AC separations and grappling
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Have you ever hurt your shoulder following an overhead throw or takedown? In grappling martial arts your opponent may succeed in taking you to the ground, but what happens when you land improperly on your shoulder?
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The shoulder complex is made up of several joints:
1️⃣glenohumeral joint
2️⃣sternoclavicular joint
3️⃣acromioclavicular joint
4️⃣scapulothoracic “joint”
All four are involved in overhead arm motion. The joint likely affected by an overhead fall will be the acromioclavicular joint.
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The acromioclavicular joint is a gliding joint meaning it is predominately flat. This means ligaments are the primary constraints protecting against separation. The ligaments involved in preventing excessive inferior-medial translation are the superior and inferior acromioclavicular capsular ligaments. The coracoclavicular ligament may help, but it is a secondary constraint to this movement and typically only involved in severe falls.
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So what does this all mean to grapplers? When you are thrown or swept and land on the tip of shoulder you put a massive amount of force on a thin band of connective tissue. This band will likely not be able to effectively absorb the impact. When performing a proper break fall the goal is to impact the back of the shoulder / scapula and ‘roll’ with the movement so the top of the shoulder is not absorbing the full impact.
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Minor injuries to the AC joint can be asymptomatic or will heal quickly, however a sign of this injury is a large bump on the top of the shoulder as the joint heals slightly out of position. .
This video is a clip from a grappling match @polaris_professional Gilbert Burns vs Gregor Gracie. Gracie fell improperly and was not able to continue due to AC sprain injury.