TY - JOUR
T1 - Spontaneous atraumatic anterior subluxation of the sternoclavicular joint
AU - Rockwood, C. A.
AU - Odor, J. M.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1989
Y1 - 1989
N2 - We reviewed the cases of thirty-seven young patients, ten to thirty-six years old, who had had spontaneous atraumatic anterior subluxation of the sternoclavicular joint. Sudden atraumatic subluxation is quite alarming to the patient and the physician. Twenty-nine of the thirty-seven patients were treated non-operatively by observation and rehabilitative measures. Eight patients had been treated elsewhere with attempted operative reconstruction of the sternoclavicular joint or with resection arthroplasty. After an average follow-up of eight years, the twenty-nine patients who were treated non-operative (group I) had excellent results, with no limitations of activity or changes in lifestyle. The eight patients who were treated operatively (group II) had numerous problems, including noticeable scars, persistent instability, pain, or limitation of activity that resulted in an alteration in lifestyle. Three of the eight patients had had a resection of the medial portion of the clavicle. Two of them had a second resection and the third patient had a third resection. A thoracic-outlet syndrome developed in this patient and the clavicle had to be totally resected to obtain relief. Since spontaneous atraumatic anterior subluxation of the sternoclavicular joint has a benign natural course, it should not be treated with operative stabilization of the joint. Instead, a conservative approach that includes education and reassurance of the patient will result in an unaltered lifestyle with no limitation of activity and little or no discomfort.
AB - We reviewed the cases of thirty-seven young patients, ten to thirty-six years old, who had had spontaneous atraumatic anterior subluxation of the sternoclavicular joint. Sudden atraumatic subluxation is quite alarming to the patient and the physician. Twenty-nine of the thirty-seven patients were treated non-operatively by observation and rehabilitative measures. Eight patients had been treated elsewhere with attempted operative reconstruction of the sternoclavicular joint or with resection arthroplasty. After an average follow-up of eight years, the twenty-nine patients who were treated non-operative (group I) had excellent results, with no limitations of activity or changes in lifestyle. The eight patients who were treated operatively (group II) had numerous problems, including noticeable scars, persistent instability, pain, or limitation of activity that resulted in an alteration in lifestyle. Three of the eight patients had had a resection of the medial portion of the clavicle. Two of them had a second resection and the third patient had a third resection. A thoracic-outlet syndrome developed in this patient and the clavicle had to be totally resected to obtain relief. Since spontaneous atraumatic anterior subluxation of the sternoclavicular joint has a benign natural course, it should not be treated with operative stabilization of the joint. Instead, a conservative approach that includes education and reassurance of the patient will result in an unaltered lifestyle with no limitation of activity and little or no discomfort.
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U2 - 10.2106/00004623-198971090-00002
DO - 10.2106/00004623-198971090-00002
M3 - Article
C2 - 2793879
AN - SCOPUS:0024398581
VL - 71
SP - 1280
EP - 1288
JO - Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - American Volume
JF - Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - American Volume
SN - 0021-9355
IS - 9
ER -