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Grade 3 AC separation

3K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  nanofamous 
#1 ·
So my first run of the season (January 15th) I ended up taking a nasty fall on my right shoulder. It happened really fast so im not sure what happened. To make it worse, the mountain wasnt very good. It was all fake snow (shitty New Jersey mountain) and so by around 2pm it was starting to ice really quick. When i fell i basically slammed into pure ice. Ended up with a grade 3 ac separation in my right shoulder. Pain was pretty bad the first few days. Fast forward to now, I basically have most of my ROM back. I cannot fully extend my arm up or behind me but its like 95%. Very little to no pain unless i exert too much force on it. Got an X-RAY and MRI immediately following the accident since i knew i fucked something up and had a followup with an orthopedist. Completely tore both AC and CC ligaments, but because my collar bone is out of place by 8-10mm, its not a full grade 3. Its still partially in line with the shoulder. Chose not to get surgery because fuck that. Yea it sucks my collar bone is out of place but ill survive. I've been doing some physical therapy and they said my shoulder is looking really good. I had no stiffness after the accident and so we're just focusing on strengthening the muscles. Doing weightless shrugs, super light rows (5lbs), super light lat pulldowns (5lbs), standing pushups against the wall, some IR/ER with bands, etc..

They said by the first week of march I should be fully healed and by the end of march/beginning of april i can start light lifting again. I would religiously work out before the accident, doing lots of plyometric/crossfit variants mixed in with traditional weight lifting so Im in pretty good shape.

Basically I want to know if anyone has gone through a similiar situation and how quickly they were able to get back out to the mountain? Im super bummed since it happened on my first run of the season and I feel like im missing the prime time (family is going to Killington, Vermont next weekend fml) and really want to get back out as soon as I can.
 
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#3 ·
I'd be careful with that injury. Took a very similar fall last season (shoulder slam on ice) and it really messed me up without knowing it at the time. They thought it was AC separation at first visit to Sports Orthopedics. They said the MRI would need to wait at least a month for swelling to go down, so I am surprised they immediately took an MRI.

Mine turned out to be a torn labrum, no big deal I thought. Waited a couple months for it to feel a little better, managed to get ~10 days in with the gimpy shoulder. Ached and hurt after riding and had crappy range of motion, but never hurt or noticed it during snowboarding due to adrenaline I assume. Took MRI after the season and surgeon said he will fix it right up in the summer and I will be ready to go again by this season. During surgery he finds my arm bone doesn't quite line up in the socket and almost all the cartilage is gone in the shoulder - most likely due to the misaligned bone they said and also just being an older guy.

Maybe no big deal if you're still in your 20's, but at 46 it really sucks. Total shoulder replacement is only option for me at this point which is what 3 different surgeons have told me.

Best of luck.
 
#4 ·
I gave a grade 3 in my left and a grade 2 in my right. Both happened in my 20's and I am 42 now. I never had surgery and for the most part they have not really bothered me too much. Mostly I cannot sleep for too long on either one the older I get and too much hard labor like shoveling and heavy lifting have to be taken at a lighter pace. Not really sure that surgery may have been a better option but at the time my doctor did not think so, saying that surgery can sometimes complicate it more but that was in the '90s so some things may have changed as far as surgery goes. Good luck.

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