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. 2009 Dec 16:10:157.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2474-10-157.

The relationship between chronic type III acromioclavicular joint dislocation and cervical spine pain

Stefano Gumina  1 , Stefano Carbone, Valerio Arceri, Alessandro Rita, Anna R Vestri, Franco Postacchini
Affiliations

The relationship between chronic type III acromioclavicular joint dislocation and cervical spine pain

Stefano Gumina et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. .

Abstract

Background: This study was aimed at evaluating whether or not patients with chronic type III acromioclavicular dislocation develop cervical spine pain and degenerative changes more frequently than normal subjects.

Methods: The cervical spine of 34 patients with chronic type III AC dislocation was radiographically evaluated. Osteophytosis presence was registered and the narrowing of the intervertebral disc and cervical lordosis were evaluated. Subjective cervical symptoms were investigated using the Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPQ). One-hundred healthy volunteers were recruited as a control group.

Results: The rate and distribution of osteophytosis and narrowed intervertebral disc were similar in both of the groups. Patients with chronic AC dislocation had a lower value of cervical lordosis. NPQ score was 17.3% in patients with AC separation (100% = the worst result) and 2.2% in the control group (p < 0.05). An inverse significant nonparametric correlation was found between the NPQ value and the lordosis degree in the AC dislocation group (p = 0.001) wheras results were not correlated (p = 0.27) in the control group.

Conclusions: Our study shows that chronic type III AC dislocation does not interfere with osteophytes formation or intervertebral disc narrowing, but that it may predispose cervical hypolordosis. The higher average NPQ values were observed in patients with chronic AC dislocation, especially in those that developed cervical hypolordosis.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The Northwick Neck Pain Questionnaire [18].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Graphic representation of the prevalence of cervical spine osteophytes at each intervertebral level (p value from 0.08 to 0.93).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Graphic representation of the prevalence of narrowing (< 4 mm) of the cervical intervertebral disc (p value from 0.63 to 0.98).
Figure 4
Figure 4
NPQ results distribution obtained by the patients with chronic AC dislocation.
Figure 5
Figure 5
NPQ results distribution obtained by the control group. Note that the current scale is different with respect to the Fig. 4.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Lordosis degree distribution obtained by the patients with chronic AC dislocation.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Lordosis degree distribution obtained by the control group. Note that the current scale is different with respect to the Fig. 6.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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