Last Sunday, went up and over the bars and slammed down on my right shoulder… First prognosis… 2nd degree AC-Shoulder Separation.
Recovery time… 4-6 weeks.
Anyone have real life recovery.
I’m 35 so youth is not on myside, even though after the crash, I’m walking around saying “I’ll just be a little sore.” Like I was 21 again…
You’ll probably feel like you’ve got your range of motion back and can put pressure on your arms (i.e., on the handlebars) again in just a couple of weeks - DON"T!!
Give your best effort in trying to fully recover from this, or else it could haunt you forever.
Case in point: I first dislocated my left shoulder in high school playing a pick-up game of pad-less tackle football. Cracked my collar bone as well. Never let it properly heal and it effectively ended my wrestling career not long after that with a second fracture/dislocation.
That’s now more than 21 years ago. Just two nights ago, my shoulder slipped from it’s socket (for the umpteenth time) while I was turning over in bed; sometimes, all it takes is a good hard sneeze, and I’m writhing in pain, doing my best Bruce Willis impression - slamming my arm into a wall to get it back in place.
I know I need surgery, but due to my severe allergy to doctors I’ve instead tried to keep it in check with a good strength building program - which has thus far given me lot’s of improvement.
So, to make a long story endless - LET IT HEAL now!!
I did something similar in college. I do remember it taking about 2 months to be mostly back to normal, but it was still possible to make motions which hurt for quite a while.
The downside is that it will hurt for a while, the upside is with the clavical not so firmly attached to the acromium, you get a greater range of motion.
Ryan
AC Separation is vastly different than dislocated (another post).
In my case…it never healed. I have a significant bump and loss of range of motion. One side of my body slopes down quicker than the other and shirts don’t always fit right. However, that is what got me into triathlon b/c it ended my hockey career…now, I’d consider it a net gain. At the time, I was very depressed…
As for recovery, ice and stretches (as soon as you’re able).
Welcome to the club.
I agree with the 4-6 weeks timeframe for recovery. I felt like I could do most things after a couple of weeks but I couldn’t swim or bike comfortably for about 5 weeks. My collar bone still sticks out but I don’t have any problems with range of motion or pain in the joint. The only time i ever notice it is when I try to bench press heavy weight.
I had a similar injury a few years ago. It took me about a month, before I could use my arm at all. And maybe 3-4 months before I was back to ‘normal’. I lost a ton of strength and mobility, but it’s mostly all back now. The shoulder is prone to achiness even now and I don’t do bench presses anymore at all because it’s very uncomfortable (not painfull exactly, but uncomfortable; mainly I don’t another injury, potentially more serious).
Best advice I received was from a Kiwi phsycial therapist: don’t push it; take it slow; concentrate on form in your recovery; DO YOUR PT.
I had a stage 3 seperation from a crash in Feb 03. It’s just now getting back to normal. Cronic pain and sleepless nights for one year.
Dave
Dislocated mine back in '89 while at work (tackling a shoplifter, no less). Diagnosed as a muscle strain until I pushed myself up in bed the next a.m. and it came out completely.
Dislocated it another 4 times, had surgery ('scoped it), then dislocated it another 3 times, just for the hell of it. Haven’t done it in over a decade now, so maybe I’m on a hot streak.
By the way, it was Mel Gibson, not Bruce Willis.
TGL,
Sorry about your shoulder. There’s a lot of misinformation out there.
First, there’s a huge difference between shoulder dislocation (the ball slipping out of joint with the glenoid) and AC separation (the clavicle getting disrupted from it’s articulation with the acromion). The former is usually way worse. Yours is the latter.
Grade 1 means injured but not displaced; grade 3 means all the way off the acromion. Grade 2 is injured and only partly displaced, but still articulating with the acromion.
It’s common to lose some strength permanently (maybe 10%?) and to note some permanent twinges of discomfort with some positioning, but you should be back to full activity within 6-8 weeks.
A word to the wise: if your discomfort changes your bike or run mechanics, then you should wait to return to training until you can run or ride normally. There can be a domino effect - sore shoulder begets sore hip or sore back. I have seen this and it’s not pretty. Definitely smarter to wait a bit longer rather than not quite long enough.
Send me a note if you want more info. I take care of a lot of this sort of stuff. And remember, like I always say: Free medical advice is worth exactly what you pay for it.
Best of luck,
El Guapo
Nice post.
I’ve only had experience with shoulder dislocation and not AC separation and in my experience, it’s something that never heals. It feels better, but continues to come out. It’s true for me even since I had surgery.
Anyway, good luck with your (different) injury. Take time to heal, there’s always more races.