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  • dislocated shoulder
  • mcdonagh2962
    Free Member

    fell off a boardwalk at penmachno on Saturday and dislocated my shoulder , hospital popped it back but does anyone know what the recovery time is and how long will my arm be in a sling as I am off to Greece in 3 weeks and the lady of the house is not happy

    wanmankylung
    Free Member

    Probably be fine to do most activities in three weeks depending on the type of dislocation.

    tinybits
    Free Member

    Take it very, very easy. Even if it feels ok, don’t risk it at all.

    Mine was a particularly bad dislocation (technically 2 on the day, and 1 48hrs later), with a bit if bone damage thrown in and I needs a Bankart shoulder repair. Took 4 months to be back on the bike.
    Heal well!

    climbingkev
    Free Member

    Just discovered I have a SLAP lesion. To my (googling) knowledge it’s a Bankart to the rear, rather than the front, of the shoulder (I know there’s more to it than that!). The default solution is surgery, but apparently I’m doing well so the specialist suggests going the physio route first.

    Have you been operated on, tinybits?

    mcdonagh2962
    Free Member

    no just popped it back in but had to put me under as they said I had to much muscle which made it harder to pop in

    andyl
    Free Member

    had mine dislocated by a car hitting ours back in January and it took months (and is still not right) but that was a hell of a whack that has damaged the nerves and the joint so probably, and hopefully, a bit more complicated than yours.

    I’d probably get some advice about physio quickly though.

    mick_r
    Full Member

    Have done both of mine mtbing.

    LH one was on a Polaris 18 ish years ago. Popped back in myself after an hour. No sling needed, no physio and back biking in a week or so.

    RH one was in Grizedale a few years back. It was out for 11 hours and had to be popped back in under GA. That one was a much much slower recovery (popped 1st Jan, not back on MTB until late March).

    Got out of the sling within a week but shoulder very stiff, weak and painful at limits of (very restricted) movement. Fracture clinic doc sent me straight for urgent physio which helped a lot (do everything they tell you). A blow up gym ball was essential – when very weak used it on a table to support the weight of arm whilst gently mobilising joint. Once stronger it was used for various other exercises. Same with those rubber band things (but wait until physio shows you what to do and when).

    How old are you? There can be different damage that is age related (young and you can tear bankart lesion, old and tend to damage rotator cuff). I was evidently in a sweet spot for age and did neither 🙂

    Most of my residual problems came from frozen shoulder so try and keep everything mobile.

    Superficial
    Free Member

    I had a (keyhole) repair of a Bankart lesion and it’s all good 8-9 years on. The surgery itself was fairly unremarkable and I was in a sling for a 3-4weeks afterwards IIRC. I don’t seem to have any lasting effects / awareness that my shoulder is abnormal, just a couple of tiny scars that you can barely see.

    My situation was a bit different to most though, After the first dislocation (snowboarding), I dislocated it six times over the following three months. I even did it once swimming when a wave hit me – I.e. It did not take a lot of force to dislocate it so leaving it wasn’t an option. If you’ve only dislocated once and it feels ok, I’d be tempted to maybe hold off surgery unless you run into problems. It’s probably worth speaking to an orthopaedic surgeon though since your case may well be more intricate than you realise.

    mick_r
    Full Member

    A friend (and elite XC racer) is a surgeon looking to specialise in shoulders. Didn’t believe it at the time, but his prognosis was absolutely spot on – i.e. avoid surgery unless there are real reasons (multiple disclocations etc), and avoid / work really hard to overcome problems such as frozen shoulder (immobilisation from surgery can be a bigger problem than the thing they are trying to fix).

    hboycey
    Free Member

    I went through a period of 5 subluxations (it comes out but goes back in on its own accord a few mins later) on my right shoulder in 5 years. the smallest of things could do it. ranged from snow boarding, to drunken fall, to waving a piece of paper. luckily (touch wood) it hadn’t happen in a number of years now. luckily never needed surgery.

    about three weeks recovery if iirc. see a physio once it’s healed.

    sgn23
    Free Member

    Of course everyone’s different.
    My experience was a posterior dislocation after a 30mph tumble at Haldon. Doc put it back in under a general.
    Used a sling for a few days and got straight to a physio about a week later – physios don’t like slings. Followed the physio and back on the bike after 4 weeks and started back to swimming twice a week.
    One year on I get the odd twinge but otherwise I’m fine. I’ve been lucky. I think the swimming really helps.

    wanmankylung
    Free Member

    physios don’t like slings

    Physios tend to not like any external aid of any description unless it is 100% necessary.

    tekp2
    Free Member

    I did my left shoulder skiing a few years ago. Put back in under general and fractured as well. It was about a month in the sling and about 3 months of physio to get back to something like normal service.

    TomB
    Full Member

    Had mine out a few times, ended up with an operation as became very unstable (subluxing while asleep etc). All I would say is to really work hard on exercises from physio. It’s down to you how quickly and effectively you recover. Put the effort in and you should heal well.

    tinybits
    Free Member

    Have you been operated on, tinybits?

    Yes, I was operated on early September, I went to a guy in Bath who specialises in shoulders, and does a lot for the Bath rugby guys. I had it MRI’d, physiod etc, but the general opinion was that it was not going to repair well. I asked for a strong repair, even at the expense of flexibility with the right surgeon, yes you can specify!) and the op went fine. I was out the same day and even picked up a Thai take away on the way home! I did suffer from a frozen shoulder after immobilizing for 4 weeks, but a cautisone injection sorted that out as well. It’s fine now, although it’s a bit stiffer than my other one. After the op, I spoke to the surgeon who reckoned that it would never have gone to full stability by itself, so I had gone for the right option. This of course doesn’t mean it’s the right option for everyone!

    zookman
    Free Member

    I dislocated and fractured my shoulder snowboarding in January a couple of years ago. I was back on the bike after 3 months and did two weeks riding in the Alps in July. At the end of the two weeks I was having to lift my hand onto the steering wheel with my good arm to drive home.

    My advice would be to do everything the physio tells you, but don’t push it to get back on the bike. The shoulder specialist I saw predicted it would take a year to fully recover and advised me to wait and see how well it healed naturally before considering surgery. It was 13 months before I was back to full strength with no pain.

    shifter
    Free Member

    If it was just dislocated you should be ok for your hols. If also broken then it depends how it feels I suppose. You’ll be grateful that your bag has wheels.
    In either case I wouldn’t tell the airline or my insurance company…

    tasteslikeburning
    Free Member

    There’s a good article on the dirt website by Darren Roberts on how Dan Atherton recovered from a shoulder dislocation that got progressively worse with repeated dislocations.
    I got in touch with Darren and he was absolutely brilliant, hooking me up with the surgeon and physios who look after the Red Bull athletes.

    If I were you I’d get in touch with Doug Jones at Harris & Ross in Manchester for physio. I traveled up from London and it was more than worth the effort.

    identicalbutlighter
    Free Member

    Everything you are likely to need to know is here, Prof Funk’s website;
    http://www.shoulderdoc.co.uk/articletile.asp?article=50&section=12&tile=3

    agent007
    Free Member

    If you’re anywhere on the North West then Prof Funk (see link in the post above) is the man to see for shoulder problems. You can ask your doctor to refer specifically to him.

    Sorted my dislocated and then frozen shoulder and held off on the surgery to let Hydrodilatation and physio do the work. He was 100% correct and I’m now back to full function with zero pain or restriction. Other key to your full recovery is getting a good physio. Not all are good so try a few and when you find a good one, stick with them.

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