The AC (acromioclavicular) joint pain is located at the top of your shoulder, where the collarbone and shoulder blade meet.
Many patients aren’t aware of this joint pain and the possible treatments. For instance, light therapy, resting your shoulder joints, undergoing physical therapy, applying ice packs on your shoulder, etc.
So, in this blog, our experts have come across some of the most effective treatment methods that can help you get the possible treatments for AC joint osteoarthritis.
Table of Contents
The Symptoms of AC Joint Osteoarthritis
With most osteoarthritis, pain is one of the key symptoms. A patient with any shoulder arthritis. You are likely to feel pain, especially when moving your shoulder. The pain can even elevate during sleep.
Another significant symptom of this joint pain is that it can limit your motion, and you can observe this limitation, especially when you try to move your arm. That’s not all; you can also hear some creaking and clicking noise when you move your shoulder.
Below are some of the further symptoms of AC joint osteoarthritis:
- Radiating pain
- Swelling
- Joint pain and tenderness
- Pain with different motions
- Crepitus
So, if you face any such issues regarding these AC joint osteoarthritis, we’ll always recommend you consult with your doctor as soon as possible.
What are the Reasons for AC Joint Osteoarthritis?
Most AC joint osteoarthritis occurs due to normal wear and tear in your joints, resulting in your joint surfaces wearing away with time.
You may face these pain issues, especially when you do excessive weight lifting or during intense sports. Moreover, age-related issues can also be one of the significant reasons for this joint pain.
Sometimes bone spurs are formed along your shoulder joint edges, which significantly press against the tissues and muscles, contributing to immobility and severe pain.
Possible Treatments of AC Joint Osteoarthritis
There are many effective treatments for AC joint osteoarthritis. However, many patients aren’t aware of the possible treatments that they can receive for this joint pain.
The treatment starts with MRIs and X-rays to evaluate your shoulder’s condition and assess your joint damage. Once the physician gets a clear idea about your condition, they’ll start with the treatment.
It usually begins with options like NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and warm packs and compressions to stabilize and improve your joint movement.
Corticosteroid injections and activity modifications may also be provided to improve your joint movement. Moreover, in some studies, it has been found that gentle stretching can also help to ease joint pain.
However, among all treatments, many therapists believe light therapy can be one of the best treatments for AC joint osteoarthritis. These therapy devices have LED lights installed with a range of different wavelengths to ensure that they reach down to joints and give you relief from your pain.
These wavelength variations ensure that it reaches down your mitochondria and energizes your cells. This will gradually reduce your joint pain and give you relief. Light therapy will help you deal with your condition much more gracefully.
To make sure that you are getting the right kind of light therapy that will help you with your joint condition, make sure that the device you are using can emit light that is at least 10,000 lux units strong. If your light therapy device cannot produce this strength of light, it will not be that effective at all when it comes to treating your joint issues.
To get the most out of these therapies, you need to make sure that you are consistent. We still recommend you consult with your physician before taking any of these therapy methods.
Further Treatments for AC Joint Osteoarthritis
The first treatment for osteoarthritis, especially shoulder osteoarthritis, is non-surgical. These include:
1. Shoulder Joint Rest
This may need the person with arthritis to alter their arm movements while conducting daily tasks. For example, instead of wearing over-the-head apparel, the person can zip up the front. Or they may prop up hair dryers instead of holding them for long.
2. Physical Therapy (According to Doctor’s Prescription)
Exercising range of motion. These exercises aim to develop flexibility.
Moist heat. Icing the shoulder with 20 minutes of ice twice daily helps reduce inflammation and pain.
3. Taking Prescribed Medications
Injections of corticosteroids are one example. Taking glucosamine and chondroitin supplements. These vitamins provide help for many. However, remember to use these supplements only after your doctor’s prescription.
4. Shoulder Arthroplasty
To treat glenohumeral arthritis, the entire shoulder is replaced with an artificial joint.
Humeral head replacement (hemiarthroplasty). This approach is also utilized to treat glenohumeral arthritis.
5. Certain Exercises
There are certain exercises that can help you deal with your shoulder joint issues much better. One example of these exercises is some range-of-motion types exercises. By default, these exercises have been designed to improve the flexibility of the person suffering from joint issues.
6. Supplements
A lot of people who suffer from this condition had reported experiencing really good results when they made use of certain supplements. However, when it comes to the topic of supplements, make sure that you do not flat out believe all that they claim to be.
A healthy dose of pessimism is absolutely needed. To make sure that you are not just wasting your money on expensive supplements, make sure that you consult your doctor before starting to take any form of supplements.
7. Surgeries
If you find that none of the above-mentioned methods help you, you may have to consider getting surgery on your shoulder. As with any form of surgery, there are certain risks involved when you are going under the knife. So, make sure that you are aware of these risks and only have it be performed by experienced surgeons.
Bottom Line
The AC joint osteoarthritis can surely be painful if not treated correctly. So, to help the patients with this issue, light therapy, ice packs, and even physical exercises can contribute to alleviating your joint pain. However, we still recommend you consult with a professional before undergoing these therapy methods.
Read More: https://platinumtherapylights.com/blogs/news/sacroiliac-joint-pain
