Seperated Shoulder

[jeremywilhelm]

So my brother seperated his shoulder last night. The doctors in our crappy town gave him pain killers and pretty much told him he is screwed. I'm thinking of getting a second opinion. Is there more that can be done for the kid? Advice? A specialist he should see?

He is pretty huge into football and was planning on trying out for a college team this year. I'm sure that's probably not gonna happen this year, but the way the doctors are talking, he might as well give up on it. Any CP doctors have any good news I can parlay to the kid?

[valo403]

I'm not a doctor by any means, but I've separated both of my shoulders multiple times and that's pretty much how it goes. The only time I've done anything beyond rest and then strengthening rehab exercises was when I added a torn rotator cuff and strained biceps tendon into the mix. There are more severe types of separations that can potentially require surgery, but the vast majority are of the type that is treated by rest and rehab.

As for football, he's either too late for the spring camps or has plenty of time to try to get into fall camp (although without being at spring camp you usually don't get invited to fall camp). From my experience a typical separation meant 2-3 weeks of limited strength/mobility, 2-3 weeks of rehab and then a bit of time to get back to full strength. After about two months I was pretty much back to normal, it was only a bit longer with the added rotator cuff issues. It's also something you can play with, although I don't advise it. I played half a season (and downed a couple hundred ibuprofens) with a separated shoulder and it's probably a big reason why it's become a recurring injury.

[Azure]

Rest and recuperation obviously.

With time I would add in mobility stuff, especially targeting the rotator cuff. Buy some bands and do light resistance work with it. Obviously when he can do it without significant pain.

Get a foam roller. You might have to twist and turn a bit, but if you do it right you can target the shoulder muscles pretty good. This should help increase blood flow, keep everything lose....which should help with the recovery.

See a physical therapist. No need to listen to the crappy doctors. Generally speaking doctors don't know hill or beans when it comes to recuperation from injuries like that. As many on here can attest too, a good physical therapist is a God send.

If you know a massage therapist, go see him. If you don't, find out where one is. Tell him about the separated shoulder and ask him to work on it. Should help a lot with the recovery.

If you want to get REALLY serious, some people suggest contrast showers to help alleviate soreness and get blood flow going. Basically you turn the shower on as cold as you can, target the shoulder for 30 seconds, turn it on warm. Do that 5-6x. If you keep going with it, work up to 1 min cold, 1 min hot. Start with cool water as he more than likely won't be able to stand cold water. But as he gets used to it you can make the water colder.

I've done this before for injuries and it works great.

[FurnaceFace]

Agree with the guys above, go to physio. If anyone can improve it, it's a physio. At minimum they'll give him strengthening exercises and do what they can for improved mobility. Ultrasound goes good things to break up scar tissue and acupuncture is great for relaxing the muscles around it.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Azure

Rest and recuperation obviously.

With time I would add in mobility stuff, especially targeting the rotator cuff. Buy some bands and do light resistance work with it. Obviously when he can do it without significant pain.

Get a foam roller. You might have to twist and turn a bit, but if you do it right you can target the shoulder muscles pretty good. This should help increase blood flow, keep everything lose....which should help with the recovery.

See a physical therapist. No need to listen to the crappy doctors. Generally speaking doctors don't know hill or beans when it comes to recuperation from injuries like that. As many on here can attest too, a good physical therapist is a God send.

If you know a massage therapist, go see him. If you don't, find out where one is. Tell him about the separated shoulder and ask him to work on it. Should help a lot with the recovery.

If you want to get REALLY serious, some people suggest contrast showers to help alleviate soreness and get blood flow going. Basically you turn the shower on as cold as you can, target the shoulder for 30 seconds, turn it on warm. Do that 5-6x. If you keep going with it, work up to 1 min cold, 1 min hot. Start with cool water as he more than likely won't be able to stand cold water. But as he gets used to it you can make the water colder.

I've done this before for injuries and it works great.

This works great. I've never used it for my shoulder (no idea why, I really should have) but using cold tubs followed by hot tubs worked wonders for some knee injuries I've had.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by valo403

This works great. I've never used it for my shoulder (no idea why, I really should have) but using cold tubs followed by hot tubs worked wonders for some knee injuries I've had.

I've had ankle problems for a while now after spraining them about 7 years ago, and after a tiring day it really helps to do contrast work on the ankles.

Hot, cold, hot, cold. Make them so cold that they get numb. So hot that it feels like someone is sticking needles into your feet.

Amazing how good it works.

[jeremywilhelm]

Doctors just called back and said a specialist in the city thinks he needs surgery.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by jeremywilhelm

Doctors just called back and said a specialist in the city thinks he needs surgery.

Damn, that's a pretty serious separation then. I've never dealt with a shoulder that bad, but if it's any comfort I came back from a torn ACL to play football in college so it's certainly not something that should cause him to hang up his cleats.

[MJM]

I separated my shoulder at the end of one season, and was ready to go (100%) for training camp the next year. However, it all depends on if you do the proper rehabd (physio for strenghtening as others have suggested). Unfortunetly, it also depends on your body. My buddy seperated his shoulder and was never able to play again. The guy was a CFL Draft Pick to. Everytime he'd hit someone hard, his shoulder would pop out. He went to two training camps in a row, and seperated his shoulder on the first day of contact each time. He did everything right in rehab, the injury would just not heal properly.

[Dan02]

A lot depends on the grade of separation, when I did my left shoulder it was diagnosed as grade 2, and basically I'd describe it as being weak for about 2-3 weeks, didn't need any painkillers or miss any hockey games(it was the playoffs ) and was at 100% within about 6 weeks.

Then I did my right shoulder and it was diagnosed as a grade 3 or borderline grade 5, arm was in a sling for 2 weeks, taking painkillers as fast as they could perscribe them. Was sent for xrays/ultrasound and was given the option of either rest or surgery, choose rest/physio. Stayed off skates for 2 months and took another 2 to get back to about 80%. It's 18 months down the line now and I still don't have the same mobility or strength, probably only 90%, and have a pretty big bump on my shoulder. My job involves carrying some heavy things on my shoulder quite often and occasionally if I don't position it right the pain is exruciating.

Regardless of whether he has surgery or not, it's an injury more likely to happen after you've already done it once. Still not sure if I'd choose surgery if I turned back the clock though.

[jeremywilhelm]

They are thinking it's grade 6. We will know on Tuesday. Stupid whitecourt doctors. I could tell it was a grade 5 plus separation just looking at it and I'm not a doctor.

[jeremywilhelm]

Whoops I should say I could tell it was grade 5 plus after seeing pictures and reading about it. How do some doctors even get a liscence?

[Azure]

I don't know much about separated shoulders, but wouldn't surgery be the best option?

Sort of like breaking your ankle is better than just spraining it.

If he does have surgery, I would suggest many of the same things I mentioned above. Take care of the shoulder, spend time on recovery stuff and you should be fine.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Azure

I don't know much about separated shoulders, but wouldn't surgery be the best option?

Sort of like breaking your ankle is better than just spraining it.

If he does have surgery, I would suggest many of the same things I mentioned above. Take care of the shoulder, spend time on recovery stuff and you should be fine.

I think, in the case of joints, that surgery denotes a weakness that is serious enough that the possibility for long term stability is predicated upon surgery.

Sort of like it is better to break an ankle than sprain it, but instead, better to sprain a ligament than tear it.

Like if you break your nose and the doctor suggests plastic surgery, you know that it is probably serious.

Also, after that story about the junior kid suing his doctor for giving him an arthritic shoulder, I view no surgery as 'routine'.

[jeremywilhelm]

I would imagine if the ligament is completely stretched out they will replace it, or shorten it. Although I don't know that much about it.

[burning_acid1]

I've heard arthroscopic shoulder surgery is minimally invasive and allows your body to heal a little bit faster, but that may be a bias. Either way... post-surgery, lots of rehab will be necessary to regain normal functional range of motion and strength

[Frank MetaMusil]

Originally Posted by burning_acid1

I've heard arthroscopic shoulder surgery is minimally invasive and allows your body to heal a little bit faster, but that may be a bias. Either way... post-surgery, lots of rehab will be necessary to regain normal functional range of motion and strength

It depends on how much damage has been done. I had repeated shoulder dislocations and basically my surgeon said if I were to go with arthroscopic instead of the standard "bankart lesion" method, the scarring would look the same.

My surgeon was from California and did strictly shoulder surgeries for his entire career. Dr. Richard Boorman.

[bringtheheat]

Just had mine done in Jan. with Dr. Ian Lo in calgary, shoulders only, Arthoscopicly, Took me a couple of weeks before I noticed any improvement but now that i had it done im positive it was the best choice.
Only have 3 minor scars. and no pain
Although mine was not seperated I did have inflammed tendons and bone spurs out the teeth, but i was out of the sling in a couple of days and moving freely afer i think 1 month or so, but it does take a lot of physio, and you really have to work at it.

Not to sure about football, as im a rugby guy myself but the Dr said i could go back fully, 5 months post op (not going to shoulder was messed long enough)

[Flash Walken]

The wifes step dad is scheduled to have rotator cuff surgery on both shoulders coming up.

Boy, that would suck.

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

The wifes step dad is scheduled to have rotator cuff surgery on both shoulders coming up.

Boy, that would suck.

They're doing both at the same time? Seems weird.