questions (shoulder problem)

[flynn]

Ok so i used to play baseball alot, and because of it now seem to have completely destroyed my shoulder. It seems that the smallest fall just renders my shoulder useless for weeks at a time.

For instance i caught an edge and ragdolled a bit the other day and wrenched my arm behind my back (polestraps will be the death of me). Now i can't lift my arm above a 45 degree angle,the angle from my arm to my side i mean, without extreme pain. Should i be attempting to stretch an injury like this or should i just leave it be and let it cure itself? Ive gone to doctors and they always tell me that structuraly it looks fine and noone can give me a good explanation.

Anyone else have this happen? reccomendations?

[peterslovo]

I am by no means an expert, but this sounds like a subluxation or rotator cuff problem to me. If subluxation, it is caused by a past injury (like a shoulder separation) that does not fully tighten up, which means the ligaments and tendons holding your shoulder in place are loose, allowing your shoulder to pop out, but slide back in, with certain motions and activities. And it hurts like a bitch when you do it, but the acute pain eases pretty quickly, but leaves your shoulder very sore for awhile afterwards. Generalized pain would occur when lifting your arm to your side, and if you put your bent arm in front of you (like you are going to elbow someone) and push back on it towards you with your other arm. Have you popped it out at all?

Could also be rotator cuff problems too.

Paging Vinman?

[Vinman]

Tough to tell fro the description given.

possibilites include
sublux or sprain
rotator cuff strain or tear
labrum tear

My suggestion would be to go beyond an appointment with your GP doc and ask for an ortho referral.

In the mean time do not stretch it. Just ice and if it feels better to hold your arm in against your side you should be in a sling. Being in a sling will alow the muscles to relax and reduce some of your pain.

[flynn]

I have had a few problems with that shoulder in the past, and have takled to an ortho surgeon on the subject (albeit about 2 years ago now). Did have a dislocation on it 3 years ago. Holding it to my side definately feels beter for the first couple of days but they after the first couple of days the pain seems to completely go away. It just seemed strange to me that it was that intense directly after even just a slight strain on it. Not being able to move my arm far enough to shift into 5th gear was really pissing me off on the way home a few nights ago.

With the baseball thing, i was one of those freakish ambidextrous kids that could throw aswell with both hands, and did tear my rotator cuff on my left shoulder and went through that whole ordeal, and this doesn't really feel the same to me so i had kind of ruled that out. Unless there was more than one type of tear with that or something funky.

Ill take your recomendation and get an appointment with an ortho


thank you

[spanky]

When I tore my rotator cuff and labrum, initially, I couldn't raise my arm more than a few degrees without pain. After some time, the severe pain went away and I was able to move it again. But, any minor trauma to the shoulder caused significant pain again.

If your ortho is like mine, they'll initially just do an x-ray and say nothing is wrong. But after a few weeks of not getting better, then they'll be more inclined to do an MRI. Chances are any rotator cuff or labrum injury won't show on the x-ray, so push to get the MRI as soon as possible.