Acromioclavicular Seperation Grade 4

beckyf09

New member
Couldn't find a more appropriate section to post this in, so I've put it in here.

3 weeks ago I suffered an acromioclavicular seperation in a competitive soccer match, at first they thought it was a grade 3 and told me to come back in a week to see how things had settled, after the week passed, I saw the consultant who said it's a grade 4, serious rupture and is 98% sure to need surgery. I've now been referred to the surgeon, the only thing is my appointment to discuss surgery has been booked for early November! That's a month and a half away! The surgery would be sometime after that, possibly months after! Now I'm really concerned about the amount of time I'm being made to wait, bearing in mind that all my ligaments are totally ruptured and my my bones are totally detached and seperated.

Is there any chance that I will suffer long term damage due to having to wait so long? I thought early surgery was important in these cases. In the meantime the shoulder is healing in it's wrong position and although it's getting 'better' I'm very worried.

Can anyone give me any advice?
 
sorry about your injury, it really sounds pretty bad. i had to go thru a rotator cuff repair a couple of years ago,so i can really relate to some of what you are feeling there.

but i was in a similar situation, but with my knee then, having to first wait forever to get to see the surgeon and then of course actually GET that needed surgery done too. the one thing i did that DID move things up a bit was asking to be placed on their cancellation list? i did this to move up the appt, and again for the actual surgery itself since it was soo needed, badly needed. i just spoke to the surgeons actual schedular about how bad my knee was after my appt with the surgeon, she took pity on me and told me if a time slot in the frame that my surgeon needed for MY surgery came up, i would be the first she would call, and it worked really well. my surgery got moved up from about a month and a half away to within about three weeks time.

you could try also having your own primary doc actually call the surgeon and tell him just how badly needed the evaluation and surgery is considering how out of place that shoulder is right now. it does help in most cases to get that primary doc behind you and advocate for you, which just IS a part of their job for any patient. or, if ther are ANY other orthos whithin your ins network that you could simply call to see how long the actual wait is with THAT surgeon, it could get you evaled and set much sooner too. this is just stuff that really helped me with my six seperate surgeries i have had to have since 2001. my bodyparts are just falling apart these days. i wish you luck with this and hope things can get moved up for you in one of the above ways. it never hurts to try ya know? let me know how things go. FB
 
Got an earlier appointment by being on the cancellation list, good plan there!

Specialist says in 95% of cases leaving my shoulder will give me a full working shoulder with strenght and stability if left, only cosmetic bump will remain as my shoulder will remain permanently detached from the collarbone.

He said if I don't like the bump, they are happy to operate, and if I end up in the 5% they will operate, for example if I have ongoing pain and restrictions to movement.

The good news for me is he said I can return to soccer whenever I feel ready, he suggested I could train when I want, and as soon as I'm comfortable I can return to competitive matches! Really pleased about that.
 
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