[Closed] A-C separation. I'd know, right ??

You would know. Is your clavicle raised at all?

According to those around me I went grey when I did mine...it was pretty uncomfortable, no way could I have carried on doing anything.

I had some limited movement after leaving hospital with a bag of codeine.

Sounds like you have what is known as a "sore shoulder". However, IANAD

As above though, if it's separated you'll see a pronounced bump. I'd also expect that hitting anything rough would've gradually reduced you to a wreck afterwards

iirc, grade 1 is strained ligaments, so you still have range of movement but it's hurty (and possibly "grauncy" forever afterwards if my left shoulder is anything to go by - thankyou Herts shore)

Grade 2 is torn ligaments

Grade 3 is torn ligaments and displacement of the clavical

And worse is "a mess" according to the consultant who assessed my grade 3 AC separation on the right shoulder.

About 4 years ago, I attended the local Minor Injuries Unit, having hurt my shoulder riding. I had a yellow/black bruise across a quarter of my torso, and although I'd ridden another 10 miles after the crash to get back to where I was staying my shoulder was extremely sore, swollen and didn't have much movement. The x-ray showed nothing, the nurse said.

6 months or so later, I was at my GP about something different and asked his advice about the lump on top of my shoulder which had been there since my shoulder injury. He told me that I had obviously separated my shoulder.

So ignore this:

Sounds like you have what is known as a “sore shoulder”. However, IANAD

My shoulder took ages to heal properly. I've often wondered if it would have taken less time with proper advice from the hospital. It was still painful when I slept on it about 3 years later.

Sounds like you have what is known as a “sore shoulder”. However, IANAD

That is my own diagnosis* too and, amazingly, IANAD also, so it must be true (despite my wife, who IAD, wanting to prod and poke it until I cry)

*  Actually "bastard-sore" which is a grade 3 hurty shoulder, I think

I got wiped out by a snow boarder many years ago and fell onto my shoulder. Didn't think anything of it at the time, but the next day I couldn't move my arm. Took about a year for it to heal and up until 6 months I couldn't raise my arm above my shoulder - just swelling in the joint, a partial tendom detachment and bone odema. Pretty much ended my amateur weight lifting career 😉

Grade one over a decade ago. I remember the radiographer saying she didn't know why I'd been sent to x-ray as the "tell tale bump" was obvious.

Couldn't lift that arm past horizontal in front of me.

Still wakes me in the night if I sleep on that side funny.

Was back on the road bike long before I could get back on the mountain bike. Seems the rotation made all the difference.

I did mine 10 years, the irony on this thread is that the only time I really notice it is if forget and I try to carry my skis on my right shoulder - **** me that smarts.

I did mine, Grade 2 nearly 3 at the top of Pen-y-Gent in the 3 Peaks, by christ it hurt, but adrenaline kicked in and I finished albeit with lots of swearing and teeth grinding.

Like above, I couldn't raise my left arm past horizontal, for a few days.

I took a good few weeks for it to "heal" as in so I could ride & race without it being strapped up, but its still a bit buggered now, my collar bone sits proud at the joint and I can't sleep on my left side all night like I used to. But I can race bikes just fine and dandy, so swings and round abouts.

No way of knowing for certain without imaging but if you carried on skiing, still have full active ROM and the joint itself isn't looking significantly different then I'd say the chances are the ACJ is still in one piece

I did mine at BPW, I don’t think it was any worse than Grade 1 but couldn’t raise my arm past the shoulder for quite a while,  managed to get back to the car park on the bike (was 2/3 of the way up the hill) but taking off my upper armour was decidedly painful and I felt sick with pain on the drive home. Based on this I think you’re Ok (relative to worst case).

Yes, you'd definitely know straightaway!
I can't remember what grade I had, but it was just short of surgery.

I can still see the bump over 10 years later, but I have zero complications or pain with it, so I can't complain.

My shoulder took ages to heal properly. I’ve often wondered if it would have taken less time with proper advice from the hospital. It was still painful when I slept on it about 3 years later.

To be honest based on a sample size of 1 you would be given a sling for a few weeks and if you are lucky some physio, the surgeon who assessed mine said on the final assessment, work it hard, if it hurts I'll think about operating. It settled down after a while and doesn't have a noticeable impact on me at all now.

I was sent to fractures clinic with mine, they recommended rest it pop it in sling. Left there and went straight to private sports physio while laughed and said completely the opposite to the fractures doctor. Excercises and physio, good recovery. Grade 3 (Pissed with hands in pockets) grade 1 on other side (skiing moguls, binding released)

I’m 7 weeks post surgical for a grade 4 ( or a mess as sobriety says). I did it rather foolishly falling at high speed on tarmac. Don’t chase the burglars nicking your car! It took 2-3 hours before the limb stiffened up and I couldn’t use it. Big swelling came up instantly and was painful but range of movement improved over the next week or so but remained painful and had a bloody great clavichord swelling. I am now allowed to lift my hand over shoulder height but not lift anything heavier than 568mls!

I reckon I had probably done lower grade damage to it through Judo at least twice before where it was stiff and sore afterwards but improved with just rest and the swelling reduced over 2-3 months.

So yes you could have done lower grade damage and still skied on it that day.

I went into a&e a few years back for a busted wrist (I think) and while checking me over the nurse asked why I was riding with a busted collar bone and AC separation. Probably from a crash a week or two earlier

To be fair, I was on tramadol and dihidracodiene for my sake at the time do want as pain sensitive as I should have been.
Probably worth getting it checked I would have thought

Given my complete separation and the size of swelling and inability to move the arm, you’d know. The notch comes when the swelling has gone.

On the positive side, I can fold my arm into a serious aero tuck on the TT bike, with a lower CdA. I’m in no hurry to make the other side symmetric!

I wonder if I did a grade 1 a few years back. Hurt like a bastard, couldn't lift my arm for several days. Took a couple of months for it to stop hurting, and over a year for it to stop aching.

If that wasn't a grade 1, I really don't want to actually have a grade 1. Let alone the proper grades.

Grade 2/3 about 10 years ago.Sliding out and hiting a tree. Carried on riding for and hour or two but it got worse and had to go home. It took a few months to settle with the bump and dropped shoulder. Turns out I damaged my c6 and c7 vertebrae in the same crash and have some stenosis of the branch nerve channels.

Did I know when I did it? Not really, that dawned on me a week or so later.

@bruk

did they do it under local with a nerve block? The sound/sensation of someone rummaging around in my shoulder and tugging stuff back into place before drilling a hole in my collar bone isn't something I'll ever forget, even through the massive amount of painkillers!

Nah. Full Ga. Removed the end of the clavicle then placed a Dacron implant to hold the clavicle in place with a screw in the bone. Happy with results so far. Told I could start running and riding as long as I didn’t fall over last week. However probably another 4-5 months before I can get back into the dojo.

Last thing I remember before the ga was discussing beer with the anaesthestist

My surgeon said do you play a violin or lift bricks for a living? If not, see how it heals. He fixed my wrist, but the shoulder has been fine. Ok I’m lopsided but so be it. Grade 4 six years ago.

I knew pretty much straight away.
Pedal strike, over the bars and landed on the point of my shoulder.
I finished the descent with almost no pain.
Visited A&E who told me nothing was wrong, but here's a sling to wear for a few days, even though I had a very pronounced lump 🙄
I booked an appointment with a private physio for the following day who said I had a robust grade 2 bordering on 3

Hit a tree at speed around 8 years ago (weekend of indyref)

I managed to walk the bike home (getting on was out of the question). When we managed to take my top off, my wife almost gagged seeing bones places they shouldn't be. The hospital didn't say what grade it was, just a sling and painkillers. It took about a month iirc. My clavicle now sit higher than it should at the left shoulder.

We do 227g a day between us so i don’t think it’s issue.

@bruk

Ah, sounds similar to what I had, except my surgeon was clearly more of a sadist! Turned out the anaesthestist was also a cyclist so we had an amusing conversation about bikes while I was alternating between being really, really high and wondering what all the wierd tugging from behind the sheet was.

I was off the bike for a few months with mine due to all the physio I needed to get the range of movement and strength back - I displaced the outside end of my collar bone to what felt like somewhere near my shoulderblade.

I can't diagnose you @scaredypants. I could send a hug but that would probably just hurt. Heal well.

@sobriety

Hope yours has improved. Guess my surgeon didn’t fancy my patter! I got quite good reduction with mine but still a bit of a lump. Hope will be less obvious as I build the muscle back up. Can now get my arm up vertically but not allowed to have any weight on it yet!

I was offered surgery and was not sure whether to go for it or not. Doctor said that builders functioned fine with same level is displacement (level 5 I recall).
It has caused me very little problems in the last 5+ years.
So, for me I would not go for the operation.