Dislocated Shoulder

So I'm riding sunday and having a good time when I throw a crow and land a little tail heavy, so I drag my back hand to stabilize and stand back up, bad landing but I stood back up and rode away fine. I knew my shoulder felt weird but I tried to grab the handle with my left arm but it would not move. I look over at my shoulder and it was very much dislocated. I tried to reach through the handle and pull on my wrist but it wouldn't pop back in. Let go of the handle, sank in the water and gave it another tug, this time it went back in. It really didn't hurt at first, I even tried to ride again after the boat came back around but my arm was too weak to pull the handle so I just got back in the boat and called it a day. (this is my first shoulder dislocation)
A friend of mine gave me an MRI and the result showed a torn labrum. I work around Orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists so I ask everyone what I should do and I am getting alot of mixed advise. Some say do surgery now, and some say wait and see if it continues to dislocate. It really doesn't hurt that bad other than in the morning.

So with all that being said has anyone ever had this happen and if so what did you do.

I have the same problem. I went to 2 doctors who said surgery won't help. I made a brace to keep it from dislocating. Shoulders are weird and easy to mess up. Once you dislocate it once, it seems like its easy to keep doing. It is has really held back my riding. Sometimes I think of all the tricks I would probably be landing if I wasn't always worried about my shoulder popping out.

been there. First time I dislocated on the hockey rink, no surgery. 2nd time wakeboarding about a yr after and ended up messing it up pretty bad. Torn labrum, rotator cuff, SLAP lesion..... so I had to have the surgery. Painful and a pain in the arse but after about 4 months and ALOT of physical therapy, I was cleared by the Dr. I was good for about 3 yrs. Last summer I partially dislocated again twice on the wakeboard then tweaked it again on the snowboard in Jan..... I rested it for a couple of months and started wearing a brace. so far this summer I havn't had any issues. It's a tough call weather to get the surgery now or wait but if I had to do it over, I would probably get the surgery the first time. If I had it fixed then, It might not have come out again and messed it up as bad as it did.

Also I really concentrate on pulling my arm into my chest when I fall. I agree leo, it definetly hinders my riding because it's always in my head.

I blew my shoulder April before this past one. I did mine wakeboarding as well. Mine was exceptionally bad the doc said. I was riding someone elses board for the first time and tried to land a pete wrapped (which was stupid, I normally pass and land fine). Anyway - the board I was on had deep center fins and when I got 'unwound' the heel edge caught but my hand stayed on the handle. The doc said what made mine so bad was that it dislocated out the back where apparently most of them are from side impact, or where the arm is overhead. My shoulder muscles locked up upon dislocation and it took 3 doses of morphine, 2 shots of muscle relaxer and 2 or 3 grown men to get it back in (not certain of the no. as I was higher than a kite).

Like you I got a lot of mixed opinions. The only reason I didnt have the surgery at the time is because my primary ortho told me he personally wouldnt operate on me since it was my first dislocation (even though he said there's a 90% chance Id have future dislocations).

Because I had a very busy summer - I ended up not getting the surgery and rehabbed the hell out of my shoulder. I have always done a lot of shoulder excercises in the gym as it was and built it back up even more. The way it was explained to me, there is connective tissue holding the ball of your shoulder into the socket - mine didnt actually rip but stretched rather. The main protector of your shoulder will be the surrounding muscle, these ligaments are 'back up' so to speak. After you dislocate it, it's not there (atleast as much) to support your shoulder if the muscle is not enough, hence dislocation.

I personally have not had one issue with mine since. When I first started riding again I could feel it a little and I was very weary of it. Now I just make sure not to land anything wrapped with my right arm just in case . But in wakeboarding or any other activity - I can't tell the difference between my right and left.


Obviously this is a case-by-case basis. If you opt for surgery - research the ortho, ive heard it makes a huge difference.

If you don't have surgery - first off rest and give it ample time to heal. Secondly build your shoulder muscles up and keep them in shape.

I guess I just wanted to let you know that you can dislocate your shoulder and it not be the end of the world. Most of the people I talked to who didn't have the surgery ended up having theirs pop out over and over again, and statistics like 90% recurrence rate almost scares you into the surgery. There's also a lot of these people I spoke to I know never hit the gym or stayed in shape. Let us know what you decide...

I am in the gym more than the average person and very active. The injury was sunday and I rode my mountain bike yesterday. It feels pretty sore but I feel like it will go away over the next few weeks. It does however feel very unstable so I know i have to strengthen my shoulder muscles back to tighten it up. I'm going to hold off of surgery for now and if it happens again I'll think about it. I have heard alot of age jokes over the past few days. I will be 30 in Nov. so I guess this really is the beginning of the end.

http://www.evs-sports.com/products/product_details.asp?prodID=35

This is the brace that I've been wearing. I wouldn't say it would prevent a dislocation but it gives me a little bit of a sense of security and it keeps me aware of my problem at the same time.

(Message edited by cdtex14 on September 18, 2007)

ya hold off on the surgery, from what i hear it doesnt do a complete fix. I have poped mine out now over 100 times easy! I have only done it a few times riding though. It goes back in easier and easier. It only hurts maybe 1 out of 10 times and is now usually just sore for a few days. I poped it out on sunday popped it back in and rode more.

Now with that being said i have lost a lot of strength in the arm and it holds me back and trying new tricks

GET THE SURGERY, i waited and waited and waited and the doc said if i wouldnt have popped it out so many times he could of had the shoulder to 100%. I popped it out so many times i chipped about 20% of my bone on my rotator cuff. 2 surgerys and some ti, its about 90% better. I always ride wake and moto with this brace : http://www.mmbrace.com/birdcroninbraces/shouldersupports/sully-shoulderstabilizer1.htm. I am extremely active so it lasts with me almost a year, and thats wearing it about 3-5 times a week. It works! the EVS's are a waste of money. This is the only thing that has a much movement as you want and keeps the shoulder very stable. Well worth the money.

ya that brace tego is the best its very restrictive though. I wore it for 3 yrs playing football.

Yeah i have that same Sully brace. I have dislocated my shoulder like 8 times and some of that time i was wearing the shoulder brace. I tore pretty much everything and chiped bone as well. I had the surgery and its been almost 4 months and im just about to start ridding again. It still feels kind of weak but i am hoping for the best.

Well I rode a little this afternoon. I pretty much let my right arm do most of the work and it really wasn't that bad. I also was able to reach around and dry my back off after I got out of the shower which is a huge improvement. I am convinced now that I am gonna wait this thing out. If it continues to happen I will get the surgery. Thanks for the input guys.

I am impressed that on the first dislocation you simply popped it back in and went on. I know lots of people who do that after the initial dislocation but generally the first one is quite painful!

My son dislocated his shoulder while wakeboarding a few years ago. It was the summer before his senior year at high school and he was a starter for the football team and didn't want to skip his senior year so we deferred the surgery.

The doctor told him that it was okay to play sports but that it would dislocate easily. He told him how to pop it back when it happened. The doctor said that when he gets tired of it popping out to come back and get the surgery.

The doctor was 100% accurate. My son got pretty good at popping it back in. As soon as the football season ended we scheduled the surgery.

As you might expect the shoulder gets stiff and has occasional jabs of pain but it hasn't dislocated since the surgery. He is a little bit careful of it, but basically is back to doing everything he was before.

I do recommend going to an orthopedic doctor that specializes in sports. You get a different result from a doctor that wants to get you active again than you do from a doctor that gets old people hobbling around again.

Rod

Beware of rotator cuff injuries from this, that can put you out for awhile.

I am an orthopedic sales rep so I have already talked to a few dr's and several therapist and most of them say since I dislocated it inferior/anterior (down and forward) I shouldn't have to worry about my rotator cuff, and as long as I rehab the crap out of it may be alright. So who knows what will happen I just don't think I will have the surgery just yet. If it becomes an ongoing problem I will strongly consider it.

I've done my right shoulder 6 times, ended up tearing all the ligaments away from the bone and having to get surgery to stick them back on. 3 hour surgery, 2 of which was prepping (sanding back) the bone for the ligaments to stick to. It hurts like you wouldn't believe for about 3 weeks after, I don't know why I but I didn't really expect it to. But after having surgery I'm pretty much back to normal, it's a little lax since I had to wait in hospital for an hour the second time I popped it for a doctor, probably the most intense pain I've ever been through, but once I knew how to pop it back in myself it was all good, just annoying really. I'd get out of the sling I'd ben wearing for a month and then straight back into it within a week. It doesn't worry me when I'm riding unless I'm riding one handed for too long, although I'm pretty much a beginner. I can land wake to wake and 180s, I end up on my head more often than not trying inverts. Will have to see how it goes once Summer rolls back around, only a few more weeks to go. Stoked =) Good luck getting it sorted.

First time I popped mine out, it took three doctors to put it back in. One was holding my body, one was pulling my arm with a weight attached to it, and the other climed up on the table and kicked it back in. Second time, I don't remember they knocked me out first. Third and fourth times I popped it back in myself. I too am contiplating the surgery right now. I do lift weights like crazy to keep it strong. But it still is soft. My problem is I do a ton of snowboarding and snowmobiling as well, so there really is no off season for me. I never thought of wearing a brace, but maybe I'll try.

HEY JUSTIN

I feel for you justin