Should athletes with Grade III AC separations go under the knife or trust structured rehab. Tim Tyler and Dr Steven Lee break down the research and turn it into practical decisions for the clinic and training room.

🚨 Surgery or Rehab for Grade-III Shoulder Separations? Here’s the 20-Year Data 🚨

In this episode of The Sports Medicine Research Rundown, host Tim Tyler, PT, ATC, grills orthopedic surgeon Steven Lee, MD, on:

• ​ the newest outcome studies comparing surgery vs. conservative care
• ​ why weighted X-rays are falling out of favor
• ​ real-world complication rates of today’s “anatomic” reconstructions
• ​ Dr Lee’s low-tech, low-cost suture-button technique (zero hardware removals)
• ​ evidence-based return-to-play timelines for collision athletes

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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro & guest bio

2:30 Rockwood refresher + imaging pearls

7:45 Is the weighted film dead?

15:00 20-year outcome data on Grade-III injuries

24:30 Step-by-step of Dr Lee’s CC fixation

32:00 Complication deep dive

40:15 Rehab milestones & RTP criteria

48:00 Live Q&A

55:00 Key takeaways

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🎯 TOP TAKEAWAYS

• ​ Acute vs. delayed surgery = SAME long-term function
• ​ Anatomic reconstructions carry ~30 % complication risk
• ​ Stress views add noise, not clarity
• ​ Expect 24-26 weeks to full-contact clearance
• ​ Shared decision-making is essential for in-season athletes

📚 FURTHER READING

– Moatshe et al., Clin Orthop Relat Res 2024

– Cleary et al., Am J Sports Med 2024

– Shaw et al., J SES 2018

– Kovács et al., Arthroscopy 2025

– Gawel et al., Sports Health 2021

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#SportsMedicine #ACJoint #ShoulderInjury #PhysicalTherapy #OrthopedicSurgery