dislocated shoulder

trev4star

hi , i came off my bike a couple of weeks ago on the downhill course at cwm carn & ended up in the royal gwent a&e with a posterior dislocation of the right shoulder (very painfull) dont remember the crash or much of the day due to the amount of drugs they pumped into me. my consultant has put me in a sling for 3 wks then i can start physio. i would appreciate any advice on exercise/ training to get me back on the bike asap. i understand i may be prone to the shoulder dislocating again so want to build up the muscles that hold the shoulder in place & am not sure which exercises i need. also im now looking at pressure suits but all i have seen have shoulder cups but little protection at the front of the shoulder/collar bone where my impact occured can you recommend a suit ? many thanks trevor
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SBezza

Your physio will recommend the best exercises for your dislocation.

I dislocated my shoulder canoeing, and it has never been right since, I have had probably 30+ dislocations/partial dislocations in the 12 years following the first one. Mine only dislocates on full arm extension and at a certain angle, so riding a bike poses not issues, even MTB riding.

The physio will be the best person as he will have the records to show how it dislocated and where the weaknesses are.

trev4star

thanks for the reply 30 dislocations even partial ouch! im hoping they where not as painfull as the first. getting lots of conflicting advice one person says it'll be just as strong as before another saying it will pop out all the time like yours. now worried about work cant afford time of if it keeps giving me trouble. i suppose each injury/person is different

Surf-Matt

Also had over 30 dislocations (most partial). Physio has pretty much sorted it but I'm careful when surfing biggish waves.

SBezza

I wouldn't worry about it, just let it heal properly and let the physio sort it out, I never did this properly, hence why I have had issues since.

I've had mine dislocate in the middle of the night, that wakes you up pretty quick, though it very rarely happens these days, due to me sleeping differently.

onlyonearrow

I suffered an anterior dislocation of my shoulder about 18 months ago, following a simple slip and fall. I was told that in ~75% of cases the cartilage of the joint capsule cup gets split, which can result in a slackness in the point and make it prone to re-dislocation.
This split can only be repaired by surgery - although modern keyhole surgery makes it simpler. Therefore it's critical that time is spent to get the shoulder stablised to prevent a repeat.

In my case, my shouder was relocated in A&E and I was in a sling for two-three weeks. However it was nearly 5 weeks after the event before I saw a physio (complicated by medical insurance paperwork!). By that time my shoulder was starting to show signs of becoming frozen (which you don't want to happen) and I was ordered(!) to perform exercises regulary to keep mobility. I had about 12 weeks of physio and the shoulder was successfully stabilised.

The consultant I saw was unwilling to put me through the surgery unless stabilisation by physio didn't work.

I would recommend speaking to your physio sooner than the 3 weeks. Based on my experience, getting it mobile again is so improtant to prevent it becoming frozen. The physio may be able to suggest isometric exercises that can prevent muscle wastage and prevent it become frozen, without requiring movement.

I've only started MTBing very recently, but have competed in archery at a relatively high level for some years. It was my drawing arm that was affected. So I spent last year rebulidng my shooting with gradually increasing bow poundage, until this year being able to shoot my full bow poundage and get back into competition. On that basis I would recommend frequent exercise during the recovery with a slow and gradual increase in intensity.

It does take time - I would say mine took at least 12 months to recover fully. It can be frustrating, but it's so important to get it stabilised to avoid a repeat dislocation.

Many people, and I'm sorry to say :oops: that some of those who have replied with >30 dislocation to their history may not have given the recovery the time it needs. That said cycling shouldn't put the shoulder into an unstable position, the way a throwing action would, so you should be able to cycle fairly soon - but a repeat fall could be a major set back.

All the best on your recovery!

onlyonearrow

SBezza wrote:

I wouldn't worry about it, just let it heal properly and let the physio sort it out, I never did this properly, hence why I have had issues since.

I've had mine dislocate in the middle of the night, that wakes you up pretty quick, though it very rarely happens these days, due to me sleeping differently.

I agree, see my post above. It's so important to give it time to heal properly.

SBezza

onlyonearrow wrote:

Many people, and I'm sorry to say :oops: that some of those who have replied with >30 dislocation to their history may not have given the recovery the time it needs.

Yep, I am one of those :oops:

Surf-Matt

Things that made mine go:

Jumping off a 15ft lifeguard hut when pi55ed and landing badly (hospital job) aged 16 :oops:
Diving off a cliff (into the sea) at a dodgy angle :oops:
Sparring (kickboxing) and having a punch blocked x 3
Heavy duckdiving (surfing) x 8ish
And other things involving extended arm and pressure.

Cycling has never been a problem, even when I've crashed.

god1406

I dislocated mine crashing on the Swiss national dh track last summer and have only done it once since, while lowering a rowing boat into the water.

I've been doing a lot of shoulder exercises to hold everything in place a bit better, but it's tendons that keep your shoulder where it should be, and I've been told that once they have hyperextended, it's only surgery that can re-tighten them.

there is an operation you can have to tighten the tendons, but i don't really like the thought of that too much...

trev4star

hi, thanks to everyone for all the replys. have now seen a physio as suggested & had some lazer & electro therapy to speed up the healing process, also doing some gentle stretching to prevent frozen shoulder. i see the consultant in a few days time then start my physio so fingers crossed cause im bored stiff cant work, drive or do any cycling or running going a bit stir crazy. one more question for u about dislocating again does it take same time to recover on 2nd/3rd time or is recovery quicker ? worried about work. thanks again trevor

Surf-Matt

God - I managed to avoid the op by doing loads of physio. Was "tested" recently and very nearly 100% strong again. At one point it was constantly popping out.

The op means lifelong restriced movement.

trev4star

will def do the physio, how long was you off work when it popped out ?