Dislocated Shoulder

[skizilla]

I just dislocated my shoulder while cross country skiing. I had let it sit for a couple weeks then went downhill at jiminy on the superbowl day...great savings btw 35 $. I dislocated it agian i did not even fall i kind of flapped my wings when i became unsteady on a run and that was all it took. I just popped it out today at work and had to have the school nurse pop it back in. Since i origionally dislocated it 2 weeks ago it has poppedout like six times i generally can knock it back in but today was the first time i couldn't. I am going to physical therapy but it is kind of lame. Does anyone have any experience with this sort of injury any reccomendations or stories. Will it keep popping for the rest of my life?

 

[cbcbd]

As far as I know after talking to a sport's therapist, the best thing to do is to work on strengthening the stabilizing muscles that hold your humerus in place in the socket. The shoulder is a very weak joint that doesn't have too much mechanical assistance from the socket or your ligaments.
Avoid raising your arms straight to the side or above your head - vulnerable positions that can place a lot of torque on that joint in the worse case. Try to keep arms bent and your "aft" arm (the humerus) lower than your shoulder line - and hey, it will only help you enforce putting your arms forward in the lunch tray position.

Most injuries where you sprain a ligament will take a while to heal and will be weakened until it does heal, so it'll keep redoing over and over - just like if you were to sprain an ankle - from that point on in the same day you'll probably keep collapsing over it more than usual until healed. I don't think you'll be stuck with this forever, it just takes a while to heal.

Do RICE, especially ice, but as for the R don't do nothing - as a joint fills with fluid (and it probably has or will as it swells), this fluid atrophies the surrounding muscle. Help the joint with appropriate exercises (not military press, no bench presses, etc.) using light weights to target those weak shoulder muscles. A professional can help you find your weaknesses and work on the opposing muscles to help minimize over extension/dislocation of the joint in that direction.

btw, I'm not a doctor and my words are my opinion from experiences I've had. If you want a real opinion and someone who has appropriate liability insurance to cover a suit then seek a real doctor. I have not dislocated my shoulder but have sprained it many times and badly. YMMV

 

[skizilla]

Thanks

Yeah thanks for those ideas tommorrow it is back to pt and i will see what he thinks. How often is ice necessary do people out there know?

 

[skiboarder]

I am a physical therapist who has had two shoulder surgeries. My shoulder was unstable, but it never dislocated. I had poor results after surgery until I went to a very good physical therapist. The more a shoulder dislocates, the more likely it will dislocate again. Six times is a lot! Further dislocations can cause further damage, making the shoulder more unstable. Find a very well recommended PT. Unfortunately, I don't know any in your area. Google APTA and find an orthopedic specialist in your area. This is a certification that requires at least 5 years experience and passing a very difficult exam. You need strenuous rotator cuff muscle strengthening and probably joint mobilization to the back of your shoulder capsule. For your injury, PT is of little value if you don't go to someone good. I recommend you don't do any activities that could cause another dislocation until you are done with PT. If therapy is not successful, you will need surgery to tighten your capsule.
Good luck

For ice, twenty minutes on, forty minutes off. Depending upon how painful/swollen it is, 2-5 times a day.

 

[exiledsoxfan]

This is my first post here, and this subject is one of the very reasons. I'm very jealous of you guys on here because you get to ski, and I don't...at least until the VA comes back with an answer on my disability.

My advice would be to find a doc that you're comfortable with, and keep at it. I was in the AF when I hurt my shoulder, so I didn't have much of a choice in doctors unless I wanted to pay out of pocket. The first doctor told me that I had an impingement in my shoulder and that's what was causing my problems. I really had to keep at it, and after over two years of having a problem with subluxation of my shoulder (it would happen with simple activities like reaching for a computer mouse), I finally found a doc who would listen. The problem was that the arthrogram and the MRI showed no damage. I ended up having surgery where they found a torn labrum, a partially detached biceps tendon, and loose ligaments. After the surgery I had months of PT until they said "OK, you've reached your max number of appts. Bye." The shoulder still isn't right and I'm now out of the AF waiting for the VA to come back with an answer before I do anything to either improve or worsen my shoulder.

The best part is that while I'm in Augusta, GA, my parents are in Franconia so I get to hear all of my dad's ski stories...including a call from him yesterday while he was on his ski trip to Colorado.

Sorry, I guess that was a long way to say find a doctor you're comfortable with, and stay with it until you get the answers you feel are right, and don't let yourself get blown off by someone who doesn't really care.

Matt

 

[Powdr]

A subject near and dear to me. I dislocated my shoulder eight years ago. Since then it has popped out eight times. Easier and easier every time. Last September I finally went to a surgeon. I was slated for a simple athroscopy but ended up with a corocoid SLAP bone graft because the damage was so bad. Each dislocation chips away bone. Recovery has been slow but steady. I am very happy with the outcome and have zero instabilty. Range of motion is 90 percent of normal, but I'll take that any day over instability.

Get the surgery done NOW, before more damage is done. I have a potential for a full joint replacement down the road because I waiter so long.

Tele

 

[Brettski]

Will it keep popping for the rest of my life?

It's just a movie, but go see Lethal Weapon II

 

[skizilla]

Surgery annoyance vs pt annoyance

Which was more annoying the pain and pt of surgery or the pain and pt of the normal healing process. How long does surgery take you out for. I guess surgery is a guarentee and pt is just a stop gap anyone else have thoughts

 

[Powdr]

PT is given after each injury and is required after surgery. Might as well just get the surgery done. You will never get the instability to completely go away until you get the ligaments re-attached. Surgery is a minimum of three months no activities and six months limited activities. Just got the clean bill of health myself from my doc after Sept surgery.

 

[skiboarder]

The more I think about it, six dislocations in six weeks, you probably will need surgery. Recovery is as Powdr stated above. Their is a vast variety in quality of PT's. When you go to the APTA site to find one, the letters OCS stands for orthopedic certified specialist. That is your best bet.

Good luck

Feel free to pm with any questions.

 

[skizilla]

Dislocations

Actually that is six dislocations in 2 weeks. I am seeing my doctor to ask for an mri this week.