Shoulder Problems

[mc_roon]

Ive found a lot of good information using the search function, but am looking for more specifics. I was skiing on Sunday and rolled over some hardpack and when I stopped my shoulder was feeling like death. I couldnt use my right arm at all, couldnt grip anything, move it, ect. By the time I had skiied down to the bottom, i had regained some movement, but only with extreme pain. My initial though was dislocation, but my shoulder wasnt(at least fully) out of the socket. The best guesses so far are that I at least partially dislocated my shoulder, but then managed to pop it back in on my own. But, two full days later, its just as bad.

I have full functionality in my lower arm and my hand, but any movement of my upper arm, especially straight out, kills. I cant hold any weight with my arm, at all. Everyone who i have talked to told me that sooner is much better then later, so i am getting x-rays and am about 90% sure im also getting an MRI. Its been in a sling, and ive been icing, what else should I be doing?

[Ripzalot]

sounds exactly like my shoulder injury from 2 years ago while mountain biking. i went over the handlebars and plowed my shoulder into the dirt. hurt like hell for days and i couldn't lift it over my head. i actually didnt go to a doctor right away, only after about a week when it didnt seem like it was going to heal on its own. i didnt have any xrays or mri, the doc said that i had torn something. he said to ice it and prescribed an anti-inflammatory drug. i went to physical therapy for about 6 weeks, 3 times a week. and the problem went away by about 90%. it took another 6 months on its own to get the last 10%.

so sounds like you are doing all you can, maybe take some iboprufen in the meantime?

good luck!

[Vinman]

if I had to guess from your description it sounds like it could be an injury to the Acromioclavicular (AC) joint. If you fell directly on the shoulder, it is pretty common to either sparin or tera the ligaments that support this joint.

The good news is that these rarely need surgery to fix, if in fact that is what you are dealing with.

Definitly go see your doc/ get the x-ray to make sure the end of the collar bone was not fractured.

You'll likely be in a sling for a week or more depending on how bad the injury is.

[Theodore]

if I had to guess from your description it sounds like it could be an injury to the Acromioclavicular (AC) joint. If you fell directly on the shoulder, it is pretty common to either sparin or tera the ligaments that support this joint.

The good news is that these rarely need surgery to fix, if in fact that is what you are dealing with.

Definitly go see your doc/ get the x-ray to make sure the end of the collar bone was not fractured.

You'll likely be in a sling for a week or more depending on how bad the injury is.

.


I did this last season. Sling for a week, then use as much as pain permits. At PT they gave me a giant rubber band to do some light strength work with. Its an annoying injury, but nothing serious. Here's my thread on it. See if it sounds similar to yours. Hope it helps! http://tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24747

[snowranger]

My advice is to get the MRI done ASAP. This will tell you right away whether medical intervention is necessary before potentially wasting time embarking on a long PT program.

[biggins]

My advice is to get the MRI done ASAP. This will tell you right away whether medical intervention is necessary before potentially wasting time embarking on a long PT program.

Seconded.

[mc_roon]

i am amazed about how accurate the maggot wisdom is at times. AC joint 2/3 grade with a sprained rotator cuff is the tentative diagnosis. X-ray done, waiting for them to be developed. Depending on Xray, i will decide how hard I need to push for mri.

[Theodore]

Xray wont show much besides a displaced collarbone. The only reason I went was to rule out a broken collar bone. The rotator cuff injury would make me consider a MRI though.

Think as a collective TGR could get a honary MD?

[mc_roon]

Xray wont show much besides a displaced collarbone. The only reason I went was to rule out a broken collar bone. The rotator cuff injury would make me consider a MRI though.

Think as a collective TGR could get a honary MD?

i did a series of xrays, some just hanging normal, some with a 20lb weight in my hand to see how it displaces my shoulder.

Considering I gave a very small amount of details, and still got several people giving the correct diagnosis, TGR deserves an honary degree. If you can hurt it skiing, biking, surfing, TGR can diagnosis it and tell you how to fix it, all through personal experience.

[Vinman]

If your doc is fairly confident of the diagnosis, most AC joint injuries do not need an MRI. As for the RC strain, it is pretty easy to tell if someone has torn their RC. If it is a mild strain of the RC that should really need the MRI either. The big question would be the labrum.

I would give this injury a couple weeks to heal. If you are still having pain once the AC injury is heal then you can think about the MRI. There really is no rush to get the MRI is what I'm trying to say. You don't lose anything by waiting a week or two to see how things shake out.

[BOOMTOWN58]

Went through the Rotator Cuff issue all during this last season. 3cm tear that the Doctor said was the result of numerous shoulder injuries over the years. Fell hard on it in early December and had a great deal of pain for about 2 weeks. Went to the Ortho and they wanted to do surgery asap but since I had a seasons pass I put off the surgery until April 15th. Well turns out my HMO would not allow for surgery without going through PT 1st. So starting in the middle of April I did PT for a month and had great results. Range of movement is vastly improved and pain is minimal. Wished I would have started PT much sooner but ...... Now between the separations (2 on left) and the RC Tear (right) I make alot of creeking noises and I have lost about 40 MPH off of my fastball but I can live with that for now. Good Luck with your shoulder.

[mc_roon]

its been 16 months since i hurt my shoulder.

Over the summer I was wakeboarding and my shoulder started to crap out on me again. Since im about to leave the country for 7 months i decided to get it checked out by a specialist.

In about 30 seconds with a shoulder specialist the doc scheduled me for a priority MRI(Which involved a 2.5" needle directly into my shoulder; i felt it hit bone!!)

MRI came back today. Completely torn labrum. the Doc thinks i partially tore it skiing 16months ago and did it the rest of the way this summer.

He says that PT will probably be useless because its been over a year since the inital injury, surgery will probably be required.

Fuck me.

[~mikey b]

sounds like me

I'm 12 weeks post op and doing great.

good luck

[grrrr]

Yeah, don't you just love that contrast injection?

[Big-In-Japan]

I'm 13 weeks post op on a labrum repair, took 3 screws to put me back together. The doc says I won't be back to climbing till 6 months post op, but should be good to snowboard next season. The recovery is long, but the drugs are fun, and can be profitable if you need some income. Should be back to full strength someday, might lose some range of motion though.

[fatkid]

i did my stage 5 ac sep 3 weeks ago mtn biking and tore all three groups of ligaments that tie the shoulder together, had surgery 2 weeks ago today.

finally starting to have tolerable pain levels, and doc says i will be crashable on skis by dec 15 with dedicated rehab work.

anyone out there have ac surgery...any timelines from you guys???
thanks!