A separated shoulder is an injury to the shoulder ligaments surrounding the acromioclavicular (AC) joint. These ligaments help stabilize the AC joint. In an injury, the ligaments may be stretched and in severe cases, may be completely torn. Generally, a
separated shoulder or AC joint won’t require surgery unless severe and can be treated with resting the shoulder, utilizing cold therapy to help bring down the inflammation and swelling and wearing a shoulder brace to stabilize the shoulder and prevent it from overextending which may cause more pain.