I have a AC joint separation (grade 3) from a bike accident. I don’t plan on having surgery. Any readers have experience w/ this injury? How long did it take to get back to swim, bike & run regimen (respectively) again?
further,
Last year George Hincape separated his shoulder when he broke his fork steerer in Paris Roubaix. You should check his injury (what grade his separation was) to see if it was as severe as yours.
Now George was an elite athlete in top physical condition and he went on some kind of a “specialized” conditioning program in an attempt to avoid surgery and be able to recover in time for the Tour de France in July. He happened to get it done in time to be a possible GC contender at the start of the TDF.
Your recovery may take more or less time depending on how much less or more severe your injury is compared to George’s, how closely your “conditioning/rehabilitation” program matches George’s program and on how closely your fitness level parallels George’s fitness level.
In other words…it depends!
Good luck.
I had a Stage 3, 20 guage separation in my right shoulder from a bike Vs cat crash on Feb 28, 2004. I was able to do the Caliman 1/2 in late may and did IM CDA on June 26, 2004. They each hurt like hell but I was too dumb to admit I needed to take a while off and bag CDA. There was a lot of pain for a long time and it took a year to get 90%. It went the wrong way for a while but I broke the scar tissue that was holding it back on a plane by total accident. It hurt like a bitch for 10 minutes but I gained a huge amount of range in that one moment. It took another year to get another few percent and I don’t think it will ever be 100% back to normal.
Good luck and keep it moving to keep your range of motion.
Dave
There really isn’t an exact time frame for recovery - my senior year in college during football season I seperated my shoulder and while I played the following week I really shouldn’t have - surgery probably isn’t necessary unless you tore some of the ligaments/ cartaledge when you separated it. Best advice would be to find a good physical therapist, that will cut recovery time in 1/2 and really it depends on your tolerance for pain - the only thing that you need a good range of motion for is the swim - so once you get that you’ll be able to go. Ask your doctor if “you can hurt it more”, if the answer is yes then it may be a longer recovery.
“…a lot of pain for a long time…”. I don’t like the sound of that. How soon did you start any range of motion exercises?
I had a #3 seperation this past Feb.24 and by April I was racing my first tri of the season. I had a real painful swim that race, but the doctor had told me 6 to 8 weeks for recovery, so I went for it…by the way I finished 3rd in age group in that race…
“…a lot of pain for a long time…”. I don’t like the sound of that. How soon did you start any range of motion exercises? "
I let the pain be my guide and did as much as I could from the start. The lower you keep your arms the more you can do. Anything with your arm raised takes a while. The good news is I learned to swim correctly and have had no more rotator cuff issues.
Good luck and it will get better with time.
Dave
On Sept 16th, 2007, I did a header over the handlebars and separated my left shoulder (grade III).
10 days out I completed a non competitive century ride…(it was not comfortable, and if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t)
14 days out, I began running again.
30 days out I did my first swim workout.
The only lasting effect is the extremely gross one inch bump I have on my left shoulder…it ain’t goin away, I’m told.
Hang in there…i