Acute Fractures in Sport: Shoulder

The treatment of shoulder girdle injuries in the athlete is complex, with each patient requiring a bespoke management regime specific to their sporting endeavour. This chapter covers a number of different injuries that are all relevant to the sports surgeon. To allow the extreme range of movement exhibited in the shoulder girdle, five articulations must function in a synchronous manner: the sternoclavicular joint, the acromioclavicular joint, the glenohumeral joint, the scapulothoracic joint and the subacromial region. Treatment of an injury to a specific area of the shoulder must therefore be accompanied by therapy to ensure normal function of the entire shoulder girdle. Below we outline our treatments for common injuries to this region, to offer the reader a base of understanding, regarding the pathologies and treatments of sporting injuries of the shoulder.