Dislocated shoulder

[yitzak]

I was up with the Doc today and he gave me the bad news.
On saturday i fell of the bike and dislocated my shoulder,"OH MAMMY THE PAIN"
but ididnt know untill today that id be out of work for weeks and be off the bike for months.
people are telling me it will keep poping out and i cant go back mountain biking,
So the thing is im not going to stop mountain biking any time soon, there must be a few lads and ladies out ther that this has happened to, im looking for some advice on how to
recover quick and any hints and tips, body armour, air bags.
Thanks .

[Byrner]

i dislocated my shoulder 3 or 4 times paddling in my youth and i was told not to do anything strenous for a few months..of course I went off to the alps with my mates and drank and smoked myself into the 80's ..it still hurts in the bad weather but it hasn't popped in 20 years actually nearly 30..Cummins has a similiar problem and so have a few others..doesn't stop them from being legends on the bike..harden the **** up..!
Now I have a bad kidney thats giving me hell in my lower back..apparently !!

[al]

paul cummins is the man to talk to. He did his pretty badly and had problems with it popping out mid race runs etc. He's been busy at the physio and its all sorted

[yitzak]

Good man Richie, thats what i need to hear, light t the end of the tunnel,

[yitzak]

Im thinking of modifing body armour in a way that could work, in a world of pain and ****e
at the moment, all advice much aprecio.

[SHAM]

Ian check these out.
http://www.dme-direct.com/sully-shoulder-stabilizer-brace-support-braces-the/

[yitzak]

Thanks Shane that looks the very job.

[rockinupthebigstuff]

Was just on here looking for a bike for a mate and saw your post and thought i should comment.
for one a shoulder is not something u want to mess about with .. seriously .. take some time to focus on your recovery or u will end up like me. I started out with a dislocation playing footy back in Oz i didnt do enough physio rushing back into racing mountain bikes and motor x (trying to harden the f*ck up Chopper read style) and the problem just kept coming back and around 10 or so times after until i had surgery which had 6 months recovery time. After this i rushed back into again not doing my 6 months recovery(but i was doing lots of physio) .... it did last a few years after that but after a big stack water skiing i did it again and now im going on about 40ish dislocations since not so bad if it goes in easy but last time for me was 3 hrs and 2 mates hanging off it (its a stubborn bastard).

The braces do bugger all .. its just a confidence thing, all in the mind .. i feel more comfortable when i wear one but i still pop it .. there is really bugger all u can do to stop it, ask any physio.

Mate seriously unless u have to race or ride take a break get to a physio start isometric training on it for a good while then get to the gym and hit some weights .. if u get onto it now u can avoid it happing again. its tempting to rush it but it will just end up a mess like mine. If u treat it right the first time u can really reduce the chance of doing it again. Dont want to get u down but i wish someone had of warned me before i rushed it, its a nightmare these days im 27 and i can barely throw a ball without it going on me .. but hey at least ive never done it on the mountain bike (which i cant believe)

[potato man]

how odd to see a thread like this now...

I popped mine out 10 days ago up in threerock - first time out on the bike in a good 3 or 4 months as I had been abroad. I went down to VHI swiftcare in Dundrum after some much appreciated help by my fellow MAD folk up the mountain. The doctor popped it back in and told me to come back to see a consultant in 10 days.

I've just arrived home from seeing him now - an MRI scan and a course of strengthening/mobility physio is on the cards, but I can't start that for another week as I have to leave it in its sling. Hopefully I'll be back to work soon - all the physio is going to cost a bomb!

I'll have to purchase a roadbike in the meantime. Reading the above story makes me want to wait a little longer before I get back on the mountain bike!

[Enduro]

Couldn't agree more with the general gist. Its idiotic to rush a recovery. Every now and then you've got to use your brain and think of the long term. In the bigger scheme of things 6 months is neither here nor there. A permanantly dislocating shoulder though....hmmmm

[Byrner]

yes..ignore me..i am a mad person !!
no, really I am .
Seriously.

[gordob]

REST REST REST.
i did mine three years ago and didnt get it sorted just strapped it up and didnt use it for two or three weeks. second time it popped out swimming while on holiday. third when i spilt a coffee in the car reaching to grab it!. then another three times on the bike when trying to get back to race pace. eventually got it operated on and did the six months recovery stint with physio. first time out on a bike i popped the other one!. no messin.
in short when it pops out it stretches all the ligaments / tendens and breaks away the cup that the ball sits into. if it wasnt out too bad the first time you might be ok if you build back the muscle but if you have stretched the ligaments or tendens too much they will have to be re planted in the bone or cut short again / the cup rebuilt.
I did rest the right arm a good three months when it popped out and did road bike for the next three before getting back on the MTB and it feels strong now (8 months later)
the 'comeback' is now held up by knee ligaments !. ill be ****ed if im resting those!!.

[Fat Fecker]

Don't rush back.
Believe it or not, I am a sports injury therapist. Dislocations are a result of stretched or torn ligaments. If these do not heal in their original length, they will permenantly allow dislocation. in the early stages, the torn side needs to be kept in a shortened state, and after it heals, it's range can be extended. failure to do this usually results in corrective surgery (about €5000, and pain, inconvenience etc)
Building up the rotator cuff muscles can help significantly.
Basically, see a GOOD physio, do as they say, and take their advice as to when you can return. Also, when you are allowed back, come back gradually, building up strength in the area, or you'll be back to square one. It's a fecker of an injury. give me a broken arm instead anyday.
I have a clinic in Laragh if you want to drop down, but see a good physio first.
have a look at the website below. might give more info.

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/shoulder/dislocated_shoulder.htm

[potato man]

I might as well provide an update of my situation...

I had my first physio session last wednesday in the VHI clinic in Dundrum. She gave me 4 exercises to do with the goal of strengthening the roatator cuff muscles. This was followed by an MRI scan on Friday, and another physio session today.

My shoulder feels fatigued, which is good apparently - it shows I'm building strength. The pain is nearly gone, which is a bit inconsistent with the MRI results. I can't remember the exact terminology, but as far as I understand there is still some inflammation somewhere. My range of movement is nearly back to normal. I still feel a bit of strain when I get to the extremems though.

I went for a my first ever road spin last saturday and I had no pain whatsoever. The physio told me I'm free to try my usual sports one by one to see what reaction I have. She suspects I won't have any, and the recovery is going faster than expected. The last thing I want to do is fall down onto my shoulder so I'm going to leave the mountainbiking for a while...roadbiking will have to do (it's actually surprisingly fun). She also told me to continue with the rotator cuff exercises for another 3-4 weeks which I will obviously do!

Final consultant visit is next Tuesday so I'll have the full details of the MRI scan then...



Happy days :)

[yitzak]

Thanks lads, im back in the hospital on monday and then i will be going to the physio,
so i will get in contact with you fat fecker thanks.
Potato man how long was it from injury to road bike?

[potato man]

Thanks lads, im back in the hospital on monday and then i will be going to the physio,
so i will get in contact with you fat fecker thanks.
Potato man how long was it from injury to road bike?

I did it on the 18th of July. The physio did mention that I'm recovering faster than most though...

I was kicking a ball around with some mates earlier - no problems :)

[tommyv]

Think of it this way: i've dislocated my left shoulder, and on another occasion i've popped my AC joint (where the collar bone meets the shoulder) on the same arm. shoulder was 15 weeks, AC was 8, but i continued physio on both for an extra 2 or 3 weeks, just to be safe. after i hard fall i can still feel the odd twinge, and i got my physio to explain what all the massages/exercises she had me doing did, and so i had a better idea of what i was trying to acheive. you need to keep it suple, so that it sets back in the right position, or else you'r just going to do it again and again and again until you need surgery, and even then that can do nothing to help!

also you need to build up the muscle around it, this was a big thing with me. i have broad shoulders, which actually makes them weaker (or so i was told) after recovery i did plenty of LIGHT swimmings, just to build up movement and muscle, and now it's recovered i do 20 pushup in the morning, 30 before bed, which is extra to the rest of my exercise. this way i can keep them strong, and make sure that the muscle takes the strain in a fall, not the joint.

oh, and my nan says cod liver oil will make joints more supple and stop them getting dislocated.

[Byrner]

you lads have just sprained your manginas..i seen it on a documentary once..some bearded lad, living on a ranch in Glendalough hanging people out of trees and getting his kids to poke them with burning sticks..then charging them €100 an hour ..I swear to god..it was on Sky or something

[yitzak]

Four weeks now and no improvment, just pain in my shoulder and me bollox.
No bike no work and cabin fever is setting in, i go for walks in the hills in the pissing
rain like some demented hunch back gimp from hell and this aching pain rambles be side
me like some little spikey ****e hawk. I wish i had sprained snatch.
I need more drink, drugs and a slash hook.

[gordob]

be thankfull you can stay off work; i was self employed at the time and had to work through the pain....the next six dislocations came within a two year period; not self employed any more!.
sympathy to you i remember the pain....people laugh and say its like mell gibson in leathal weapon.....me arse; its savage. not one bit funny. not sure id trade it for a sprained snatch though??

[afgan]

Dislocated my right Knee 3 times, Once up the top of cloon wood when mtb'ing, Had to relocate it myself and hobbled back down to where an ambulance took me to the ER, Each time recovery was atleist 6 weeks before I started cycling again, Have patients and get it fixed properly once, Trust me you don't want repeat episoids. Get well soon.

[gordob]

hey just remembered i got acupuncture aswell as physio on the RH shoulder.
same guy based in manor street; seemed to work cause it hasnt poped out since...touch wood.
can forward details if you want to give it a go...cant remember details at this second?.
gudluk.
g

[yitzak]

yes i would be intreted can you pm me the info

[gordob]

hey fella, hows that shoulder?
did you go to mark with it?.

[yitzak]

Im going to the physio twice a week and waitin for a scan to see if i have a frozen shoulder because i still dont have much movment in it, but i will check out the acupucture.I have to get back to work.