Is that a bump on your shoulder or are just happy to see me?
November 2, 2011 12:50 AM Subscribe
Anything I can do to help my shoulder heal from a bad sprain?
In July of last summer, I managed to spectacularly fall on my mountain bike going down a hill. Visiting the ER room the same day, the doctor diagnosed a sprained shoulder - either Type I or Type II and told me with enough rest, it should be OK, although with a little dark humor, he told me I'd never be able to be on the Olympic Gymnastics team.
Uh, that's fine, but it's been almost 4 months since the accident and there's still lingering pain. I had a goal to get back into rock climbing this year, but that's sort of on hold.
If I try to use the shoulder, it hurts. Pushups will hurt. Riding offroad in bumpy conditions on a mountain bike will hurt. Lots of things make it hurt. Sometimes sleeping the wrong way (on the shoulder, basically), hurts.
Last month, I went to a sports doctor and they gave me the same diagnosis, saying I'd bounce back 100% (but the visible bump will still be there) and give it another 3 months. Ugh! :) The visit was exceptionally quick - no talk of surgery - if anything talk that surgery was a BAD idea, as my range of motion would be seriously affected. Nothing for it but time.
I'm considering going to a physical therapist to see if there's anything I can do to make shoulder heal faster, feel better, or at least learn how to do exercises that will strengthen the rotator cuff (and perhaps compensate the areas that are damaged).
I feel I'm being a little impatient with having my shoulder feel better. I'm wondering if doing specific exercises will help with healing the shoulder, rather than injuring the shoulder further. Any mefi's with similar injuries? Being physically active is one of the major ways that keep me feeling good about myself and totally destroys depression. Not being able to be active like this gets me into Dark Territory.
I'm beginning to realize a lot of being exceptionally physically active is also being injured half the time! :)
In July of last summer, I managed to spectacularly fall on my mountain bike going down a hill. Visiting the ER room the same day, the doctor diagnosed a sprained shoulder - either Type I or Type II and told me with enough rest, it should be OK, although with a little dark humor, he told me I'd never be able to be on the Olympic Gymnastics team.
Uh, that's fine, but it's been almost 4 months since the accident and there's still lingering pain. I had a goal to get back into rock climbing this year, but that's sort of on hold.
If I try to use the shoulder, it hurts. Pushups will hurt. Riding offroad in bumpy conditions on a mountain bike will hurt. Lots of things make it hurt. Sometimes sleeping the wrong way (on the shoulder, basically), hurts.
Last month, I went to a sports doctor and they gave me the same diagnosis, saying I'd bounce back 100% (but the visible bump will still be there) and give it another 3 months. Ugh! :) The visit was exceptionally quick - no talk of surgery - if anything talk that surgery was a BAD idea, as my range of motion would be seriously affected. Nothing for it but time.
I'm considering going to a physical therapist to see if there's anything I can do to make shoulder heal faster, feel better, or at least learn how to do exercises that will strengthen the rotator cuff (and perhaps compensate the areas that are damaged).
I feel I'm being a little impatient with having my shoulder feel better. I'm wondering if doing specific exercises will help with healing the shoulder, rather than injuring the shoulder further. Any mefi's with similar injuries? Being physically active is one of the major ways that keep me feeling good about myself and totally destroys depression. Not being able to be active like this gets me into Dark Territory.
I'm beginning to realize a lot of being exceptionally physically active is also being injured half the time! :)
I had what sounds like a very similar problem due to a fall on an icy driveway. All kinds of things hurt but the acid tests and last things to go away were exertions with arms raised, such as washing my hair and pulling a shirt off over my head. And the thing with sleeping the wrong way, too.
I tried the old "give it time" for 6 months and then went for physical therapy, which included stretches, massages, exercise, ultrasound and electric stimulation. Over the course of 3 months, the shoulder went totally back to normal. So I recommend you get yourself to PT. Don't even think about surgery — as my PT put it, everybody's shoulder is messed up one way or another, and if they go in for this condition they're likely to make it worse, not better. PT will do wonders, trust me.
posted by beagle at 6:39 AM on November 2, 2011
I tried the old "give it time" for 6 months and then went for physical therapy, which included stretches, massages, exercise, ultrasound and electric stimulation. Over the course of 3 months, the shoulder went totally back to normal. So I recommend you get yourself to PT. Don't even think about surgery — as my PT put it, everybody's shoulder is messed up one way or another, and if they go in for this condition they're likely to make it worse, not better. PT will do wonders, trust me.
posted by beagle at 6:39 AM on November 2, 2011
Best answer: Welcome to the "my bike made my shoulder cry" club.
YES to physio. Also YES to any reasonable diagnostic tool FIRST. Get to another sports doctor with an associated clinic of PTs. If you have insurance, a prescription for physio before you start physio makes it more likely that you will be covered. Check the fine print.
You haven't mentioned if you've had an ultrasound. I pitched over my handlebars in late August and didn't progress much in 2 months of physio. I had a diagnostic ultrasound last week and found out I had 2 small tears and some bursal inflammation, so yeah, my simple impingement isn't as simple as it seems. You may not have a simple sprain.
A PT engaged after a proper workup should be able to see you once or twice a week to assess your posture, strength, range of motion, and other factors. They can massage you to work out any adhesions or other badness in the injured area. Therapeutic ultrasound and electrical stimulation are also great options. And you will be given rehab exercises and some patterning exercises (to erase any odd hitches in your movement) to do at home.
One possible reason why you're still having pain is that your shoulder isn't aligned properly, muscles have weakened, and you're unconsciously using odd, limited motions to avoid pain that make things worse: rinse and repeat.
And, oh yeah: if it hurts, don't do it. Seriously. (I am not allowed to even raise my right elbow above my shoulder until I'm well. I've developed some hacks for washing my hair in the shower, reach for stuff above with me with my left hand, etc.)
posted by maudlin at 7:41 AM on November 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
YES to physio. Also YES to any reasonable diagnostic tool FIRST. Get to another sports doctor with an associated clinic of PTs. If you have insurance, a prescription for physio before you start physio makes it more likely that you will be covered. Check the fine print.
You haven't mentioned if you've had an ultrasound. I pitched over my handlebars in late August and didn't progress much in 2 months of physio. I had a diagnostic ultrasound last week and found out I had 2 small tears and some bursal inflammation, so yeah, my simple impingement isn't as simple as it seems. You may not have a simple sprain.
A PT engaged after a proper workup should be able to see you once or twice a week to assess your posture, strength, range of motion, and other factors. They can massage you to work out any adhesions or other badness in the injured area. Therapeutic ultrasound and electrical stimulation are also great options. And you will be given rehab exercises and some patterning exercises (to erase any odd hitches in your movement) to do at home.
One possible reason why you're still having pain is that your shoulder isn't aligned properly, muscles have weakened, and you're unconsciously using odd, limited motions to avoid pain that make things worse: rinse and repeat.
And, oh yeah: if it hurts, don't do it. Seriously. (I am not allowed to even raise my right elbow above my shoulder until I'm well. I've developed some hacks for washing my hair in the shower, reach for stuff above with me with my left hand, etc.)
posted by maudlin at 7:41 AM on November 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
AnecdoteFilter: I separated my shoulder waaay back in '91. To this day; I feel twinges if barometric pressure rises or drops sharply, I had to give up bench pressing because my left shoulder just couldn't do the work, it clicks if I rotate it past a certain point, etc.
I hope your sprain gets better.
posted by Sphinx at 9:01 AM on November 2, 2011
I hope your sprain gets better.
posted by Sphinx at 9:01 AM on November 2, 2011
Sprains take longer to heal than breaks and cause many more issues down the line.
Everything maudlin says is correct.
posted by bonehead at 10:07 AM on November 2, 2011
Everything maudlin says is correct.
posted by bonehead at 10:07 AM on November 2, 2011
Response by poster: @maudlin Thanks for the great advice. Ugh, another doctor's visit isn't something I can afford right now. Maybe I can find a PT that will take me on, without a referral. the PT I went to for a knee problem was absolutely excellent.
posted by alex_skazat at 3:30 PM on November 2, 2011
posted by alex_skazat at 3:30 PM on November 2, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Basically, this was my experience:
If I try to use the shoulder, it hurts. Pushups will hurt. Riding offroad in bumpy conditions on a mountain bike will hurt. Lots of things make it hurt. Sometimes sleeping the wrong way (on the shoulder, basically), hurts.
Sleeping was the worst, because then I felt like crap during the day. I couldn't ride for more than about 15 minutes before sharp, shooting pains (referred pain, my PT said) hit me farther down my arm. Frozen shoulder is essentially a tightening of the muscles due perhaps to a small sprain, that results in severe contraction due to disuse and avoidance of certain positions (for me, e.g. reaching over to close a car door equaled yow!, although I could turn the steering wheel mostly fine). Eventually your body just gets used to the limited capability -- you transfer things to the other arm, say.
With PT I saw immediate benefits such as reduced pain and improved flexibility and, eventually, strength and stamina. I was able to go off my prescription-strength Tylenol and eventually even OTC. So, ask your doctor for a PT referral. At this point it should be clear that you need it.
posted by dhartung at 12:59 AM on November 2, 2011