Dawaa Reference

chronic

Acromioclavicular joint dislocation

Treatment options, dosing, cautions and Egyptian brands from the shipped Dawaa Reference card.

Evidence status

Checked against the sources named below

Sources3 sources

Acromioclavicular Joint Injury - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493188/ · ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class LD48.01 - condition scope only, no dose · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

Verified against2 documents
  • No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
  • Acromioclavicular joint dislocation - disease-level clinical article (ac-joint-dislocation-full.txt)

Verified date2026-08

Presentation reference

Is it this?

Reference only, to read alongside your own examination.

Symptoms — what the patient reports (2)

  • Pain over the top of the shoulder follows a fall onto an outstretched arm or a direct blow to the shoulder
  • Pain may radiate toward the neck and worsens with movement or lying on the injured side

Signs — what you find (4)

  • Visible swelling, bruising, or deformity may be seen over the AC joint, with tenderness on palpation [bruising · visible deformity]
  • Active and passive shoulder motion may be limited by pain
  • The piano key sign - the clavicle lifts and springs back down when pressed
  • The rest of the clavicle and the sternoclavicular joint should be checked for associated injury, plus a neurovascular exam of the arm

Tests (5)

  • Plain x-rays are usually enough to diagnose the injury and rule out other causes of shoulder pain
  • A Zanca view, an AP film angled 10 to 15 degrees toward the head, can show injuries standard views miss
  • Comparing both shoulders on x-ray, or adding weighted stress views, helps clarify an uncertain diagnosis
  • Ultrasound or MRI can be used if the diagnosis remains unclear
  • Measuring the coracoclavicular interspace distance against the other shoulder guides treatment decisions

If not this — what else fits (5)

  • Distal clavicle osteolysis, AC joint arthritis, or an acromion fracture can mimic this injury
  • Frozen shoulder, anterior subluxation of the humerus, or complex regional pain syndrome are alternatives
  • An Erb-Duchenne brachial plexus injury, a labral tear, or an unfused os acromiale should also be considered
  • A rotator cuff injury or a superior labral tear can present similarly
  • Septic arthritis of the joint or a true shoulder dislocation are important not to miss

SourceStatPearls "Acromioclavicular Joint Injury" - disease-level clinical article

Presentation findings are traced to the source above.

1

NO DRUG THERAPY IN PRIMARY CARE (REFERRAL & ADVICE)

1st line
Adult dose and duration

AC joint injury from a fall onto the shoulder or a direct blow; low-grade injuries are managed with a sling and analgesia, higher-grade separations need orthopedic referral. - Refer, with advice

Paediatric dose

Children follow the same pathway: recognise and refer. No primary-care medicine is implied.

Dose source

No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

Why

AC joint injury from a fall onto the shoulder or a direct blow; low-grade injuries are managed with a sling and analgesia, higher-grade separations need orthopedic referral.

Cautions
  • Marked deformity or skin tenting over the joint, neurovascular injury, high-grade separation.
  • No medicine is prescribed for this in primary care - this entry is for recognition and referral. Anything given is decided by the service it is referred to.
  • RED FLAG - Evaluate for associated clavicle fracture, sternoclavicular injury, or neurovascular insult on the affected extremity.

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.