Your shoulder joint is composed of muscles, bones, and tendons. An injury to any section (or sections) of your shoulder can cause painful shoulder symptoms.

Shoulder separations are often confused with shoulder dislocations. However, there are significant differences between these two injuries - including how orthopaedic physicians treat them.

When an athlete dislocates their shoulder, the risk of a secondary dislocation is fairly predictable. Depending on their age and the type of sport they participate in, a second shoulder separation could be life-threatening.

Have a rotator cuff tear, shoulder impingement, or shoulder dislocation? Consulting a sports medicine specialist for the most common shoulder injuries is key.

I hear people refer to shoulder separations and shoulder dislocations as the same thing quite often. Let’s clear up the confusion.

When we talk about the AC Joint Separation, we are referring to a “shoulder separation”. Most often, we see this injury in football and other contact sports.