First degree is practiclly nothing. you should be back in action in about 5 weeks with proper care. DO your exercises. and DON'T put any force on it at all for at least three weeks. If you stress it out too early you will develop a permanant gap in the tendon connection point and it will never heal properly. It's the off season, lift the beers with the other hand for a few weeks.

Karma

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Dave Stark
dreamcatcher@astound.net
USAC & USAT level 2 certified coach

The shoulder is a funny piece of machinery....

Some guys snap back, others do not. 10 years later and I'm still not even 85%, but that is why I stopped lifting weights and started this triathlon mess...so I can't complain.



Good luck. If I could go back in time, I would have listened to the PT folks and did more of those "stupid" stretches and movements.

I'm loathe to ask this question:

I have a spot in this Sunday's Chicago Marathon. Doc has given the go ahead if it feels ok. He said that I can run without the sling.

thoughts?

B.

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http://www.teamorganicnyc.com
Sponsored by: TBA

I had a 3rd degree separation left and minor right AC injury (along with rib fractures, sternal fractures, pneumothorax and concussion) in May. Within a week I was riding on a recumbent lifecycle at the gym. After a couple of weeks I was on a stepper and was riding (spinning) my bike on a trainer, with the front end way up in the air (10%) holding on to the stem. From there I gradually lowered the front. I was running by 5-6 weeks, but the big holdup there was the rib pain. I could have run within 3 weeks, otherwise. Finally, I was riding on the street in about 7-8 weeks. I was swimming with Doug Stern's sewing machine drill within 6 weeks. I found that the best way to sleep on my side was to put 2 pillows under my head and 1 pillow under my chest. this left a void where I could hang my shoulder. I'm 55.

You'll be back sooner than you think.

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_________________
Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

I had 3rd degree separation. This is complete ligament disruption. To fix it requires surgery. The other option is to allow the shoulder muscles to hold stuff together. I chose the second option. Sling for a couple of days. Riding to work in a week, group riding in two weeks, racing (TT) in four weeks. Your results may vary.

I separated my shoulder quite badly in a bike race crash about 10 years ago. I can't remember the classification of severity, just that it disfigured my shoulder (I have a really amusing looking hump on my shoulder now), and that surgery was an option.

The race was at the end of my season so I'm a little fuzzy about the details as to my rehab and how it affected my riding and stuff (except that I couldn't for about a month), but I do know that it took me over a year before I was able to do pushups, bench presses or pullups without pain or discomfort.

Brian,

I am in week 12 of recovery from a 1-2 grade A/C seperation. As some have already stated this is a very individual issue. I envy those who were back on the bike in a couple of weeks and swimming a few more later. I am not. Started running after about 8 weeks (5K) but had to ice afterwords. It was surprising that this was one activity that was relatively pain free. A marathon is a horse of a different color. This also depends on you. If you are confortable with maybe not finishing then go ahead but don't run through the pain. Right now I can do push-ups but not dumbbell presses. Not enough stability yet. I can ride but the bike was trashed in the wreck. Waiting on the new one.

To sum up...Do what you can do pain free. Do your rehab and as it is the of season, do your 12 oz curls. Good Luck. All your shoulder impaired friends are behind you!!

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Gary, BS, CSCS, USAT II, USAC III, USATF I
http://www.tothemaxfit.com
http://www.fitnessredefined.com
"Only those that have gone too far, know how far they can go"

I also had a type 1 shoulder separation last christmas from a bike crash. It was a little more than a sprain and though I could still do a few things, swimming was a bit of a problem. Got in a lot of kicking drills :) It remained sore for about 5-6 weeks but healed fine before the season started. Running with it was no problem but each case has to be individually evaluated.

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John
"A profoundly peaceful run; a gift to myself" Frazz