Expert: Dr. Victor Dolan, DC, DACBSP - 8/30/2011

Question
Hi, about two years ago you talked with Victor about his dislocated collar bone and the bulb end sticks out. I have had this before on my left side and with help it is back in place. But now I have the problem on the right side and my chiropractor cannot get it back into place. I was lifting something with my elbows bent and arms up above my chest. The next day I noticed the problem. It is painful sometimes. The muscle feels like it is tight from the front, over my shoulder, at the scapula and ends at the spine across from the the scapula. I got an x-ray from my doctor and she said I have arthritis that is why it is like that. Nothing was broken. How can arthritis cause my clavicle bulb to stick out and the entire muscle front to back is tight and sore. It doesn't make sense to me. My bones do not hurt. There could be arthritis but that is not what caused this problem. Do you know what I can ask my chiropractor to do to get it back in. It is making my right arm go to sleep or hurt. It mostly hurts around the scapula and near the spine. Thank you, Meg

Answer
clavicle, collar bone, AC joint, SC joint, Staten Island Chiropractor dr. victor dolan, acromio-clavicular joint, sterno-clavicular joint, scapula, staten island kinesiotape, kinesiotape,  





Hello Meg,


I am sorry to hear of your problem.

Please do not hesitate to RE-connect with me here at all experts if I am reading your question incorrectly, or if you need further information.

Is your 'collar bone' (clavicle) more prominent recently (i.e.: ---'today' more prominent than 'yesterday' )  than it was in the past?

Did you just wake up and this was hurting you?

Did you injure your chest to cause this dysfunction/ misalignment?  

Did you feel a >snap<, crackle / pop / pull ?

Have you seen a medical SPECIALIST- such as an Orthopedic, sports injury specialist, or physiatrist?   What activities aggravate the condition?  What activities seem to help?
Do you place hot or cold over the inflamed areas?

From your description, I am thinking that we are talking about the SC = SternoClavicular joint.
This joint is where the 'collar bone' (clavicle) meets the 'breast bone' (sternum).   This area can be examined by your local Chiropractic Doctor, and perhaps treated.

Your Doctor should be able to manipulate it back into position, then support it with Kinesio Tape.  But perhaps it is not subluxated, not 'out of position'.


Many Doctors of Chiropractic do perform extremity manipulations, extremity adjustments; especially when connected to a spinal complaint.  There are many different specialties among chiropractic doctors (just as there are different specialties amongst medical doctors).  I would recommend a doctor with sports injury credentials, or orthopedics or rehabilitation.  For the different types of Chiropractic specialties see:  http://www.acatoday.org/pdf/ApprovedChiropracticSpecialtyPrograms.pdf

Perhaps your problem is simply 'overuse'.  Did you do a real LOT OF WORK, or a lot of repetitive motion?  Perhaps you just irritated, and 'inflamed' the area.  Perhaps it is all soft tissue sprain/ strain/ 'bruise' from doing to much.  Perhaps time, ice, and a little therapy will heal you.

Perhaps your problem could be arthritis that is flaring up.  How old are you?, do you have any other joint problems (ie: Rheumatoid Arthritis, gout) ?, have you injured this part before (leading to osteoarthritis)?

If your problem is 'overuse' or 'arthritis', perhaps time, rest, ice, a little therapy (muscle stim, Laser, ultrasound) could remiss the problem.

Once one joint hurts, other joints compensate, perhaps that is why your entire right upper extremity is bothering you.  Your Doctor should be able to treat your neck, thoracic spine, scapula, clavicle with therapy and adjustment as needed, to decrease your pain/ tightness, even your right arm 'tingling' (going to sleep).


For more information, I would recommend the following websites:

http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/608/main.html

The ligaments and capsule of the SCJ contribute enough stability to make this one of the least dislocated joints in the body. Sternoclavicular dislocations are uncommon, accounting for only 3% of a series of 1603 shoulder girdle injuries.  http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/828642-overview  

http://orthopedics.about.com/od/shoulderelbow/a/scjoint.htm  


Sternoclavicular subluxation:  http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3912/is_200608/ai_n17183173/

http://www.rehabedge.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=000465;p=0

http://www.chiroweb.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=15417


In anatomy we learned an old saying:  "Anatomy IS Anomaly", meaning that we all have anomaly within our individual anatomy.  For example- I have a spina bifida at L5.  My spina bifida is occulta, so it is relatively insignificant; I never knew I had this condition until I had Xrays in Chiropractic School.

I recommend visiting a Doctor of Chiropractic with sports injury, orthopedic, or rehabilitation credentials.  A proper evaluation will reveal if this is indeed treatable or not, manipulatable or surgical.  The doctor could/ should manipulate the joint--  if  needed, then support with kinesiotaping, and perhaps some adjunctive physiotherapy.



I hope this all helps.

If you need further information, do not hesitate to RE-contact me here at
AllExperts.com
http://allexperts.com/ep/965-100794/Chiropractors/Victor-Dolan-DC-DACBSP.htm



Thank you for your question,
I wish you luck in attaining and maintaining good health naturally,
your Staten Island Chiropractor expert,


Dr. Victor Dolan, DC, DACBSP






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