Surgical Management of the Horizontal Instability of the Acromioclavicular Joint of a Young Athlete: A Case Report

TL;DR

This case report describes a rare surgical treatment for horizontal instability of the acromioclavicular joint in a young athlete using a hamstring allograft.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel surgical technique for treating isolated horizontal acromioclavicular joint instability in a young athlete.

Findings

Isolated horizontal instability of the acromioclavicular joint is a rare condition.

A hamstring allograft was successfully used to stabilize the joint in the horizontal plane.

This surgical approach has not been previously reported for young athletes.

Abstract

The acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) is commonly injured due to a force to the lateral aspect of the shoulder with the arm in adduction resulting in vertical or multidirectional instability. However, in this case report, we present a rare case of an athlete with isolated horizontal ACJ instability, which was treated surgically using a hamstring allograft. We highlight the surgical technique use to stabilize the joint in the horizontal (anterior to posterior) plane. Isolated horizontal instability of the ACJ is very rare and, to our knowledge, this surgical technique has not been reported in the case of a young athlete.

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