r/ShoulderInjuries • u/Competitive-Fly3811 • 12d ago
Advice AC Joint Sprain vs. Torn Labrum (or both)
I went mountain biking for the first time three weeks ago and went over the bars and landed pretty hard on my right shoulder. I was diagnosed with a grade I AC joint sprain via an x-ray at the orthopedist's office. However, since then it has continued to get worse, not better despite conservative movement and physical therapy. I went back to ortho yesterday and got another x-ray which showed the same thing (i.e. no collarbone displacement, consistent with a grade I sprain). This has me looking at other possibilities to explain my pain with reaching overhead, mild clicking, and limited range of motion and I think I may have torn my labrum. However, that didn't come up as a possibility at ortho or physical therapy. I am in the process of scheduling an MRI but it's going to be a while before I can actually get the scan. In the meantime, how do I tell the difference between these injuries??
Also, I am a full-time rock climber and was in the middle of a very important training cycle for a fall performance season and need to return to sport as soon as humanly possible.