# shoulder injury question



## Robert Wareheim (Feb 11, 2011)

Hello, my name is Robert Wareheim and I live in Maine and am an avid rider. I dislocated my shoulder at the begining of January and it was out for a good five hours or so. The doc said with the appropriate brace I might be able to get in a couple days of easy riding right about now, but of course, the brace is not that cheap. I was wondering if anyone could tell me how much some braces help and if it's worth risking further injury and surgery or not.
Sincerely,
Rob W.


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## MR_JOSHUA (Feb 23, 2011)

I'd say don't risk it. Even with a shoulder brace, lots can happen.


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## mbesp (Jan 30, 2009)

what kind of brace did he recomend? My shoulder has been all messed up since a partial dislocation back in the day. Now it can partial dislocate quite easily. That gets old fast.


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## Robert Wareheim (Feb 11, 2011)

Hi and thanks for the advice. I have kind of been thinking that, as much as I love to ride, I also love not needing surgery. I'm kind of on the fence still, though.


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## Robert Wareheim (Feb 11, 2011)

The doc reccomended a Don Joy brace that wraps around all funky and has a rigid strap that restricts movement all together in the necessary areas. It has not arrived yet, but it looks like something that a guy will only want to use as a temporary assistant to healing and not a permenant "solution". If you like, I can get you the exact specs. within the next couple of days so that you can ask your doctor. 
I figured it's probably a good thing to have on hand for other stuff too, like football or snowmobiling. (Quite possibly the second and third greatest forms of recreation respectively)
Anyway, thanks for replying.
Rob


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## Graphic Nature (Jan 2, 2010)

The brace is going to be a hell of a lot cheaper than surgery!! trust me!

I have been wearing this for about 2 weeks now and its great Amazon.com: EVS SB02 Shoulder Brace - Large/Black: Automotive


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## MR_JOSHUA (Feb 23, 2011)

*So...*

Graphic - would that brace help avoid "falling on overextened arm"?


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## Graphic Nature (Jan 2, 2010)

MR_JOSHUA said:


> Graphic - would that brace help avoid "falling on overextened arm"?


That im not too sure about. I tore the ligiments in my shoulder and had surgery, and this brace pulls my shoulder both in and down.


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## mbesp (Jan 30, 2009)

dang that might be what i need. F'n thing poped out couple weeks ago. Think i messed it up more or soemthign cause it is still bothering me. What kind of recovery time did you go through after your surgery graphic?


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## Graphic Nature (Jan 2, 2010)

mbesp said:


> dang that might be what i need. F'n thing poped out couple weeks ago. Think i messed it up more or soemthign cause it is still bothering me. What kind of recovery time did you go through after your surgery graphic?


Is the bone sticking up? I had surgery on 2/15/11 and couldn't really use it for a week....pretty painful at first, then it got better. I could of been back up the mountain a couple weeks ago, but with the money I have already dumped into this thing, I wasn't about to flush it down the toilet. The dr. told me about 3 months before I could really start lifting any sort of really heavy weights.


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## mbesp (Jan 30, 2009)

I think my shoulder sits normal but i know i've had a small tear in my rotator cuff for maybe 10 years now. Also the ball shaped part of my arm bone has a flat spot. It has never gotten completely out of socket it always up onto the ridge of the cup part of the socket.
I guess i wouldn't be able to get it back in by myself if it made it all the way out.


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## cjcameron11 (Feb 5, 2011)

I can honestly say that a brace may prevent a dislocation if you have a slight knock or bump but if you fall on it hard or awkwardly a brace or tape won't do shot to prevent it popping out again. I know a fair bit about shoulder injuries as I dislocated my right shoulder and did a grade 3 AC joint separation on my left shoulder, I did hard rehab every day for 6 months for both injuries and I swear it is the only way to truly prevent re injuring an touch wood have not had a problem since. I have heard that if you dislocated you are 80% likely to do it again, thankfully so far I have not and I have played top level bball for 6 years since the dislocation. Bits all about rehab and strengthening your muscles and making sure the capsule is well supported by healthy tendons and ligaments, just my 2 cents


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## mbesp (Jan 30, 2009)

Yeah i do have some exercises i should probably be doing for it. The thing is that while it will pop out if i land on it funny most of the time it pops out if i get off balance and swing my arm back. I'm pretty sure that if i wanted to i could get it to pop out whenever by swining it back.


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## cjcameron11 (Feb 5, 2011)

Yeah that pretty much means the that ligaments and muscles are so loose that they are not doing their job. Surgery for you may be the only way to tighten these up, now i dont know for sure but i have heard that surgery can go either way with shoulders, as in it works or it doesnt, but yeah if you can live with it then great if not then i dont think the exercises will help too much.


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## Graphic Nature (Jan 2, 2010)

I had a AC 3 tear, and chose the surgery route. They used a Orthoband to pull the clavix down. From what I was told, it works kinda like chinese handcuffs...the more its pulled, the tighter it gets.


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## mbesp (Jan 30, 2009)

cjcameron11 said:


> Yeah that pretty much means the that ligaments and muscles are so loose that they are not doing their job. Surgery for you may be the only way to tighten these up, now i dont know for sure but i have heard that surgery can go either way with shoulders, as in it works or it doesnt, but yeah if you can live with it then great if not then i dont think the exercises will help too much.



Hmm I've been kinda thinking that is what it is coming down too. Such a pain.





Graphic Nature said:


> I had a AC 3 tear, and chose the surgery route. They used a Orthoband to pull the clavix down. From what I was told, it works kinda like chinese handcuffs...the more its pulled, the tighter it gets.


I,m gonna have to get a shoulder diagram haha. I like the sound of the more it is pulled the tighter it gets though. How is your range of motion now after the surgery?


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## Graphic Nature (Jan 2, 2010)

mbesp said:


> I,m gonna have to get a shoulder diagram haha. I like the sound of the more it is pulled the tighter it gets though. How is your range of motion now after the surgery?


So far with self-taught physical therapy (web / youtube), I have excellent motion. I hope to start adding weights this week.


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## mbesp (Jan 30, 2009)

Hmm that sounds good at least. I can tell the range in my left shoulder is worse than the right. Like if I lay on my back and put both my arms up over my head. My right hand will easily be on the ground where the left will float and then over time make it to the ground.


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## chrisbryan89 (Mar 27, 2011)

Graphic Nature said:


> The brace is going to be a hell of a lot cheaper than surgery!! trust me!
> 
> I have been wearing this for about 2 weeks now and its great Amazon.com: EVS SB02 Shoulder Brace - Large/Black: Automotive


I have been using this same brace ever since I tore my rotator cuff about a year and a half ago. Best $30 I ever spent. I can't lift without it tho and will probably have to keep wearing something similar till the day I die. Kind of a pain in the ass but worth it to avoid further injury


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## cjcameron11 (Feb 5, 2011)

Instead of relying on a brace for the rest of your life which will eventually make the joint less stable how bout you try some rehab and strengthening exercises. I have had my fair share of injuries and i do believe that braces have their place (knee brace, ankle brace, back, neck etc) but to brace a shoulder is not only extremely difficult to do but it is sometimes pointless depending on the activity you partake in. As im sure you know the shoulder is a ball and socket joint, which like the hip gives us the abilty to have the maximum amount of rotation and movement compared to a elbow or knee which allows for limited movement. This basically means even if braced if you fall at the right (or wrong) angle while snowboarding the brace will not and physically cannot stop you from re-injuring the shoulder. Thus physical work on the joint is the only sure way to make everything stronger and less prone to injury, even if you are past the point of rehab and surgery is the only option then strength training will help you recover faster after having the surgery. There are heaps of options online to find exercises and info, here are some i like

Rotator Cuff Tears - All About Rotator Cuff Tears

http://www.physioadvisor.com.au/8043750/rotator-cuff-tear-torn-rotator-cuff-physioadvi.htm


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## chrisbryan89 (Mar 27, 2011)

I've done alot of rehab and strengthening excercises, and my shoulder has returned to 90% of what it was. However, as most people who have had shoulder injuries with or without surgery, know that once you injure your shoulder it never returns to 100% strength. The brace just helps support the shoulder and gives a little peace of mind. If you are rehabing an injury it's a great way to keep your shoulder supported and can allow you to keep doing the activities you love to do in your life. Depending on how severe your injury is of course.


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## cjcameron11 (Feb 5, 2011)

while i agree that most people dont return to 100% i firmly believe this is due to lack of rehab and/or lack of knowledge about the right type of rehab, and of course after rehab weight training. I dislocated my right shoulder in 05 and missed 3 games (bball) mid season, after that it took me almost a year but i got to have (and still do) a shoulder that is more stable and stronger than it was before. I was doing rehab the morning after the injury and yes i did have the advantage of having a college medical staff to help with treatment but i still took it upon myself to do rehab and strength exercises all day everyday for about 9 months so i was better than before. I know everyone is different and it may be that they way i fell i minimised the ligament damage but constant weight training and physio is the key. I also popped my left AC joint in 2001 and also did the same sort of stuff and again the same result, IMO its all about hard work and rehab managment


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## chrisbryan89 (Mar 27, 2011)

I do agree that to properly rehab an injury, especially in the shoulder, you have to put forth the effort. If you do self rehab daily you can reuturn it to former strength. It definitely takes time and work on your part to fix it, and a brace itself is never going to heal an injury, or prevent further harm. But it does provide support.


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## psychosaif (Nov 11, 2009)

Does any know if you can pop out a shoulder while wearing a brace? if so, is it even more difficult to put it back in place with the brace on? I just bought a EVS brace for this season but im nervous of this happening or am i not making sense at all?


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## cjcameron11 (Feb 5, 2011)

Yes it is very possible, I know 2 people who have dislocated while wearing a brace or having their shoulder taped. As far as putting it back in, I honestly don't know. In sure google may help with that question


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## kpd2003 (Sep 8, 2011)

Hate to say it but with shoulder injuries once its happened you are in for a long journey. Certain things that seem trivial will cause you to ache, or even worse, get a sudden "flash" of pain that can send your head into a huge daze. 

My key is to be more _reactive_ than proactive - Know how to "pop" your shoulder back into place. It's not going to be fun and the pain can suck really bad but it's important to be able to do if you have nobody around. Also, the longer the shoulder stays out of place the worse damage you are doing to your tendons and muscles. Your doc can give you some basic tips but you will only truly know when you've had the shoulder dislocate and can successfuly get it back to place.

I have to put my dislocated arm between my legs and pull hard from both sides


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## psychosaif (Nov 11, 2009)

Thanks for reply guys. I have popped mine about 5 times and i was able to put it back in immediately. What sucks is that it pops from very basic spills, kinda all of sudden, im sure you guys know what im talking about. Im going to try out the brace and see what it does for me, hopefully more good than harm.


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## cjcameron11 (Feb 5, 2011)

anything is worth a try thats for sure, if it helps then thats great if not you have only lost some money


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