

I’ve had physio pretty much every week but in all honesty I haven’t done anywhere near enough of the exercises in my own time but was back out riding in June.

I thought things were going well until the passed two weeks on holiday when I went swimming pretty much every day and it now hurts like a **** and makes a horrible clicky grinding sound…

I did pretty much the same, Bregante, it was getting a bit stronger and less painful, but when I started trying to use if more, it just didn’t feel up to the job, and I couldn’t see how it would.

Done mine 3 times, one is grade 5.  They asked me whether I wanted it to be operated on – I had no idea.  Was wavering until the consultant said he had a builder who could still lift bags of sand with his like that.

Physio was mostly doing resistance band work.

Must be about year ago and get no problems so far

My consultant was dead against any surgery, he said once the swelling goes down and the range of movement returns there is no need aside from asthetics, which he said would be a Scar or a Lump.

I chose lump, it still looks and feels a bit weird but I have full range of movement.

I went OTB when i clipped my front wheel on the back side of a dirt jump, a 10ft fall straight to my shoulder.

Tricky, isn’t it, blastit?  Positive advice and experience on both sides…

You any further along deciding what to do?

Have ended up with a big lump on my shoulder anyway, he said it will reduce in time although I can’t see how as from looking at the X-rays it appears to be right where the end of the plate is.

Not too fussed anyway, main thing is my shoulders are equal heights.

Thanks for all input which on the whole looks positive, have physio tomorrow, so a little happier. Had a quick pootle on bike off road today as well with my daughter and it felt ok. My thinking is I would rather ride my full sus bike as its a little easier on the shoulder than a rigid road bike.

Cheers Simon

Just had my 3 month update, consultant graded it a 4…I have a clavicle plate with suture to hold everything down, he said the lump on my shoulder will reduce in time.

So, healing well but advised to stay off the bike for another 3 months…okay to turbo train but no outdoors riding. That’ll be almost 7 months from injury, 6 from surgery.

Physio going well though, made a fair bit of progress over a relatively short 3 weeks.