Will my arm continue to heal on its own?
April 12, 2007 1:36 PM Subscribe
A few weeks ago while playfully wrestling around at a family gathering, I was basically tackled and a knee landed on my arm, pinning it to the ground. I did not have blinding pain or anything, but for a few days after that my arm and shoulder were pretty sore, and I've had trouble reaching behind my upper back with that arm. If it seems like it's getting a little better with time (though I'm still having trouble reaching around with it to my upper back), do I need to see a doctor or will it just get better on its own?
I know that You Are Not A Doctor, or that You Are A Doctor But Are Not My Doctor. And I know that the easiest advice to give me here is to go to a doctor to be safe. But, because my health care plan is a bit heavy on the red tape side, if it's likely that the doctor is just going to tell me to wait it out anyway, I'd rather not waste my time.
Since the wrestling thing I've used the arm to lift cans of paint, luggage, some shrubbery, and to take a pitchfork to the backyard garden plot, so the arm is definitely pulling its weight in my everyday life. It is mainly just this one motion -- up and to the back -- that is still bothering me, and I notice it mainly because I use that motion every morning to dress myself (ladies, you know what I mean), plus there is maybe a little bit of residual shoulder soreness. I think that these have been decreasing since the incident.
So, if things seem to be slowly getting better, do I still need to see a doctor and play it safe? Or do other people have these sorts of minor incidents all the time and just wait it out and things go back to normal?
I know that You Are Not A Doctor, or that You Are A Doctor But Are Not My Doctor. And I know that the easiest advice to give me here is to go to a doctor to be safe. But, because my health care plan is a bit heavy on the red tape side, if it's likely that the doctor is just going to tell me to wait it out anyway, I'd rather not waste my time.
Since the wrestling thing I've used the arm to lift cans of paint, luggage, some shrubbery, and to take a pitchfork to the backyard garden plot, so the arm is definitely pulling its weight in my everyday life. It is mainly just this one motion -- up and to the back -- that is still bothering me, and I notice it mainly because I use that motion every morning to dress myself (ladies, you know what I mean), plus there is maybe a little bit of residual shoulder soreness. I think that these have been decreasing since the incident.
So, if things seem to be slowly getting better, do I still need to see a doctor and play it safe? Or do other people have these sorts of minor incidents all the time and just wait it out and things go back to normal?
I get bruises, sprains, muscle strains, etc. all the time and I don't go to the doctor. I'd say if it's not a really sharp pain, I'd give it a week to heal and go from there. If I can, I try to rest it by not doing a lot of the motion that hurts. Also, icing the area can help if it doesn't feel like a deep pain.
posted by Durin's Bane at 2:00 PM on April 12, 2007
posted by Durin's Bane at 2:00 PM on April 12, 2007
Best answer: Definitely not arguing against seeing a doctor here, but yes, I've had many of those sorts of incidents and, while I've consulted with doctors once or twice about my shoulders and had PT I've not learned anything you can't pick up by googling about rotator cuff exercises, and general shoulder resistance exercises. They will give you a scrip for some good NSAIDs though.
Your shoulder may not return to normal (with or without a doctor visit) but building up the supporting musculature can compensate for hypermobility caused by the strain. My shoulders are pretty well thrashed from repeated abuse but years of diligent resistance training has made a world of difference. I still try to avoid scratching my own back and sleeping awkwardly on the shoulders though.
For now RICE it and wait for the trauma to subside. NSAIDs such as ibuprofen can be useful in combating pain and inflammation but may inhibit healing and contribute to hypermobility. I only take them if I think that internal inflammation is contributing to ongoing irritation of the injury.
posted by Manjusri at 2:19 PM on April 12, 2007
Your shoulder may not return to normal (with or without a doctor visit) but building up the supporting musculature can compensate for hypermobility caused by the strain. My shoulders are pretty well thrashed from repeated abuse but years of diligent resistance training has made a world of difference. I still try to avoid scratching my own back and sleeping awkwardly on the shoulders though.
For now RICE it and wait for the trauma to subside. NSAIDs such as ibuprofen can be useful in combating pain and inflammation but may inhibit healing and contribute to hypermobility. I only take them if I think that internal inflammation is contributing to ongoing irritation of the injury.
posted by Manjusri at 2:19 PM on April 12, 2007
Best answer: This is a relatively old injury, so as long as it doesn't hurt horribly or show signs of swelling you should apply (gentle, obviously) heat rather then ice. The heat will promote healing (ice actually slows down healing, although it can keep swelling from damaging surrounding areas). A little massage in a warm shower probably isn't a bad idea, either--the idea is to promote blood flow to that area.
posted by anaelith at 2:37 PM on April 12, 2007
posted by anaelith at 2:37 PM on April 12, 2007
Best answer: Your question makes it sound like it does not hurt now, but your range of motion is limited. You need to do some gentle streching to get back your range of motion. Try holding a towel vertically behind your back to strech with. You should do this after warming up. Do some other shoulder and upper body streches at the same time. I have always treated these sorts of things without going to the doctor (I hear some people have this thing called health insurance?), but that does not mean "wait around and do nothing".
You need to avoid overstreching the muscle while getting dressed. Until it gets better, fasten in front at the waist, then turn to the back and put your arms through. Reverse procedure for getting undressed.
posted by yohko at 2:57 PM on April 12, 2007
You need to avoid overstreching the muscle while getting dressed. Until it gets better, fasten in front at the waist, then turn to the back and put your arms through. Reverse procedure for getting undressed.
posted by yohko at 2:57 PM on April 12, 2007
Best answer: I have something similar but it has lasted for years.
See a doc. Our shoulders are complicated bits of machinery and unless you want to be like me you need to have it checked.
posted by konolia at 3:11 PM on April 12, 2007
See a doc. Our shoulders are complicated bits of machinery and unless you want to be like me you need to have it checked.
posted by konolia at 3:11 PM on April 12, 2007
Best answer: Sounds like a rotator cuff injury. I've had one and it was more than a year before I could perform the motions you describe without excrutiating pain. If it seems to be getting better already, then my suggestion would be to read over the Mayo site and take their advice.
posted by Neiltupper at 3:42 PM on April 12, 2007
posted by Neiltupper at 3:42 PM on April 12, 2007
"This is a relatively old injury"
Whoops, missed that. Yeah icing is only to combat pain and inflammation of a recent injury, but that includes swelling that may not be visible and that caused by reinjuring the joint before it is allowed to fully heal. The general rule of thumb is that you can't hurt yourself with ice (unless you cause frostbite which you'd have to work at) but you can easily with heat by exacerbating inflammation. That said, anaelith's advice is quite sound.
Yohko's advice is also good but be very careful with this as you could easily make the problem worse by increasing hypermobility. Some people think stretching is supposed to hurt, or cause mild discomfort but that would be a really bad idea here.
posted by Manjusri at 3:47 PM on April 12, 2007
Whoops, missed that. Yeah icing is only to combat pain and inflammation of a recent injury, but that includes swelling that may not be visible and that caused by reinjuring the joint before it is allowed to fully heal. The general rule of thumb is that you can't hurt yourself with ice (unless you cause frostbite which you'd have to work at) but you can easily with heat by exacerbating inflammation. That said, anaelith's advice is quite sound.
Yohko's advice is also good but be very careful with this as you could easily make the problem worse by increasing hypermobility. Some people think stretching is supposed to hurt, or cause mild discomfort but that would be a really bad idea here.
posted by Manjusri at 3:47 PM on April 12, 2007
Best answer: Let me put it this way: I have had several shoulder and back injuries. Some of them I have had looked at doctors right away, sometimes I waited, and some have never gotten medical attention at all. My lessons from all of this is that it's good to see a doctor, if you can do it right away. Within 24 hours of the injury. If you can't treat it like it's an emergency, then the value of a doctor diminishes rapidly. A doctor can tell you if it truly is something serious before you find out the hard way, but if you have already determined that it's not a huge problem, then there isn't much they can do. You can buy your own anti-inflammatories and heating pad!
The thing I always keep in mind when I'm weighing my decision to see a doctor is something one of them told me many years ago: your body learns to compensate for all sorts of long term injuries, but they can pile up and aggravate each other. The single most important treatment for me has been careful, but rigorous physical therapy. The exercises might seem dumb, and I'm always tempted to stop doing them before I'm told to, but doing the whole of run of stretchy band exercises (or whatever) always makes me feel better in the long run. The next time I have a similar injury (and it's only a matter of time...) I plan to see if I can visit a physical therapist directly, skipping an doctor visits. There are several private physical therapy places around here (chicago), so that might be something to look into.
posted by schwap23 at 4:07 PM on April 12, 2007
The thing I always keep in mind when I'm weighing my decision to see a doctor is something one of them told me many years ago: your body learns to compensate for all sorts of long term injuries, but they can pile up and aggravate each other. The single most important treatment for me has been careful, but rigorous physical therapy. The exercises might seem dumb, and I'm always tempted to stop doing them before I'm told to, but doing the whole of run of stretchy band exercises (or whatever) always makes me feel better in the long run. The next time I have a similar injury (and it's only a matter of time...) I plan to see if I can visit a physical therapist directly, skipping an doctor visits. There are several private physical therapy places around here (chicago), so that might be something to look into.
posted by schwap23 at 4:07 PM on April 12, 2007
Best answer: Your husband, who loves you very much, wants you to go the doctor.
posted by NortonDC at 6:50 PM on April 12, 2007 [2 favorites]
posted by NortonDC at 6:50 PM on April 12, 2007 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Okay, so I never did go to the doctor. But my arm seems to have healed on its own. Yay, time!
posted by onlyconnect at 4:11 PM on October 4, 2007
posted by onlyconnect at 4:11 PM on October 4, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by commander_cool at 1:47 PM on April 12, 2007