Shoulder pain after a crash, help would be great!

u05harrisb
u05harrisb Posts: 531
edited July 2013 in Road general
Hi everybody,

Hope your all well and out enjoying the sunshine! On the Friday before the bank holiday I fell off my bike on the way to work. Really tight corner and i took it a little fast back went out and stacked it pretty hard on my left side. STIs were bent round, ripped up the bar tape and some clothing but nothing too serious possession wise. My question to you guys is that my shoulder has been in real pain since. I was working up till the Monday and I couldn't really lift anything or do anything my my left arm at all due to shoulder pain. Doctors was the Tuesday after the Bank holiday, didn't really say much but have been booked in for an X-ray and CT scan on the shoulder next month. The brunt of the impact was on the side of the shoulder so something must have happened to it to be like this. Bruising or some form of more serious muscle type injury. I have gradually gained a little more movement in the shoulder however it still isn't very good and still not a great deal of movement comparative to a normal shoulder. Has anybody experienced anything like this before or maybe know what it might be? Its been 3 weeks and it is improving slowly although I would have hoped it would be far better by now.

Any thoughts would be greatly received!

Thanks
Ben

Comments

  • Would have been advisable to have had an xray soon after the accident to make sure there isn't fracture or dislocation.
    Can't understand why your doctor has arranged for a CT. Best thing, assuming there is no fracture /dislocation is to try and keep it mobile, shoulders have a tendency to stiffen up if not used. I would suggest doing some gentle exercises to try and maintain mobility as long as this is not causing too much pain. If you are getting a lot of pain I would go to A and E.
  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    Next month for an X-Ray? What the hell do we pay the NHS to do these days? You could have a fracture that requires pinning for all the quack knows. Until you get a proper look at it I think it would be foolish taking advice from non medically qualified people on here. Go see another doctor and get the x-ray you need to see what the true damage.
  • vortice
    vortice Posts: 244
    I came off my mountain bike many years ago and damaged my shoulder. Took me several weeks before I could raise my arm above my head it was that painful. The situation was never really resolved but the pain eased over time. I play tennis and I still can only serve for about half a match before it starts to get sore. In retrospect, I wish I had invested in more therapy and massage. I never did get to the bottom of the problem.

    I hope you get it sorted.
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    I wiped out on black ice last February and injured my right shoulder very painfully. No fracture or dislocation, just a lot of soft tissue injury. I was off the bike for 10 weeks but am riding now, although the shoulder still niggles a bit. I have been going to an osteopath every fortnight and that has made a huge difference. I am fortunate to have an excellent osteopath close by. He's not cheap - £30 a session - but the manipulations and ultrasound have been worth every penny, as have the explanations about why the various ligaments and tendons have hurt the way they do. The shoulder is a very complex deal and with so many muscles, ligaments and tendons working in opposition, when they get injured healing can be long and complex.

    Get treatment, even if it costs, and keep at it. If you let it go you can end up with a frozen shoulder an you really don't want that.

    Good luck.
  • As above, had an off on black ice at Xmas.

    Lots of physio. One of the bones at the extent of the shoulder area took some of the impact, and this is what was sore.

    Took 3+ months to overcome issues.

    Get it seen asap.
    All the gear, but no idea...
  • u05harrisb
    u05harrisb Posts: 531
    Thanks for the insight all! In hindsight a visit to A&E would have been the thing to do! Its very frustrating that I have to wait more than a month and a half after the incident to be seen about anything properly. My case was put as Urgent also, I dread to think what a normal time frame would be! I am just resting it as much as possible. The doctor when I first started sorting this all out said I should see a physio but not till we know what we are dealing with so realistically I need to wait for my scans and rays then the time it takes to get the results and the after meeting to even consider what the next step is. So frustrating that as soon as you stack it all the good weather comes out!! Typical :roll: I know that soft tissue damage takes about 6ish weeks. Fingers crossed that is all it is and I can get back onto it soon!

    Thanks for the insight guys!
    Ben
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    u05harrisb wrote:
    Thanks for the insight all! In hindsight a visit to A&E would have been the thing to do! Its very frustrating that I have to wait more than a month and a half after the incident to be seen about anything properly. My case was put as Urgent also, I dread to think what a normal time frame would be! I am just resting it as much as possible. The doctor when I first started sorting this all out said I should see a physio but not till we know what we are dealing with so realistically I need to wait for my scans and rays then the time it takes to get the results and the after meeting to even consider what the next step is. So frustrating that as soon as you stack it all the good weather comes out!! Typical :roll: I know that soft tissue damage takes about 6ish weeks. Fingers crossed that is all it is and I can get back onto it soon!

    Thanks for the insight guys!
    Ben
    Alas, soft tissue damage in a shoulder can take much longer than six weeks.
  • u05harrisb
    u05harrisb Posts: 531
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    u05harrisb wrote:
    Thanks for the insight all! In hindsight a visit to A&E would have been the thing to do! Its very frustrating that I have to wait more than a month and a half after the incident to be seen about anything properly. My case was put as Urgent also, I dread to think what a normal time frame would be! I am just resting it as much as possible. The doctor when I first started sorting this all out said I should see a physio but not till we know what we are dealing with so realistically I need to wait for my scans and rays then the time it takes to get the results and the after meeting to even consider what the next step is. So frustrating that as soon as you stack it all the good weather comes out!! Typical :roll: I know that soft tissue damage takes about 6ish weeks. Fingers crossed that is all it is and I can get back onto it soon!

    Thanks for the insight guys!
    Ben
    Alas, soft tissue damage in a shoulder can take much longer than six weeks.

    Hummm you may be right, not like a normal strain or something on a knee or elbow sort of thing. What sort of time scale are you thinking 8 or 10 weeks or more? Thanks
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    u05harrisb wrote:
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    u05harrisb wrote:
    Thanks for the insight all! In hindsight a visit to A&E would have been the thing to do! Its very frustrating that I have to wait more than a month and a half after the incident to be seen about anything properly. My case was put as Urgent also, I dread to think what a normal time frame would be! I am just resting it as much as possible. The doctor when I first started sorting this all out said I should see a physio but not till we know what we are dealing with so realistically I need to wait for my scans and rays then the time it takes to get the results and the after meeting to even consider what the next step is. So frustrating that as soon as you stack it all the good weather comes out!! Typical :roll: I know that soft tissue damage takes about 6ish weeks. Fingers crossed that is all it is and I can get back onto it soon!

    Thanks for the insight guys!
    Ben
    Alas, soft tissue damage in a shoulder can take much longer than six weeks.

    Hummm you may be right, not like a normal strain or something on a knee or elbow sort of thing. What sort of time scale are you thinking 8 or 10 weeks or more? Thanks

    My shoulder is still not right four months down the line. I can ride though and put things on shelves and even (gently) windmill my arm, but it's still not right. That said, the last couple of weeks have seen a big improvement. My osteo says about six months all up for it to clear itself - and that is with treatment. I have no way of knowing if my injury was more or less serious than yours, but that is the time scale I have been on.
  • Tb2121
    Tb2121 Posts: 73
    Next month for an X-Ray? What the hell do we pay the NHS to do these days? You could have a fracture that requires pinning for all the quack knows. Until you get a proper look at it I think it would be foolish taking advice from non medically qualified people on here. Go see another doctor and get the x-ray you need to see what the true damage.


    What a load of rubbish. A shoulder with a fracture is one of the most painful things you can suffer, a bone that needs pinning is even more painful. Plus a fractured arm/broken bone leads the limb to be pretty much immovable. If the OP was in a significant amount of pain the GP would send them to A&E to get an X-ray ASAP. NHS bashing like this is absolutely worthless, a lot of people seem to think that Dr's and Medical professionals seem to enjoy makin people wait for diagnostics- the simple truth is that the bill for diagnostics would be even more huge if we sent everyone away for a scan whenever someone had pain. The GP would be assessing the shoulder for probable suspraspinatus calcification and I think the OP might mean MRI and not CT scan, as this may show if the suspraspinatus is torn or has a degree if bursitis. This is perfect management- it allows 6 weeks for the body to do its thing, if no better it allows the Dr to send the OP to the correct specialist with the correct scans to determine if injection of further management is required. All in all a pretty decent, money sensible, clinically correct decision- something that WE pay the NHS to do.
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    You are a doctor?
  • Tb2121
    Tb2121 Posts: 73
    No I'm a physio who specialises in musculoskeletal injuries.
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    Well then, definitely worth listening to!
  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    Tb2121 wrote:
    All in all a pretty decent, money sensible, clinically correct decision- something that WE pay the NHS to do.

    Are you suggesting I don't pay to keep the NHS running??
  • u05harrisb
    u05harrisb Posts: 531
    For those that might be in a similar situation and or want to hear what happened read on. Had an Xray and ultrasound scan, yep just like pregnant women have! Turns out I have fractured my shoulder and chipped it also, that would explain the pain. :roll: I will have a follow up with the doctor to discuss rehab and mending next week. Will let you all know how it goes and thank you very much for all the replys on the thread.

    Thanks
    Ben
  • GiantMike
    GiantMike Posts: 3,139
    Good luck Ben. From my experience you have to push if you don't want to be ignored. If your job relies on you being functional make sure you let them know.
  • Initialised
    Initialised Posts: 3,047
    I fractured my shoulder like that a couple of winters back, got back on, got to work but went to A&E in the afternoon. They didn't spot it straight away so I was back on the bike the next day. 18 months on and it still niggles after long rides, a lot of shoulder wrestling out of the saddle or if I lift too much. Listen to your physio and take it slow as it'll take ages to heal.

    I'd say get well soon but these things take time to heal and often don't fully heal and don't let it keep you off the bike just adjust it so more weight is on the saddle and less on your arms.
    I used to just ride my bike to work but now I find myself going out looking for bigger and bigger hills.
  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    Shoulders can take ages to heal. I was knocked off in 2008 and it till 2012 to get back to 100 percent.

    An MRI would find muscle and joint damage, X-rays are bone only. In my case it took two years to get a decompression operation to clear up the joint, and a further 18 months or so for it to settle.

    It's very easy to damage the soft tissue in the joint, and as its held together by muscles and tendons its quite easy to knacker it. Do keep it moving as you don't want a frozen shoulder. Gentle stretches and maybe a private physio visit as well.
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    Yes, shoulders are indeed tricky. I am just coming to understand that after my fall in February. Back to the physio again tomorrow. And from what I can tell, I have been fairly lucky. Mine isn't 100% yet, but it is not too far off it - after five months.
  • fortyone
    fortyone Posts: 166
    Came off bike on Sunday 30 June - couldn't ride any further and had to be collected by car - 4 hours after returning home, still hurting, so driven to A and E who did an XRay within one hour. Fractured collarbone; put in sling, and visited Outpatients the next day; operation probably unnecessary. Most painful bit is around the back but is now reducing, along with bruising. Worst thing, apart from not being able to ride, is the sleep interruptions. Am hoping for a quick recovery but won't take any chances with it. Although I heard no bone crack at the time, I knew it wasn't good, so would strongly recommend an immediate visit to A and E for anything where the pain isn't lessening over the next few hours.
  • mikelskas
    mikelskas Posts: 57
    I'm glad I stumbled across this thread.
    Almost 3 weeks ago I went over the handlebars and landed heavily on my shoulder. It's been getting better but very slowly. I was worried it could be something serious as it was taking its time to heal but that seems the norm from what you guys are saying.

    Better safe than sorry though so I am booked in to see the gp this week. Wish me luck!
    2011 Jamis Ventura Race
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  • Crimmey
    Crimmey Posts: 207
    Just adding my experiences....End March had an horrific high speed crash into a bollard, shoulder first on tt bike, similar to that lady at tour of California who went into cliff face. Landed backwards onto kerb, thought I had lost my arm. I tried to move my fingers and I just felt my shoulder tingling in response. Scapula fractured in 2 places, fairly minor separation collarbone, no other noticed breaks, shoulder looked low in the joint but not dislocated. Once swelling/bruising went after a few days pain was negligible.Due to that I thought the worst. Physio could move my arm fully, however I couldnt move it my self at all for about a month and I didn't need a sling. I started to get some movement but physio started to give me worst case scenarios and just said wait and see ( rotator cuff injury?), still early days. 6 weeks in I could move arm forward and back by myself 20-30 degrees and was actually feeling tightness in my muscles when i stretched it up in the air. The back of my shoulder had a huge crater due to muscle wastage. Physio exercises seemed useless so started doing my own. I could ride TT bike on turbo in tt position and I started push ups and lots of stretching. I started swimming about 7-8 weeks in and recovery sped up 10 fold ( I can now swim as I used to). 10 weeks in I can lift my arm in the air fully and straight although it feels like im using different muscles to the other side and I have very limited movement in a minor way I wouldnt use in day to day life. Scan results soon. Now Im just stregthening using weights and I feel my life is back on track :) I was very fortunate and good luck to those with shoulder injuries.