AC joint dislocation
A study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma suggests that treating acromio-clavicular (AC) joint dislocation with surgery might not always be the best, and that alternative treatments such as sling and rehabilitation among other non-invasive therapy are best.
AC joint dislocations often occur to athletes during sporting events and accidents, and to individuals during an auto crash or some fall. Researchers now say it is best for patients to be treated using sling and rehab therapies rather than invasive surgeries, except of course in certain rare cases where surgery is the only procedure for effective treatment.
The authors of the study came to the conclusion that sling and rehabilitation is best for AC joint dislocation patients because this is less painful and much easier to handle, coupled with the fact that volunteers enrolled into a study show that patients that did sling returned much earlier to work and healed faster than those that underwent invasive surgery.
The researchers recruited 83 participants into their study and these were tracked over three months to see how they healed and the potential problems that developed from their particular treatment option. About 40 of the volunteers did surgery and 43 did sling and rehabilitation.
The medical researchers ultimately found that 75% of the group that did sling and rehab were able to return to their individual places of work just three months after their accidents and subsequent treatments, while 43% of the division that chose surgery were able to get back to work three months after.
It must also be noted that out of the group that went for sling and rehabilitation, only two developed complications resulting from their treatment while the surgery group had seven patients that suffered serious complications such as loose plate and wound infections among others.
Wearing a sling and undergoing physiotherapy was acclaimed by Dr. Michael McKee, an orthopedic surgeon with St. Michael's Hospital as the best treatment for AC joint dislocation patients, except in certain severe trauma where surgery might be the only option. McKee advised physicians to think twice before doing surgery for AC joint dislocation patients, saying this might worsen their situation and lead to unwanted complications.
The 83 volunteers that took part in the study were tracked for two more years so as to see if they suffered any serious complications, disability, got the right and altered shoulder appearance, or had any issues worthy of attention and arising from their condition. Most health experts agree that it is best to enroll patients in sling and rehabilitation therapies than to ask them to undergo surgery, because this class of patients returned earlier to work and do not suffer any ill consequences of treatments.
