Health & Wellness

sore AC joint anyone have any doctor blessed advice beyond what I have done so far?

  • Last Updated:
  • Jun 15th, 2022 8:32 pm
Deal Addict
Jan 11, 2007
4111 posts
861 upvotes
Mississauga

sore AC joint anyone have any doctor blessed advice beyond what I have done so far?

I fell off bike last sept, and then it apparently developed some arthritis in there. since then it is painful some days very much and other days it fades. It affects:

when at its painful, daily life sadly, lots of arm movements hurt. mostly it impacts bike rides, pushups, chin ups, and some upward dogs.

I have done the following:
x-ray: diagnosed the small OS in shoulder c join
-PS: i go a few times a week but it hasn't helped a ton. its pleasant i suppose
-exercise: i try to work on the exercises every day the more stress i put on it the more likely the next day it will be more sore
anti inflammatory medicine: this helps most of the time, i try to ration the pills when I'm going out for bike ride or to a fitness class to have less pain.

Anyone dealt with this before have any tips? I love being active and trying to get more fit, but this really is a sore point (no pun intended) for it all, as it impacts everything i do.
Images
  • 272990834_10158392141175009_5720283628301714796_n.jpg
5 replies
Deal Expert
User avatar
Oct 5, 2008
18182 posts
14186 upvotes
Toronto
It takes forever to heal.

I did mine 20+ years ago and was a grade 2+ AC joint separation

I did it again this spring skiing (mild) and it's still giving me trouble occasionally. I haven't done any treatment for it.
Deal Addict
Dec 29, 2012
2647 posts
846 upvotes
GTA
Need to avoid some exercises - I also got 2+ AC separation taking a fall incorrectly from a high BJJ throw approx 10 years ago. Pain disappeared after 3 years. However it still aches some nights when I sleep too much on the injured side and after doing burpees (now have to do planks). Sadly had to stop the sport as locks and breakfalls hurt a lot.

I bought myself a small interferential machine (similar to a TENS machine) and used it for many years, twice a day for 15 minutes each, which helped sometimes although it's a difficult area for applying the patches, and did numerous epsom salt baths. The stupid sounding exercise of walking my fingers up the wall until my arm was straight actually helped!

https://www.amazon.com/Fabrication-IF-4 ... merReviews
Deal Addict
Jan 11, 2007
4111 posts
861 upvotes
Mississauga
Thanks guys will be patient. Did you find physio a waste of time vs your recos?
Deal Addict
Aug 17, 2008
1728 posts
1547 upvotes
Physiotherapists can help you with rehab exercises, which are important. You don't need to see one a few times each week (that's probably more than you need), but a good one can show you which exercises to do to rehab the shoulder. and a few follow-up sessions to be sure you are improving and adjusting the exercises as needed. It takes time.

Shoulder issues are very common. A very important thing to do is hanging from a overhead bar. You will need to ease into it if you have a current AC injury (so don't go to full body weight hanging too quickly).

But some references: An orthopedic surgeon (who did lots of shoulder surgeries), who from experience believes that virtually all shoulder injuries can be dealt with without surgery by doing hanging exercises. He thought this was so important, that he wrote a book on it:
https://www.kirschshoulder.com/

Ido Portal has always emphasised the importance of regular hanging work for shoulder health. Here's a blog article from any years ago (where he also mentions Dr. Kirsch's book at the end):
https://www.idoportal.com/blog/hanging/
Deal Addict
Dec 29, 2012
2647 posts
846 upvotes
GTA
dreaderus wrote: Thanks guys will be patient. Did you find physio a waste of time vs your recos?
Depends on the knowledge and skill of the physiotherapist. I found that for most of my injuries, approx 12-15 sessions takes the edge off the pain, starts the healing process and gets me well on my way with rehab exercises. Usually 10 minutes interferential, 10 minutes ultrasound, review of exercises, and manipulation based on type of injury.

Top

Thread Information

There is currently 1 user viewing this thread. (0 members and 1 guest)