Treatment of grade III acromioclavicular separations in professional throwing athletes: results of a survey.
Forty-two team orthopedists representing all 28 major league baseball teams were surveyed to ascertain their definitive treatment for a hypothetical starting rotation pitcher who had sustained a grade III acromioclavicular (AC) separation to his throwing arm 1 week before the season. Twenty-nine (69%) of the physicians would treat the injury nonoperatively, while 13 (31%) would operate immediately. Twenty-five (60%) of the orthopedists had actually treated a pitcher or position baseball player with a grade III AC separation in the throwing arm, the 25 treating a total of 32 patients. Twenty (63%) of these injuries were treated nonoperatively, and 12 (37%) were treated operatively. The physicians reported that 16 (80%) of the patients treated nonoperatively regained normal function and achieved complete relief of pain, while 18 (90%) had normal range of motion after treatment; of those treated operatively, 11 (92%) regained normal function, achieved complete relief of pain, and had normal range of motion after surgery.
McFarland
E G
EG
Department of Sports Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Blivin
S J
SJ
Doehring
C B
CB
Curl
L A
LA
Silberstein
C
C
D000173:Acromioclavicular Joint / Q000293:injuries*; D001484:Baseball / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D009985:Orthopedics / Q000379:methods; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires