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Had a daft off in June last year landed on my shoulder then jumped straight back on the bike and the forks compressed and jarred my arm back. Had to ride the last 17 miles home with one arm, since then every day it hurts. Again ive been for an Mir + ultrasound and physio. Damage to the rotator cuff
in some form of tear. The advise was just simply exercise in the form of stretches with the large rubber bands and moderation.
Maybe some use
I fractured my scapola?? in my shoulder getting blown over mid air at the bmx track on a mtb. No pain but felt abit wonky. Went to A and E and they rushed me into surgery the next day. Had a plate added. Glad I get it checked out.
Thought I would post a little update.😊
Think the crash was about 7 or so weeks ago?
To be honest, was feeling really down as I thought I had ruined any chance of riding this summer. I'm dealing with depression too so this injury, and the pain/lack of sleep was really putting me in a dark place. Anyway....
Paid £40 to see a physio which was money well spent.... I'm still on a waiting list to see an NHS one, which I'll cancel if I'm all sorted by then of course. Without the paid for physios advice I reckon I'd have a frozen shoulder by now waiting for an NHS referral. Not a dig at the NHS, a marvellous institution left to fail through utter neglect. Don't get me started...
Anyway...
I do physio every day. Arm is still weak, particularly raising the arm to the side but I'm getting there. Crucially the pain has eased off a lot. I can actually get some sleep now!
Gentle swimming at the pool seems to help too. Done a gentle 10 mile off road ride and did 16 miles on Zwift today with no detrimental effects it would seem. Luckily in the riding position the arm is strong. Raise my arm to comb my hair though and I'm almost weak as a baby!
Anyway, physio has been crucial. It's boring and slightly painful but if I hadn't been given a routine to follow I think my shoulder would be really stuffed by now.
Long way to go and still want to ride the SDW this summer as a target (over 2 or 3 days though!Lol) but I'm getting there.
Best of luck to all the others healing their wounds!
Oh, and again, best advice ever to go to a private physio. Thanks for all the help and advice guys.👍
As a physio working in a musculoskeletal team I would advise not getting advice online but ask for your GP to refer you for a Physio assessment or seek a good private physio.
I see a lot of patients presenting with cycling related injuries that have been just “getting along” or had numerous bits of advice from people that have had similar falls but a shoulder can be so different in terms of clinical presentation. A good quality assessment looking at past medical history. Mechanism of injury. Current treatment including medication and investigations to date then an in-depth movement analysis including special tests will give you much better idea of what’s going on and the best course of action. They will also guide you in a number of different treatment options.
Quite often the right advice and conservative management without surgery will make significant improvements in a painful shoulder but it’s all very individualised.
All good points there Ian.👍
Certainly, paying to see a physio has helped me a lot. My doctor has also referred me for physio assessment but the waiting list appears to be long. Not wanting the shoulder to deteriorate in the meantime I paid the £40 to see a local physio and saw him again about a week ago.
Really didn't/don't want surgery on the shoulder as after various surgeries over the years, including neurosurgery, I try to avoid the knife now.lol
Not as young as I was either and just don't heal as well as I used to now I'm 50. Getting older sucks.😁
Done something similar in November, came down hard on elbow cut through 3 layers and a nice scar head hit bicep luckily and not the ground. Had lumps and bumps all over but shoulder only started a week after, absolute agony had ultrasound and X-ray and I was convinced something was broken but scans all clear eventually saw musculoskeletal specialist and told me it’s a traumatic frozen shoulder, pain free now seven months later I’ve had no physio or exercise but now playing one hour badminton sessions no problem.
I'm still struggling with my shoulder. 7 wks now I think. Full range of movement back but still a painful arc if I try to put any power thru it. Just to make it really annoying using my left arm for anything heavy has resulted in me tearing a muscle!
Ianm gives some good advice there - diagnosis of the internet is worth what you pay for it!
Bloody hell tj, so favouring the right arm has torn a muscle in the left arm?
I can see why you are really p***** at that.
I'm just hoping the physio I saw is correct and that it's a rotator cuff as he said.... meaning that I'm doing the right physio exercises etc.
I'm optimistic as the range of movement is improving as is the pain. Though the shoulder does still keep me awake at night if i push things a bit too far. It always makes me bloody aware at night when I'm trying to sleep, not during the day! Slow process though and hopefully im getting there.
Much more aware of my general mortality and just how readily I can "break"... even after a relatively slow crash like this.
Hate it when the ruddy front wheel washes out on you, fear it a bit too now.
When the sun is out, the trails are dry and all is right in the world though? You just can't give that up can you?😁
A good physio is well worth the money they really are very good but yes NHS can be slow, luckily for me I get access to a private physio at work. They've worked some miracles one my back, hip, neck and shoulder all without seeing a GP.
I had wondered about swimming actually…. Whilst lagging there awake last night with my shoulder aching.lol
I’ll look into the maceball too!👍
@Poopscoop just be careful with the swimming, I FUBAR'd both my shoulders doing it. After decades of on/off rotor cuff issues in both shoulders, I broke and went to see a physio. Six weeks out of the pool, a couple of years years doing band work, then bodyweight fitness to strengthen the back, haven't had a recurrence since. Which reminds me, must start my morning stretching again, cause that helped massively too, as did getting a standing desk at work.
Poopscoop - yup - rt arm rotator cuff tear, left arm biceps tear
Do NOT do exercises that have not been given to you by a physio
👍 for @Blackfoot's recommendation of a rugby physio. Best physio I ever had was a wee lassie with thumbs of steel, who happened to be a physio at Cambridge Rugby Club. Would leave the session with tears streaming down my face it was so painful and feeling like someone had been at my shoulders / back / legs with a baseball bat. She was flipping awesome, totally sorted me out. Someone who's used to manipulating 95 - 127KG, makes short work of 73KG lightweight like me.
To the OP. I’m in a similar situation, surgery in January. Nothing was helping I even considered hyperbaric oxygen therapy (I began a thread that was hugely useful) but the company was not reputable.
This fella, although somewhat bizarre was passed to me, results however, exponential 👍
Hope you’re recovering 👍
Have stumbled across this very useful thread. A simple off late October with a posterior shoulder dislocation and broken humerus. In a brace for 5 weeks but the tuber... whatevery bit was in wrong place, so surgery just over 3 weeks ago. Shoulder reconstruction and some permanent metalwork installed. The surgeon said it went ok for a ‘salvage operation’ and a lot of rotator cuff and ligament damage. Saw physio last week for some basic simple exercises and seeing him again on Friday. Have a nerve conductor test early Jan and back at Consultant mid month.
Fingers crossed I can get back on a bike someday, however priority is getting able to drive and back to work and help around the house/family.
I have a turbo but not been on it yet as physio said not to put any weight on that arm yet, still in a sling 247.
Will stick with NHS physio for now as very local and can supplement with private as required.
Being 53yrs old probably isn’t helping.
To anyone and the OP, a good physio is worth their weight in gold. I’ve had physio on the NHS, and the quality of physio is hugely variable. It’s worth using your private cover or self funding to sort it out. Your body is the most important piece of kit you’ll ever have and it’s worth looking after.
Round where I live, physio costs between £60-45 depending on length of appointment and experience of the physio. Most will book you in for a 45 minute initial appointment to assess you, and then you move on to 30 minute sessions for follow ups.
When you see them, get the programmes recommended written down with clear instructions. Some will use something like physioroom to give you instructions and with YouTube you can clear up any confusion about your exercises.
I see mine once a week. It’s the best money I’ve spent.
Oh, and do your ****ing exercises once you get a program. The number of people I meet who go “oh I had physio, it didn’t work” and in the next breath cop to never doing the programme is astounding.
Oh, and do your **** exercises once you get a program.
This is the bit I always seem to fail on. I was ok when I broke my hip and really worked at it but when I had the rotator cuff tear and frozen shoulder I did enough to get back to 'mostly ok' and stopped - I know my shoulder has a general weakness compared with the other and smaller range of movement but I can never actually get round to do anything about it 🙁
Surprised I'd not stumbled across this thread before, really interesting. I somersaulted over a rope while riding in June. Main issue was/is a trapped nerve in my shoulder. Took 3 months to find a decent physio which has really helped, if I remember to do my exercises, but still get a bit of numbness in my left arm and hand - now counterbalanced by a touch of sciatica giving me a numb right leg and foot 😄
@wwaswas
I’d do my exercises with a timer on, figure out how long it took and make sure I scheduled it in each day at a time I know I’d be free.
It worked for me anyway. Physio really does work though, I’m living proof of it!
make sure I scheduled it in each day at a time I know I’d be free.
I work at home and used to set a calendar entry with an alarm twice every day. It'd go off, I'd cancel it, carry on with what I was doing and an hour later think 'damn missed that one, ho hum, next time'. And repeat.
I’ll definitely be doing the physio, if I don’t I’ll never be able to get back on a bike..
Carpet bowls is the future for you Iain. Watch that ditch though. 😂
Just had major surgery on my shoulder after persevering for a long time with a problem. I can confirm shoulder injuries take a long time to heal. See a shoulder specialist if you can.
Suffered with rotator cuff problems for a couple of years, mostly brought on by too much climbing (I’m not any good just overweight!). Laid off it for a while and stuck religiously to physio routine, and am now back better then ever....but you need to be patient and disciplined...!
Yep, the treatment you get from a physio will be exercises. If you don't do the exercises then your not getting the treatment.
As the op I'll update this thread when I get a chance.
Let's just say the rotator cuff issue is "ongoing".
Poopscoop, I resurrected the thread after I saw you posting on another one, hope that’s ok, I have found it very informative though.