Dislocated Shoulder

[bjornski7]

3 winters ago, i was skiing and, instead of taking a warm up run i decided to throw a 3 off of this cliff up at big mountain. i ended up a little tilted to the left and stuck my arm out to stop myself (stupid). i think it dislocated for a second at that time. since then, it subluxes a lot (once a month if not more) and is a huge pain in the butt when i am climbing and sometimes when i am trying to huck myself on the skis, but it will even sublux when i bring my arms back around from being crossed behind my head. it is not a good situation.
what can i do to rehab it?

[Vinman]

rotator cuff and upper back strenght are key for you but even that may not stop your shoulder from subluxing if it has become that easy to do it. You should see an orthopedic surgeon for an eval of your shoulder. If it has begun to impede your activity and your dialy life you should consider surgery if trying to strengthen it does not help.

Trying the strenght route first does 2 things, maybe prevents it from happening and also preps your shoulder for a possible surgery.

[Imz]

Also learn how to relocate it yourself... The muscles spasm after 30 seconds; if you re-injure it & can quickly get it back in, you recover muuuuch faster.

I did it to my arm about 10 years ago, than about 3 or four years ago, then it happened a couple of times in quick succession.

Range of motion exercises, weights, and a neoprene brace when I go big to keep things snug, and I haven't had any more problems (knock on wood). I've taken some big falls lately, MTB & ski, and it's been ok.

Also learning to protect that arm instinctively when you roll helps.

Good luck! I really don't think about it much, unless I'm lined up to drop something scary, which seems like a fair trade.

[Imz]

This is the brace I wear if i'm really getting after it; it seems to keep everything just a little tighter, and gently limits the upward shrugging motion of my arm...

I taped my shoulder with medical tape for a few weeks after the injury while I was skiing tho physically limit my shoulder's upward movement- It depends a lot on the direction you injured your arm in the first place.

EVS SB02



I bought one of the SB03's thinking it would be more beefy; save your money. The additional velcro straps are a total hasse (or at least they were for me).



Good luck again...

[powderfiend123]

i dislocated my shoulder in december and it never healed right, i had a lot of subluxation and severe pain with overhead movements. my doctors now saying its a torn labrum, rotator cuff, or the bicep muscles were torn where it connects to the shoulder and its holding my shoulder out of place permanantley.
so i would go get it checked out now while you still have time before ski season comes and you end up having to miss some days. chances are that he will put you into physical therapy for a couple ofmonths instead of surgery right away, and the PT really helps a lot
good luck

cheers

[Orthoski]

Sounds like you have some serious instability if you feel like it's coming out of joint every time you reach behind your head. You can try and rehab it by strengthening the rotator cuff muscles (ie, the "dynamic" contribution to shoulder stability) but you may have a problem with the underlying "static" restraints - ligaments, cartilage, and even bone. My advice is to go see an orthopedic surgeon who can test for instability and get additional imaging if necessary. You can try and get a sense for instability yourself by seeing whether lifting the shoulder 90 degrees to your side and then rotating your hand back like a pitcher to see if that makes you uncomfortable once your hand starts moving behind the plane of your head (google "apprehension test" for shoulder instability). If you want to continue an active lifestyle with activities that require overhead activities, you may need a formal course of physical therapy and even an operative repair if there's a structural reason.

[Redskea]

Ant idea how long you would have to leave after a shoulder surgery before work or travelling, skiing.
I don't want to have surgery until the spring but its got to the point of subluxing if i roll over in bed the wrong way and seriously affecting normal activities.

[FredsTrees]

Ant idea how long you would have to leave after a shoulder surgery before work or travelling, skiing.
I don't want to have surgery until the spring but its got to the point of subluxing if i roll over in bed the wrong way and seriously affecting normal activities.

I have had 2 shoulder surgeries as a result of instability, so i consider myself pretty informed.

Here are the facts as i see them. Forget what torn this and that you have, the simple fact is your shoulder pops out and you need to have someone go in there and get that right.

1. Instability can not be re-habed. Face up to it. If you sub-lux in your sleep like i used to, your ready for number 2.
2. Find an aggressive surgeon who does open repair. I did the scope and frankly, it worked for 8 years, then i badly dislocated while sailing and ended up in the er where they cut my 500$ drysuit off. My 2nd surgeon has done like a million open repairs.
3. It will take 2 weeks before you can work post op. It will be a long 6-9 months before there is normalcy and u return to active sports.

4. having the wisdom or the understanding that this one repiar will probably be your only is very hard to see when you evaluate this in terms of when you come back etc. Face reality and then put a plan into place

[drmark]

Dislocation or subluxation during sleep means a profound instability usually with bone loss from the glenoid, humerus, or more likely both.

Even the die hard arthroscopic guys (I am not a die hard for any procedure) will do open surgery in these cases. A Latajet procedure is what is indicated in these severe instabilities if the coracoid is not fractured. It it is, as in a case I did last Monday, then the hip will be the bone graft site.

The post of managment is a sling for six weeks, then active exercises. Sports are allowed by four to six months.

[Redskea]

Thanks for the info, a few more questions.

So with the sling, 2 weeks before you can work on a computer or more six weeks.

Is it likely to be possible to fly long distance or drive say 3 or 4 weeks after?

How about hiking guiding (active sport but not involving the arms.)

I really want to get it fixed but I'm worried about how long I will be out of work after, at the moment it hurts but I can work. (Although each time it subluxes it hurts more and takes longer to recover.)

[drmark]

You can work with the computer in one or two days.

My out of town patient seem to have no trouble flying back home after two days.

Most patients can drive an automatic before a week.

If you didn't need a pack on you shoulder you could hike the next day. Can you be sure you won't need to use that arm for anything heavy?

Serious sports can be done at three months.

[FredsTrees]

Thanks for the info, a few more questions.

So with the sling, 2 weeks before you can work on a computer or more six weeks.

Is it likely to be possible to fly long distance or drive say 3 or 4 weeks after?

How about hiking guiding (active sport but not involving the arms.)

I really want to get it fixed but I'm worried about how long I will be out of work after, at the moment it hurts but I can work. (Although each time it subluxes it hurts more and takes longer to recover.)

if u need an excuse to miss work its 2 weeks, although i was back after 1 week. I could type one handed as soon as i woke up.