What type of surgery can be done for A/C joint arthritis?
Surgery for A/C joint arthritis is designed to take away the source of the shoulder pain, which is caused by the roughened ends of the clavicle and the acromion rubbing on each other. This source of pain can be eliminated by surgically removing the tip of the clavicle. The A/C joint functions very well even if the ends of the bone do not come in direct contact with each other. This type of surgery, which is called a distal clavicle resection, can be done either through a small incision over the tip of the clavicle or with several small incisions using an arthroscope. There is not a lot of difference between the two types of procedures, and which one your surgeon will use will depend largely upon their personal preferences. The amount of pain after the operation is minimal with both techniques, and the recovery from the operation is also very similar. Most patients will have excellent pain relief after this operation and nearly 95% of patients will be able to return to the same sports a
