Acromioclavicular Joint surgery...

[MrAWD]

Hi there,

I am having problems with the acromioclavicular joint in my shoulder and doctor was saying that surgery is pretty routine and that I will be able to get back to my normal activities within few months. Since I am skeptical of any surgical procedure, I am wondering if anyone has any experience with this? Should I really expect to be able to play tennis as before or this is not as good as it seems?

Thanks!


Fedja

 

[bronco_mba]

I'm considering having a similar (same?) procedure. My doc recommended subacromial decompression surgery and distal clavical resection.

I'd be curious to hear other's experience with these procedures.

 

[MrAWD]

Yes, I believe that is the same thing I was referring to! Basically, they cut some of your collar bone where the joint is (about 1/2") and they let it scar by it self which acts as a joint in the future.

It just sounds strange, but doc was saying that I would be back to sports as I used to do it before. He even mentioned one of the baseball player from Red Sox did that and went back to playing again not that long ago.

Fedja

 

[bronco_mba]

After meeting with the surgeon, I'm scheduled for subacromial decompression/distal clavicle resection on 2/1. I'll let you know how it goes. The surgeon expects a good outcome; he's had about a 95% success rate with this procedure.

 

[Chauvalito]

What led up to your problem

Hey guys,
Could you both describe the type of symptoms or pain you felt prior to your surgery, and what you think caused your shoulder problems?

However unfortunate your predicaments are, I think your advice would be helpful to many on this board. I myself have experienced shoulder pain, and knowing how to prevent such injury woulf be helpful.

Thanks

p.s. I wish you guys a fast recovery from surgery

 

[bronco_mba]

As far as symptoms go, I experience a sharp pain in back of the shoulder upon serving or hitting an overhead. This doesn't happen everytime, but happens with enough frequency that I am afraid to go for big serves or overheads. I also have pain reaching across my chest to simply touch the back of my left shoulder with my right hand. Sometimes I get the same pain hitting a forehand above chest height. After playing tennis I cannot sleep on my right side because of discomfort in the shoulder.

I'm told the cause of the problem is the anatomical make-up of my shoulder. Thank genetics. The skeletal make-up of my shoulder is shaped in such a way that I am pre-disposed for the impingement condition. Overuse of the shoulder as a baseball/tennis player as a teenager exacerbated the condition.

I'm not sure what you can to do prevent this injury from occurring. I have seen other threads geared towards stretching and warm-up, which may help.

Thank you for your well wishes on a fast recovery!

 

[f1 tech]

I also have shoulder pain when I serve or hit overheads, not all the time, but usually in the first few hits.

What type of doctor did you see for diagnosis? Did you get an Xray or MRI?

 

[bronco_mba]

I had both an MRI and a series of x-rays.

I have variously been evaluated by my primary care doc, a physical therapist, and an orthopaedic surgeon.

Surgery is just two days away; starting to get nervous!

 

[zacinnc78]

good luck with ur surgery let us know how it goes...

 

[bronco_mba]

Reporting back after having had my shoulder procedure (sub-acromial decompression/distal clavicle excision) on 2/1. The surgeons were able to complete the procedure in just under 33 minutes. They even gave me a DVD of the procedure. The day of surgery was a little rough coming out of anesthesia (pretty nauseous) and getting used to the bulky dressing. I felt much better day one and day two post-op.

Now three days post-op, I'm off the pain meds, moving the shoulder with little discomfort, and looking forward to starting physical therapy this afternoon. The surgeons reported the procedure went well and they expect a great result. I can get back to light rallying in two weeks; getting back to light serving in about a month. I should be back to competitive play in two months, just in time for Spring league!

All in all, the surgery itself went much better than expected. Really only one bad day (day of surgery). If anyone's interested, I'll provide some details on the rehab process.