INJURY! Seperated shoulder

[Fit2Serve]

Hoping to hear some good news about recovering from a seperated shoulder.

i hurt mine months ago and tried shaking it off. didnt work out for few months so didnt notice it too much. then worked out shortly after new years and when i got home OMG bone is poking out of the top of shoulder. and for couple months hand goes numb... the bone sticking up has never been so prominent.

anyway, what do i do? go to ER? Skip general prac and go straight to specialist? if so what specialist?
a buddy of mine said a chiro can fix a seperated shoulder, is that true?
til i get into doc i am thinking i will buy a sling....?
-F2S

 

[gotgame]

Hoping to hear some good news about recovering from a seperated shoulder.

i hurt mine months ago and tried shaking it off. didnt work out for few months so didnt notice it too much. then worked out shortly after new years and when i got home OMG bone is poking out of the top of shoulder. and for couple months hand goes numb... the bone sticking up has never been so prominent.

anyway, what do i do? go to ER? Skip general prac and go straight to specialist? if so what specialist?
a buddy of mine said a chiro can fix a seperated shoulder, is that true?
til i get into doc i am thinking i will buy a sling....?
-F2S

you dislocated your shoulder?

 

[para]

Hoping to hear some good news about recovering from a seperated shoulder.

i hurt mine months ago and tried shaking it off. didnt work out for few months so didnt notice it too much. then worked out shortly after new years and when i got home OMG bone is poking out of the top of shoulder. and for couple months hand goes numb... the bone sticking up has never been so prominent.

anyway, what do i do? go to ER? Skip general prac and go straight to specialist? if so what specialist?
a buddy of mine said a chiro can fix a seperated shoulder, is that true?
til i get into doc i am thinking i will buy a sling....?
-F2S

There is not much you can do. It's called an AC joint separation. Basically, you tore some or all of the ligaments that hold your clavicle in place. There are three grades of AC separations. If it's a type I or II it may heal with rest and none usage. If it's III, forget about it. I highly doubt a chiropractor cold help at all and would hurt like a mofo. I have a III from 20 years ago and had surgery twice. Once they tried to pin it down with screws. That didn't last so the second time they cut off the end of it off so it did stick up so much. Looking back on it, I wish I would have just let it be. It's a super common injuring in football and hockey. Often it happens when you fall with an outstretched arm. Hurts like hell and your arm strength is affected while it's healing. I'd go to a GP and or a Orthopedic surgeon.

 

[tenny]

have a pic...???

 

[maldorf]

Yeah, go to a general practitioner, a family doc, and have him refer you to a good specialist. If you need surgery then it would be a surgeon.

I separated mine, looking at the diagram here I would say mine was only a I. Mine happened when I wrecked my car into the cement wall on a major US interstate highway going 60 mph! Flipped my car over on its roof and I slid about 20 feet or more down the highway. The shoulder harness of my seat belt caused my separation when I hit the wall and flipped over.

I didn't do a thing for mine except not train for about 2 months and then slowly got back into it lifting light weights with high reps. That worked for me. Yours sounds worse though since you say the bone is sticking up out of your shoulder. My bone was sticking up a lot more than usual but yours sounds worse. You may have completely severed the ligament that holds the clavicle to the scapula.

I hope that surgery might repair yours. Mine is ok now but it will never be the same. If I would ever lift really heavy, 1-3 reps, it would be sore the next day or two. With me the ligament is all stretched out and that joint is looser than it is supposed to be. I sprained my wrist really bad once and its the same way now. I can wiggle the end of my ulna bone all around inside my wrist now. The joint will be weak.

 

[Ashop]

Hoping to hear some good news about recovering from a seperated shoulder.

i hurt mine months ago and tried shaking it off. didnt work out for few months so didnt notice it too much. then worked out shortly after new years and when i got home OMG bone is poking out of the top of shoulder. and for couple months hand goes numb... the bone sticking up has never been so prominent.

anyway, what do i do? go to ER? Skip general prac and go straight to specialist? if so what specialist?
a buddy of mine said a chiro can fix a seperated shoulder, is that true?
til i get into doc i am thinking i will buy a sling....?
-F2S

I would go straight to an ortho specialist doctor ASAP and skip the middleman unless you have to get a referral.

 

[buck]

When dealing with a specialist. I always go with a Orthopedic Sports Medicine Surgeon. Much more likely to get the care I need rather then just my ortho Surgeon. I check Dr.s out myself rather then just go with who ever my GP recommends as they are just in their network.

 

[Fit2Serve]

you dislocated your shoulder?

seperated it. different than dislocation.
-F2S

 

[Fit2Serve]

thank you guys SO MUCH for the feedback.

from diagrams above mine is DEF a III seperation. i am so upset about it now.... UGH. wanted to get on stage again. not sure thats gonna ever be in the cards.
will try to skip gen prac and go to specialst. ortheopedic.
suuuucks.
-F2S

 

[little slice]

damn bro sorry to hear that

 

[maldorf]

thank you guys SO MUCH for the feedback.

from diagrams above mine is DEF a III seperation. i am so upset about it now.... UGH. wanted to get on stage again. not sure thats gonna ever be in the cards.
will try to skip gen prac and go to specialst. ortheopedic.
suuuucks.
-F2S

I would talk more with Para about what happened with him since it sounds like he had the same thing.

Mine was just like a I and not nearly as bad. It did not really negatively affect me too much except for the 6 months or so following the injury.

 

[Jaythomas]

Tore my clavicle loose in a ski accident, bone was sticking straight up. But with rehab and significant rehab time it scared over and is a good as new now... if I had let them operate I wouldn't have been able to raise my arm above my head.... (its a common football injury)

 

[concreter]

I tore mine back in my 20's playing football. The other team actually took my out on purpose after dominating most of the game.
At the ER They said they were going to pin it. That was until They asked about insurance which I thought I did not have. They quickly changed there Tune and said the muscle should pull it back into place...lol
I was in a sling for 2 weeks and no lifting for 2 mnths.
It has never bothered me since. Yours should of healed on it's own by now if was going too.

Side story: They gave me some pain meds to help. When I got home my Dad advised me that if they did not work to have a couple Beers with them.lol
This was also back in the Hayday of my asskickin and my Father figured word my get out that I was Injured and some my look at it as an opportunity for Payback.
So on top of the meds, and beer he also gave me his Beretta as Protection!!!
Gotta Love the Italians......

 

[2swole79]

I agree go to a Sports med ortho...I'm not sure you are grade 3...I suffered an AC separation playing football on a tackle. Mine was a pretty severe one but didn't tear the connective tissues, rather kind of permanently stretched them out... I guess a severe grade 2. I had to work with a Physical therapist for around 3+ months if I remember, and was never able to throw a baseball overhand again. It still bothers me at 37, this was in college 15+ years ago. If you are a true grade 3 I would have a hard time thinking you would have even considered trying to lift on it that soon...at 2-3 weeks later I was still struggling to lift my arm overhead on its own with no weights...so you might not be as bad off as you think. Definitely get it checked out, you don't want it to get reinjured or otherwise misdiagnosed if you're serious about your training...