AC Joint Reconstruction
The acromioclavicular joint, often known as the AC joint, is positioned on the top of the shoulder, where the clavicle (collarbone) meets the acromion (shoulder roof).
A split AC joint is often referred to as a “shoulder separation” or “separated shoulder.” By feeling the bulge on the top of the shoulder, you may easily locate the AC joint. Ligaments that link the collarbone to the front of the shoulder blade help to support this area (scapula). The coracoclavicular (CC) ligaments and the coracoacromial (CA) ligaments are two ligaments that help maintain the AC joint.
Direct trauma to this area, such as a football tackle, going over the handlebars on a bike, or being in a car accident, can disrupt these connections, separating the collarbone and the roof of the shoulder, causing them to no longer sit next to each other. This is known as an AC separation, and it causes the collarbone to appear high clinically. In reality, in a shoulder separation, the collarbone, or clavicle, is not lifted; rather, the arm is depressed by the weight of the arm and gravity, and the collarbone stays in its anatomic place. At the top of the shoulder, the collarbone is frequently felt.
New ligaments must be reconstructed to “re-suspend” the arm from the collarbone, allowing the roof of the shoulder (the acromion) to re-align properly with the collarbone (clavicle). The Shoulder Clinic of Idaho’s orthopaedic shoulder experts have successfully treated AC joint separations in patients from Boise, Meridian, Nampa, and the Treasure Valley’s surrounding areas, allowing them to return to their busy lifestyles fast.
How is AC Joint reconstruction done?
Recurrent shoulder separations are treated with AC joint restoration employing a tendon graft (allograft) and mechanical fixation to hold the new tissue in the anatomical site of the torn ligaments. The Shoulder Clinic of Idaho’s orthopaedic shoulder specialists execute AC joint reconstruction on an out-patient basis using minimally invasive techniques. The goal of shoulder surgery is to re-suspend the arm in its original anatomical position to the collarbone using strong sutures and new ligaments securely linked to the front of the shoulder blade and to the collarbone.
When using a donor graft to reconstruct the CC ligaments, the new tissue must be looped from the front of the shoulder blade to the top of the collarbone. To give strength to the reconstruction, powerful medical suture material is fastened with screws to safeguard the graft during the healing process.
