OT: Dislocated shoulder

[tom1944]

So I took a tumble and dislocated my shoulder last week.

It was reset but I have very limited range of motion so far.

I have pain at certain points but none when my arm is in the sling

Anyone have experience with a dislocation and want to give me an idea on what to expect

Feel free to chime in if you stayed at a Holiday Inn Express also

I see the orthopedic next week

 

[T2Kplus20]

So I took a tumble and dislocated my shoulder last week.

It was reset but I have very limited range of motion so far.

I have pain at certain points but none when my arm is in the sling

Anyone have experience with a dislocation and want to give me an idea on what to expect

Feel free to chime in if you stayed at a Holiday Inn Express also

I see the orthopedic next week

Area rugs are very dangerous to old people. Be careful! :)

 

[RUAldo]

So I took a tumble and dislocated my shoulder last week.

It was reset but I have very limited range of motion so far.

I have pain at certain points but none when my arm is in the sling

Anyone have experience with a dislocation and want to give me an idea on what to expect

Feel free to chime in if you stayed at a Holiday Inn Express also

I see the orthopedic next week

Usually rest and PT unless surgery is necessary. I dislocated both of my shoulders back in the day thanks to wrestling. Willis at Tri-County Orthopedics is my go-to shoulder doc.

 

[tom1944]

Area rugs are very dangerous to old people. Be careful! :)

Uneven Sidewalk combined with wet pavement

 

[T2Kplus20]

Uneven Sidewalk combined with wet pavement

Sue the town!!!!!!
Sidewalks are also a big issue, especially since old people like to walk around. We redid the sidewalks in our two big age-restricted neighborhoods. Gotta protect those folks.

 

[batts]

Usually rest and PT unless surgery is necessary. I dislocated both of my shoulders back in the day thanks to wrestling. Willis at Tri-County Orthopedics is my go-to shoulder doc.

i believe he is the Orthopedic Shoulder Doc. for the Jets. Willis repaired my son's ACL a few years back. He did a great job.

 

[Shelby65]

Dislocated both many more times than I care to admit. Best advice is to be very careful never to do it again bc the more often you do it, the more the ligaments stretch/weaken and sooner or later you’ll need to give up certain sports (if you play) due to shoulder weakness and also mental worry of re-injury.

Other advice: do all the strengthening and range of motion rehab you have time for.

Looking back, should have had surgeries but in my youth didn’t want the scars.

 

[Knight Shift]

Uneven Sidewalk combined with wet pavement

I handle IP (intellectual property) law, but willing to venture into IP Law for a favorable cut. . . .

Hope you heal quickly. Never had a shoulder issue. Other issues, such as ankle and knee, I just let heal, and got lucky. Back in February, a close friend hit a tree skiiing with his shoulder, and he tried to tough it out, but he is going for a surgery consult, not in NJ.

 

[DJ Spanky]

Take it real easy until you see the ortho. After that follow PT to the letter, and make sure they lay out what you can and cannot do at home. Your rehab is key to the future strength and mobility in that shoulder.

Perhaps we can get some of our experts to chime in here. @LETSGORU91

 

[tom1944]

Sue the town!!!!!!
Sidewalks are also a big issue, especially since old people like to walk around. We redid the sidewalks in our two big age-restricted neighborhoods. Gotta protect those folks.

Not my style

I handle IP (intellectual property) law, but willing to venture into IP Law for a favorable cut. . . .

Hope you heal quickly. Never had a shoulder issue. Other issues, such as ankle and knee, I just let heal, and got lucky. Back in February, a close friend hit a tree skiiing with his shoulder, and he tried to tough it out, but he is going for a surgery consult, not in NJ.

Sorry there will be no lawsuit

I just want a cut of the proceeds when the video of me flailing as I tried not to fall goes viral.

 

[MURF87]

So I took a tumble and dislocated my shoulder last week.

It was reset but I have very limited range of motion so far.

I have pain at certain points but none when my arm is in the sling

Anyone have experience with a dislocation and want to give me an idea on what to expect

Feel free to chime in if you stayed at a Holiday Inn Express also

I see the orthopedic next week

I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express recently, but I did dislocate my right shoulder TWICE in the span of seven weeks in 2021. First time was doing indoor skydiving (iFly), the next was while taking an introductory scuba diving lesson in a pool. Seriously. I might be the only person in the world who dislocated a shoulder while gently swimming underwater!!!....lol!

I'll second those like Spanky who note to rest it up and when it comes to PT, make sure you follow through and be religious about home PT exercises. I expect that the ortho will preform strength and mobility tests. Depending on the results, might order an MRI with contrast to see potential damage.

Assuming no surgery needed, you'll likely have a course of PT. Again, follow it diligently. The main goal is to strengthen the capsule so that the chances of follow on dislocations are minimized. Stability in the area is key, because as others noted, once you dislocate the shoulder, the odds of follow on dislocations increase. In my case, I had a history of trouble with this shoulder: subluxation during my HS baseball days at Central Regional HS; a frozen shoulder and arthroscopic release in 2017; and then the two dislocations in 2021. Ended up having Latarjet surgery (https://www.orthovirginia.com/latarjet-shoulder-reconstruction/) to minimize any chance of future dislocations - I basically have a pretty full range of motion, just that the muscles tend to tire easily and my throwing motion for tossing a ball for the dog to chase is still awkward.

Hope all goes well for you!

 

[tom1944]

I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express recently, but I did dislocate my right shoulder TWICE in the span of seven weeks in 2021. First time was doing indoor skydiving (iFly), the next was while taking an introductory scuba diving lesson in a pool. Seriously. I might be the only person in the world who dislocated a shoulder while gently swimming underwater!!!....lol!

I'll second those like Spanky who note to rest it up and when it comes to PT, make sure you follow through and be religious about home PT exercises. I expect that the ortho will preform strength and mobility tests. Depending on the results, might order an MRI with contrast to see potential damage.

Assuming no surgery needed, you'll likely have a course of PT. Again, follow it diligently. The main goal is to strengthen the capsule so that the chances of follow on dislocations are minimized. Stability in the area is key, because as others noted, once you dislocate the shoulder, the odds of follow on dislocations increase. In my case, I had a history of trouble with this shoulder: subluxation during my HS baseball days at Central Regional HS; a frozen shoulder and arthroscopic release in 2017; and then the two dislocations in 2021. Ended up having Latarjet surgery (https://www.orthovirginia.com/latarjet-shoulder-reconstruction/) to minimize any chance of future dislocations - I basically have a pretty full range of motion, just that the muscles tend to tire easily and my throwing motion for tossing a ball for the dog to chase is still awkward.

Hope all goes well for you!

Thank you

Apparently my dislocation came with a hairline fracture of my upper arm also.

The hairline fracture is what is causing the pain when my arm is moved in certain positions.

Not much to do until the fracture heals

 

[MURF87]

Thank you

Apparently my dislocation came with a hairline fracture of my upper arm also.

The hairline fracture is what is causing the pain when my arm is moved in certain positions.

Not much to do until the fracture heals

ouch! yeah, my MRI showed I had a Hill-Sachs fracture. So i had that going for me as well.
What was interesting (and painful) for me was the first dislocation, EMS came, gave me pain meds and muscle relaxer via IV, and when I was getting wheeled into the ambulance I felt and heard a pop in the shoulder. It reset itself. The relaxer did enough to loosen the muscles and it slipped back in place. Once it popped back, pain went away. Second one I wasn't as fortunate. EMS couldn't get an IV to stay and gave some intranasal meds... didn't work for me. Had to have ER doc set it in one direction, then come back 20 mins later to set it again into its spot. Boy was I in pain, but again, once it was completely set, pain went away. That's why i elected the surgery. Didn't want to have to worry about that pain again.

 

[jakeknight]

Assuming it is back in place and no surgical intervention is needed, acupuncture could give you some relief from the pain and improve range of motion. It will not fix a structural problem. I was skeptical at first but the results removed my skepticism. I used a women in Princeton, Helen Law. May not work for everybody but I did get reduction in pain and it helped my range of motion.

 

[MURF87]

Assuming it is back in place and no surgical intervention is needed, acupuncture could give you some relief from the pain and improve range of motion. It will not fix a structural problem. I was skeptical at first but the results removed my skepticism. I used a women in Princeton, Helen Law. May not work for everybody but I did get reduction in pain and it helped my range of motion.

Thanks for this. I might give it a try for the residual aches I have in my shoulder. I notice that when I get a massage in that area that my arm shoulder feels stronger. Perhaps due to increased blood flow? Certainly acupuncture is worth a try.

 

[NickRU714]

I would advise to not get it fixed.
Just in case you ever end up in a straightjacket and need to get out.