Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Orthop. Jun 18, 2026; 17(6): 117244
Published online Jun 18, 2026. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v17.i6.117244
Published online Jun 18, 2026. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v17.i6.117244
Subsidence following surgical stabilization of acromioclavicular joint injuries: Should we be concerned?
Amr Elshahhat, Mahmoud Almekoud, Ahmed Zaghloul, Amr El-Sherbini, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mansoura University, Mansoura 33516, Dakahlia, Egypt
Author contributions: Elshahhat A designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript; Elshahhat A, Almekoud M contributed to the writing and editing the manuscript; Zaghloul A, El-Sherbini A contributed to the illustrations and review of literature; all authors were responsible for critical revision, and final approval of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: During manuscript preparation, AI-assisted techniques were only utilized for editorial support and minor language refining. No AI tool was utilized to independently create scientific material, analyze data, evaluate findings, plan the study, or make inferences. The authors were solely responsible for all concepts, literature synthesis, clinical interpretation, and final article edits. This manuscript did not contain any AI-generated figures or pictures.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Amr Elshahhat, MD, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mansoura University, Algomhoria Street, Mansoura 33516, Dakahlia, Egypt. amrelshahat@mans.edu.eg
Received: December 2, 2025
Revised: December 27, 2025
Accepted: February 28, 2026
Published online: June 18, 2026
Processing time: 197 Days and 10 Hours
Revised: December 27, 2025
Accepted: February 28, 2026
Published online: June 18, 2026
Processing time: 197 Days and 10 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Loss of reduction after surgical management of acromioclavicular joint injuries remains common across all fixation methods, yet its clinical relevance varies widely and is often poorly correlated with radiographic findings. This narrative minireview synthesizes current evidence to clarify how loss of reduction should be defined, why it occurs, which surgical and technical factors place patients at higher risk, and when revision reconstruction is truly justified. The minireview emphasizes that radiographs alone should not dictate management; instead, postoperative decision-making must integrate vertical and horizontal stability, tunnel accuracy, construct integrity, and the patient’s clinical symptoms and functional demands.