Today, we’re focusing on acromioclavicular or “AC” separations in the NFL, also known as “AC sprains."

Derek Carr, quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, sustained an AC sprain in the loss to the Green Bay Packers. As always, our plan today is to start with an overview of the relevant anatomy, discuss the mechanism of injury followed by treatment options for these players, and then wrap up with what you all want to know – when do players typically return to play after this injury and how do they do once they return?

 Links to discussed papers:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24057030/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22869625/