Dislocated shoulder recovery

964cup

Does anyone have experience of recovering from a shoulder dislocation? I've managed a small fracture of the tip of the humerus too. It went back in easily enough, and within two hours of coming off (well done that NHS A&E). Obvs lots of soft tissue soreness at the moment, and the arm is in a sling, but are we talking days or weeks here? I've been riding with broken ribs for 6 weeks (yes, it's been that kind of year), so I'm not that bothered about pain, but I do need to be able to trust the arm.

X-ray if it helps:

mlgt

Would say depending on your planned style of riding. Is it commuting? Training? Racing etc?
I would say most important thing is rest up. Let your body tell you how you feel and if you have enough strength to cover the brakes.

I have dislocated my shoulder regularly before I went for surgery (10 years ago). However being a basketball player I found depending on the severity of the dislocation and recovery rate of yourself/synovial sac I was able to bounce a ball and shoot within a few weeks. But I would be wary of contact.
But after surgery I was playing like before and not worrying too much, but I had to adjust a little bit because they tightened the area pretty good. Amazing what keyhole surgery can do!

Rest and icing the area will help and using resistant bands will strengthen the muslces surround the affected area too.

Hope you have a speedy recovery and let us know how you get on!

Rest up!

964cup

I'm thinking a) commuting (N10 to EC1, so hardly a big ride) - and I'll stay off the fixie for the moment and b) a gentle ride with my wife that I promised her for Sunday. I'm assuming I'll wait for the club run until it's broadly pain-free. I just can't face the tube or an Uber for work - I did enough of that this time last year when I had my back done.

On the one hand I know pros and rugby players seem to get their shoulder relocated and dive straight back in; on the other hand I am neither a pro nor a rugby player.

imposter2.0

Depends on what - if any - associated ligament damage you may have, and to what degree. Could be anything from several days to several weeks.

Matthewfalle

Bizarrely enough, I'd ask your doctor rather than a bunch of random people on the internet.

964cup

Matthewfalle wrote:

Bizarrely enough, I'd ask your doctor rather than a bunch of random people on the internet.

You needn't assume that this is my only source of information. But it is my only source of information on personal recovery experiences from fit people who've dislocated their shoulders falling off pushbikes. So I think it's probably got some relevance.

Matthewfalle

964Cup wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

Bizarrely enough, I'd ask your doctor rather than a bunch of random people on the internet.

You needn't assume that this is my only source of information. But it is my only source of information on personal recovery experiences from fit people who've dislocated their shoulders falling off pushbikes. So I think it's probably got some relevance.

Well not really because all our weights, fitness levels, body structures, ages, recovery rates, etc all vary so it's pretty pointless.

Go and ask your doctor - we don't know the full extent of the injury, mechanism of injury, diagnosis at the time of the injury, prognosis of the attending specialist, immediate trauma treatment, any surrounding tissue recovery rates, your general health, historical injuries to that part of the body, etc etc.

Bear in mind as well that yup, there are a few medical people on here but as can be seen by the state of the tax thread there are also a lot of people who have no idea on earth what they are talking about. And who even says that they are fit? Cardio - which is what a lot of cyclists are fit at - has little bearing in tissue recovery rates,

But hey, it's your body, take a punt on it. I'm not putting my ticket on it though.

964cup

Matthewfalle wrote:

964Cup wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

Bizarrely enough, I'd ask your doctor rather than a bunch of random people on the internet.

You needn't assume that this is my only source of information. But it is my only source of information on personal recovery experiences from fit people who've dislocated their shoulders falling off pushbikes. So I think it's probably got some relevance.

[...]perfectly sensible advice[...]

Matthew, you're demonstrating high IQ, but low EQ. No-one sensible posts threads like this in search of actionable medical advice.They - I - post the question because they're miserable at a) being injured and b) being off the bike, possibly for weeks. They - I - want to hear someone say "it happened to me, but actually after a [shorter than envisaged period] my doctor said it would be OK to get back on the bike for some gentle Z2 stuff, and you know what? It was fine.

It's like the prolapsed disc thread. My posting in there about my fusion and relatively quick recovery (LBL four months post-op, etc) isn't meant to say that everyone will have the same experience (or that anyone will) but it should cheer someone up who's heard nothing but whining misery from fat inactive people about how they still can't tie their shoelaces after two years.

[TL;DR] stop talking sense and cheer me up, dangit!

Matthewfalle

Oh if that's the case I'd head out for a gentle trundle, some pork scratchings and a pint as soon as you feel you can hold the bars and brake effectively.

Just don't do anything silly or fall off and it'll be fine.

mamba80

i dislocated mine many years ago and advice was when you can do 10 pain free press-ups resume normal duties, what you dont want is to do it again.

964cup

mamba80 wrote:

i dislocated mine many years ago and advice was when you can do 10 pain free press-ups resume normal duties, what you dont want is to do it again.

The way that's phrased, I'm wondering to which "normal duties" you refer.

Matthewfalle

Reading who typed that I think we can all guess.

mamba80

964Cup wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

i dislocated mine many years ago and advice was when you can do 10 pain free press-ups resume normal duties, what you dont want is to do it again.

The way that's phrased, I'm wondering to which "normal duties" you refer.

yeah i can see what you mean!
Mine was kayaking, so normal duties was making sure the injured shoulder was as strong as the other and press-ups are a common way of testing that but perhaps you should just follow MFs advice and not bother asking on here?

mbirch

"They - I - post the question because they're miserable at a) being injured and b) being off the bike, possibly for weeks."

Agreed. Sometimes, people just want a forum where they can vent. I experienced a shoulder subluxation in July 2016, and fractured a rib in May 2017. The rib fracture was healed and back to normal within 6 weeks. The shoulder, however, is another story.

After the crash, the Dr. said, it's nothing and I had to insist on an XRay which confirmed his diagnosis. Fast-forward a year and it isn't getting better. In fact, it's really a lot worse. I'm in quite a bit of pain and losing sleep. Two months ago, I asked for an MRI. Turns out, the shoulder is still out of joint and i also have a labral tear as well as two cysts. Now I have to wait a year for surgery, and another six months for recovery.

That means, I am off the MTB for a year and a half. But, the Dr. told me I can continue to Road Bike. I'll be off for six weeks after the surgery.

Shoulders can be stubborn injuries to heal !!

964cup

mbirch wrote:

"They - I - post the question because they're miserable at a) being injured and b) being off the bike, possibly for weeks."
Fast-forward a year and it isn't getting better. In fact, it's really a lot worse. I'm in quite a bit of pain and losing sleep. Two months ago, I asked for an MRI. Turns out, the shoulder is still out of joint and i also have a labral tear as well as two cysts. Now I have to wait a year for surgery, and another six months for recovery.

That means, I am off the MTB for a year and a half. But, the Dr. told me I can continue to Road Bike. I'll be off for six weeks after the surgery.

Shoulders can be stubborn injuries to heal !!

Joy. You poor sod. Here's hoping I don't join you on that path, and that you recover well from the op.

mbirch

The worst part, I just bought two new bikes a month ago. That new mountain bike is sitting in the garage screaming at me .... "take me on the trail".

A little secret ... I never stopped Mountain Biking. )

fudgey

Not dislocated but i had a big crash a couple of years ago, hit a tree at speed and it took a while to get up but didnt think anything was broken and rode the 7 miles back to the car in extreme pain assuming just bruised.
Didnt go to hospital etc and just carried on as best i could.
Took probably 2 months before i could lift my arm above my shoulder

All in all it took almost 2 years before it stopped hurting, turned out i had separated the ACL of the collarbone/shoulder.

Got a funny lump there now and occasionally get shoulder pain but i live with it.

A lad we were with at bike park wales in sept dislocated his shoulder, he is still buggered with nerve damage and no feeling in part of his arm, so i guess every case is different.

I crashed there too... Bit of a theme going on lol

lvquestpaddler

I dislocated my shoulder sea kayaking in March (long story, lone paddling rock hopping around an island got caught out and rolled, had to self rescue with it popped out and attempted to paddle 5 miles to shore made it halfway and called it in VHF to Coastguard as it was too sore to continue- RNLI rescue and a chopper called out...in the end my shoulder was out 8 hrs), I thought it would be popped in and I'd be good as gold in a week or so. Got my first NHS physio at 9 weeks then another 3 sessions every 2 weeks. It was a bloody nightmare for the first 8-10 weeks, and slowly got full mobility back in it (whew), but now it's been popped it could happen much easier again so every activity (biking, hillwalking, lifting heavy weights, throwing a stick for the dog ffs) has me thinking about "what ifs". I'd say go really easy with it and don't take too much chances in the first 12-16 weeks. I'm still concentrating on getting aerobically fitter and losing weight but really should be doing some research then activity on strengthening the muscles in the shoulder as that's one of the things advised to help prevent it recurring. I thought I was a bit invincible until this happened and it's a sh*tty recovery I couldn't sleep properly for weeks a nagging gnawing discomfort.... Best of luck with it but you don't want to reset it back as such...

964cup

Well, one month in. Turns out the fracture on the greater tuberosity is a big problem; as a result the tendon that goes over the top of it is inflamed and will take weeks more to calm down. Apparently it can be a year to full recovery. FFS.

I should be beasting it on the turbo, but I hate riding indoors, so I'm just getting fat and maudlin instead. Physio next week just to see how bad it is, then skiing for three weeks - I'll have to be absurdly restrained - then back to clinic and more X-rays. Joy.

OfficerDigby

Yes shoulders are a bugger. If you find a bike (or set up) with very little weight on shoulder (up right MTB etc) you might be able to cycle. You never know till try/feel the position. A little bit of soreness after a ride can be tollerable.

One thing you have to be sure of is to not fall down again! when still recovering, i.e. do go out when its close to ice etc.

Recommend therabands (when are cleared to use them), Really good for finding the weak point of shoulder structures and strenghtening.