Shoulder injuries, any docs out there?

The Columbia sniper thread got me thinkin about an injury i've been living with for about 5 years now.. I got sniped on a w2w 180 and subluxated my shoulder, also known as a partial dislocation. It only comes out of socket when my arm is stretched above my head and slightly tilted back while I'm not flexing any muscles. I've never been to the doctor as every time it happens I usually get it back in place within 5 min... I've probably done it 30 something times now too... It hurts like hell and has given me a HUGE mental block on trying anything w2w now... I'm guessing this needs a surgery, just curious to the recovery time..

I have the same problem. I broke my collar bone about 4 years ago and any fall in the water with my arm over my head dislocates my shoulder. My neighbor is a doctor and he said that surgery can fix it. I guess what they do is take some of your pec muscle and some of your bicep muscle and criss-cross the muscles across the front of your shoulder

Could be a number of issues from muscles (rotator cuff, etc), tear in the labrum, etc. Your best bet is to just go to an Orthopedist and have them check it out, may need an xray/mri to figure out. You might be able to get it better with just strengthening/therapy or might need surgery. Mine did that for years before I finally got it checked out & repaired. I wish I had done it much earlier.

I had a similar issue only I had broken my glenoid which is a bone in your shoulder. Just so happens that the part I broke off had the tendons and stuff that hold your shoulder socket in place attached to it. It was sitting an inch out of place, 4 hour surgery and 6 months of rehab before it was better. It was a full year until it was back to roughly full strength. Like Pat O said go see an Orthopedist and see what they say.

i had a dirt bike accident at hatfield and mccoys trails in west virginia. i separated my right shoulder broke some ribs and had a grade 3 concussion [the worst].when they did the mri they found out i had fractured mt collarbone a long time ago . another dirt bike wreck i suspect. i went to a chiropractor and he fixed me right up in about 3 visits.i have found chiropractors work to make you feel better and heal quicker also get your muscles stronger so it won't happen again.doctors PRACTICE medicine. sometimes good sometimes not so well.

If you are chronically dislocating I think surgery is the best option. Rehab and training can minimize your dislocations but not totally eliminate them assuming you have some kind of damage in your shoulder like a torn tendon. Both of my shoulders have not dislocated after surgey where previously they were popping out a couple of times each month for years.

Surgery will tighten it up and make dislocation less frequent but more difficult to pop back into place.
I Chipped my scapular (which I guess is that part of the shoulder blade the humorous sits in) and tor and pulled the labrum (ligament that sit around the humors on the scapular) down under the scapular.
I waited about 7 years to do anything about it. it was to the point where it would pop out on a regular basis doing anything from landing in the back seat with my arm outstretched to throwing a football ( or anything for that mater) to waking up with it out in my sleep.
I had surgery had a 6 month recovery with three months of my should being immobile, three months of very limited movement and another three of physical therapy.
It has never felt 100% with it being especially uncomfortable when above my head.
Today I dislocated it for the first time scene surgery. I could get it back in by myself or with the help of anyone in the boat and ended up in ER with 5 hot nurses tugging it back in place and have now been told to wear a brace for three weeks (we'll see about that, maybe a night or two) One of the nurses gave me some tips on how to have buddy pop it back if it happens again.
Moral of the story is surgery does help stabilize it for the most part but will not make it 100% I was told by my surgeon after surgery that this will be a life long injury that is more than likely to reoccur.

yep robbie same with me. i had 4 dislocations before i had surgery. the doc said my labrum was torn almost to the 9 of a clock (it was torn all almost 75 percent of the way around). he said he almost could not repair it and would have had to send me to a specialist somewhere up north who was one of the top shoulder surgeons. anyways, i had the surgery, did pt for about 4 months, and was released. i slacked off on the working out and a little over a year later out it came on a 3 wakeboarding when i slid out the back. since then i went back and he suggested surgery again, but i didn't have the money. i've jus been really working it out consistently and wearing a brace every time i ride. this is an injury that can continue to reoccur of you don't take precaution. i would suggest talking with a doc and seeing what's wrong. no matter what you do, make sure to always work it out and wear a brace. the brace is more of a mental reminder than anything, because i have heard people say on here that it can still dislocate with a brace. good luck man.

Dislocations are a bitch. My 16 year old daughter had a tear in her left labrum repaired this spring which means no wakeboarding this summer, snowboarding is her true love so it was a good time to do it. But both of her shoulders are so naturally lose that she can basically pop her shoulders out at will with hardly any pain. Her orthopedist says there are ways to fix that but I am a bit leary about operations like that. Repairing a torn tendom is a no-brainer but tightning up a entire shoulder seems risky to me.

i've had the same injury...would pop out and pop back in almost instantly. hurt like a mofo! doc said surgery's an option but not a guaranteed fix. i learned to just deal with it and just kept doing what i was doing; riding, basketball, softball. i have no idea what i did right, but it rarely happens now. *knockin' on wood*

maybe see a physical therapist is what i can suggest.

mmm

I've had two surgeries on the same shoulder from subluxations. First surgery lasted about a year. I only went back to my doc for the second surgery after I was having dislocations for normal everyday use. Surgery will make it better, but I don't know if you can ever fully recover. They say that once you dislocate it, you are a higher risk of it happening again. I was released after 4 months of recovery on the first surgery and 6 months on the second. Get the surgery if your doc suggests it and learn to ride with a sling. This is the one I use: http://www.betterbraces.com/donjoy-shoulder-stabilizer

Thanks for the link Paul! If my arm subfluxates in the upper position, will that brace keep my arm from rotating up towards my dislocation area?

It will definitely help keep it within the allowable range of motion but I wouldn't say it's going to keep you safe 100% of the time. For me I wear this and then use duct tape on top of it which I wrap around my deltoid and waist. My joint is a little shot from all the subluxations and the doctor likened my arm to a golf ball sitting on a tee that doesn't have a full rim to keep the ball from slipping off. I use the duct tape to give me that extra feeling of security and strength that I had before my shoulder went to crap. Here's a pic of me with the brace and tape.

It sucks riding with the brace but it's better than nothing. It hasn't really impacted me on inverts but it sucks for spins. Your subluxation point sounds to be in the same spot as mine. Order the brace and see if it helps. Even if you need the surgery, you are going to want to wear the brace after surgery. Good luck!

Thanks again Paul... I'm putting my order in now...

There is another brace called the jump-sling that you might want to look into as well. It basically locks your arm toward on your side but it's possible your arm will slip out even if it's not above your head. Mine certainly did and I found out the hard way using the jump sling. Originally I thought it would help but my arm will subluxate if there is enough force on an external rotation. Put your arm on your side, bend at the elbow 90 degrees (as if you are holding the steering wheel on a car) keeping your elbow locked on the sides, then have someone push on your fist as if to force your arm toward your back. If it feels weak or like it's going to slip out, stay away from the jump-sling. You may actually find that enough external rotation will cause it to slip out, not just getting your arm above your head. If this is the case, a simple 180 with enough force on your bad arm may cause it to slip out. Check with an ortho doc because they will likely test you for this.