Treatment of Rockwood Type III Acromioclavicular Joint Dislocation

Abstract

While non-operative treatment with structured rehabilitation tends to be the strategy of choice in the management of Rockwood type III acromioclavicular joint injury, some advocate surgical treatment to prevent persistent pain, disability, and prominence of the distal clavicle. There is no clear consensus regarding when the surgical treatment should be indicated, and successful clinical outcomes have been reported for non-operative treatment in more than 80% of type III acromioclavicular joint injuries. Furthermore, there is no gold standard procedure for operative treatment of type III acromioclavicular joint injury, and more than 60 different procedures have been used for this purpose in clinical practice. Among these surgical techniques, recently introduced arthroscopic-assisted procedures involving a coracoclavicular suspension device are minimally invasive and have been shown to achieve successful coracoclavicular reconstruction in 80% of patients with failed conservative treatment. Taken together, currently available data indicate that successful treatment can be expected with initial conservative treatment in more than 96% of type III acromioclavicular injuries, whereas minimally invasive surgical treatments can be considered for unstable type IIIB injuries, especially in young and active patients. Further studies are needed to clarify the optimal treatment approach in patients with higher functional needs, especially in high-level athletes.