AC joint injury treatment in Edmonton

AC joint injury treatment in Edmonton for the sprain that follows a fall onto the point of the shoulder. Assessment rates the separation, checks for a step deformity and screens the collarbone and neck; most grades are managed without surgery.

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What is an AC joint injury?

The acromioclavicular joint is where the collarbone meets the tip of the shoulder blade, right at the top of the shoulder. An AC injury is a sprain of the ligaments holding those two bones together, and it is graded by how far they have separated — from a mild stretch through to a complete separation with a visible step under the skin. Most grades are managed without surgery.

Ac Joint Injury Assessment And Treatment At Vertex Physiotherapy

What brings it on

Almost always a fall onto the point of the shoulder rather than onto an outstretched hand — coming off a bike, a hockey board check, a fall on ice, a ski or rugby tackle. A direct blow to the top of the shoulder does the same thing.

The giveaway is where it hurts. People can usually put one fingertip on the sore spot, right on top of the shoulder, rather than describing a vague ache around it. With a higher grade there may be a visible bump where the end of the collarbone sits proud.

How it is assessed

The grade matters, because it changes what recovery looks like and whether a surgical opinion is worth seeking.

  • How the injury happened, and whether you could use the arm immediately afterwards
  • Looking for a step deformity, and comparing it against the other shoulder
  • Pressing directly on the joint, and testing it by bringing the arm across the body
  • Checking the collarbone, the shoulder joint itself and the neck, so a second injury is not missed
  • Whether an X-ray is warranted — a visible step, a high-energy fall, or pain that does not fit the pattern

What treatment usually involves

Early on: a sling for comfort for a short period rather than weeks, and gentle movement below shoulder height as soon as it is tolerable. Keeping the arm completely still for too long makes the stiffness harder to undo than the original sprain.

Then: restoring overhead range, and loading the shoulder blade muscles and rotator cuff so the joint is not doing the work unsupported. Bench-type pressing and dips tend to be the last things to come back, because they load the joint directly.

Lower grades usually settle over several weeks. A complete separation may leave a permanent bump that is cosmetic rather than functional — plenty of people return to full activity with one. The highest grades, where the collarbone displaces backwards or into the muscle, are referred for a surgical opinion.

Questions people ask

Most AC injuries do not. The lower grades are managed without it as a matter of course, and even a complete separation is often treated without surgery with good function. The highest grades, where the collarbone has displaced significantly, are the ones referred for an opinion.

If there is a visible step, it usually stays. That is the ligament having healed at a new length rather than something still being wrong. It does not by itself predict how the shoulder will work.

It depends on the grade and on what you are lifting. Reaching overhead with no weight tends to come back early; loaded pressing is deliberately later, because it puts force straight through the joint. Your reassessment should give you a specific answer rather than a general one.

Usually, though the timing depends on grade and on the sport. Returning while the joint is still tender to press on is what tends to produce a repeat of the same injury.

Usually not entirely. A visible step at the AC joint after a moderate sprain often remains, but it is a cosmetic change rather than a functional one for most people. Strength and range typically return fully with rehabilitation.

Grade 1 and 2 injuries are managed without surgery almost always, and most grade 3 injuries are too. Higher grades are discussed with an orthopaedic surgeon. The physiotherapist will tell you what grade the assessment suggests and what that means.

Lower grades often return within four to six weeks; grade 3 injuries can take up to twelve. Contact sport returns last. Timelines are set by strength testing and pain-free range, not by the calendar.

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Vertex Physiotherapy is at 6958 76 Ave NW #205, Edmonton, AB T6B 2R2. Call (825) 525-2852 or book online.

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Written by Vertex Physiotherapy · Reviewed by Bipin Pokhrel, Provisional Physiotherapist · Last updated September 2026