2012 OTA Annual Meeting: Operative Versus Nonoperative Treatment of Acute Dislocations of the Acromioclavicular Joint: Results of a Multicenter Randomized, Prospective Clinical Trial

83 patients with acute, complete dislocations of the acromioclavicular (AC) joint were randomized to receive operative treatment or non-operative treatment. Although joint reduction was restored with operative treatment, the non-operative treatment group achieved significantly better early outcome scores, but this difference was lost at the final follow-up. By the end of the 2 year study, it was determined that operative treatment does not significantly improve short-term outcomes for patients with complete acromioclavicular joint dislocations.