Just looking for some advice on a shoulder injury I picked up last year in September. I fell heavily onto my shoulder after going over the bars. I managed to get physio through work and that sorted the problem out up me having a full range of movement. They also told me that the shoulder was impinged. However, the shoulder is still not right. It is still weak when above 90 degrees and hurts when lifting and also really hurts after surfing. Has anyone else had experiences of an impinged shoulder and how long it took to sort out ( if it will)?
I would push for x-ray or MRI. I have a 10 year old collarbone break which has come back to haunt me. Recently suffered a shoulder separation on the same side and am currently waiting for surgery.
Don't leave it, the body gets used to pain which isn't necessarily a good thing.
Yep, it is usually an inflamed bursa that catches the nerves/tendons as they pass over it. I had one from landing on my shoulder when I went over the bonnet of a car. It took about 2 years to go away eventually but only after a cortisone injection directly into the bursa.
If you have an understanding doctor ask him for a referral for an ultrasound so they can be sure its an impingement and then a cortisone guided by ultrasound (this worked like magic for me). A cortisone from the GP is likely to be a waste of time as they rarely hit the problem spot. I might however also be an AC joint issue, that's another story altogether!
Mine gave sharp pains when I moved my arm in certain directions. The AC joint problems I have now just make me feel weak in movements other than straight out and straight up.
Thanks for the replies. I had a course of ultrasound on the shoulder which worked a treat in increasing the range of movement but now it is just not getting any better. I will have to try the cortisone route i think.
Shoulders are complex things. If I can offer any advice it would be to press for a full and proper investigation into the root cause of the pain.
I had similar symptoms, but also had some aching in the shoulder joint. Bursitis was (correctly) diagnosed and cortisone injections administered. This helped short-term, but the pain came back. Went back to the docs and insisted on an MRI and referral to shoulder specialist (interesting fact: same bloke who does the Detroit Tigers baseball pitchers). It was about 3 years from my first visit to the surgery.
The MRI showed a torn labrum, arthritis on the humeral head and clavicle plus the bursitis.
The arthritis came from not treating an old snowboarding injury (6ft fall directly onto the shoulder at the Rossendale dry ski slope 15 years ago). Quite a few years of martial arts and silly sports further buggered it up.
Had surgery (arthroscopy) April 2011. During surgery, they found it necessary to relocate my bicep tendon, which meant an increased recovery period. 3 months not able to use it at all. 3 months therapy and gently easing back into normal usage.
January 2012 I got on my bike again for the first time and did a bit of muddy singletrack without pain. I hurt the shoulder last week doing some boxing training though. I got a bit enthusiastic with left hooks and it flared up. Need to rest for a week or so and take it easier next time.
A friend of mine had similar symptoms. He had his MRI, had surgery and was in therapy 2 weeks later. He should be back doing gentle training in a couple of months. The shoulder is complex and no two surgeries/recoveries are the same.
