An AC joint injury is often the result of trauma to the shoulder.
Whether it's a fall onto the tip of the shoulder or a heavy bump, enough trauma can separate even the most robust AC joint.
But what if there was more to this equation than just "too much" trauma?
What if the state of the AC joint and its surrounding structures BEFORE being exposed to any trauma had an effect on the severity of the consequences experienced AFTER the trauma? This makes sense intuitively.
The better something is before an accident, the more likely it is to bend rather than break. If something is already somewhat dysfunctional beforehand, it may have less chance of buffering that trauma and coming out unscathed.
And clinically, I'm finding there might be more we can do to reduce the severity of AC joint injury than we currently realize.
We just need a look beyond the AC joint in isolation and consider what other structures might decrease our ability to buffer shoulder trauma, leaving the AC joint less able to cope with an accident.
In this video, I discuss how relatively covert upper back and ribcage restriction might rob us of our ability to absorb accidental trauma to the AC joint. I also go through a really simple exercise you can do to eliminate that hidden upper back dysfunction.
Test this out for yourself and let me know what you find!
- Grant
Related: Why Shoulder Pain is Often a Consequence of Something Else
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Helpful equipment:
- Lacrosse Ball: To mobilize those stiff upper back joints.
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