A fall on the shoulder or outstretched hand can disrupt the ligaments and capsule holding the acromioclavicular (AC) joint together. The result can be a dislocation of the AC joint. This joint is located where the end of the clavicle (collar bone) meets the acromion. The acromion is a curved bone that comes from the shoulder blade across the top of the shoulder.

Military records suggest that the conservative approach is not as successful for soldiers as for the regular population. The physical demands on the shoulder are just too great to prevent future dislocations. Since your training and daily activities can't be modified, nonoperative treatment is not as effective as surgical repair early on.

A stable joint usually refers to one that does not sublux (partially dislocate) or dislocate fully. The circumstances under which that definition holds true may vary from one expert to another. A truly stable joint stays in the socket for all activities.

The military is a good place to study injuries in young athletes. The need to return soldiers to their line of duty sometimes means they are treated more aggressively than is common in the civilian population. In this study, a group of 48 soldiers were treated surgically for a first-time anterior (forward) shoulder dislocation. The long-term results of this approach are investigated.

A fall onto the tip of the shoulder can disrupt the ligaments and capsule holding the acromioclavicular (AC) joint together. The result can be a dislocation of the AC joint. Sometimes this injury is referred to as a shoulder separation. The AC joint is located where the end of the clavicle (collar bone) meets the acromion. The acromion is a curved bone that comes from the shoulder blade across the top of the shoulder.

The type of shock therapy you are referring to is really sound waves (not electrical shock treatments) directed at the calcium deposits. The treatment is called shock wave therapy or extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ECSW).

Yes, most definitely. Calcium deposits in the tendons of the shoulder are referred to as calcific tendinitis. This is a disorder characterized by deposits of hydroxyapatite (a crystalline calcium phosphate).

These deposits can develop in any tendon of the body. The tendons of the rotator cuff surrounding the shoulder are affected most often. The calcific deposits can be seen on X-ray as lumps or cloudy areas. That's how the diagnosis is confirmed.

If you went from surgeon-to-surgeon, state-to-state, and region-to-region in the United States you would not find one single rehab program used by all for patients who have had surgery for a rotator cuff tear.

And that's true even though everyone agrees that patients must closely follow the postoperative Dos and Don'ts they are given. One of those Dos is to complete their rehab program from start to finish.

What you are probably seeing is a device called continuous passive motion (CPM) machine. CPM is a way to keep the arm moving with gentle range-of-motion. The arm is placed in the device that is set to whatever motion is desired. It is motorized and repetitively moves the arm through the preset arc of motion. The idea is to keep adhesions (scar tissue) from forming.

Good question. The dead arm syndrome was a term first used by a well-known orthopedic surgeon in the early 2000s to describe the disabled throwing arm in athletes. It's a complex series of events affecting the muscles of the shoulder and arm. The term syndrome is often used because there is a cluster or group of symptoms associated with the problem.