I first did mine about 5 years ago. It popped back in quickly that time and was ok for about 3 years. I worked hard physioing it. The consultant said this will be fine without an op, but be careful. If it happens again it will need surgery.
I did it again three years later doing a simple task and that time it wouldnt go back in. It was out the joint for 4 screamingly painful hours, trapping nerves and causing a lot more damage. I still successfully rehabbed it conservatively and the numbness went away eventually. It has remained slightly dropped in the joint however, and Ive numerous incidents where Iāve felt it clunk out and back in the joint.
Itās now the strongest itās ever been. Iām push pressing and military pressing heavy weights with it, able to hang for extended periods etc.
Or it was, until yesterday. I was up a ladder at work and it decided to just pop right out on its own. Luckily my work college has a background in physio and he managed to reduce it quite quickly.
However, I dont really want surgery if I can avoid it. The UK NHS is crumbling and I am not sure I can trust them not to make it worse. Ideally I like to stay away from hospitals until I have no choice.
Has anyone managed repeated dislocations or did you give in and get surgery in the end?
Sort of. I didnāt have a full dislocation and havenāt since but about 20 years ago I had a lapse on how to drop into a ramp and came down on my right shoulder (and head). As I got up, crazy pain then nothing, didnāt think much of it right after (adrenaline) but couldnāt move my arm the next day, forget how long until it was āfineā.
It was crunchy and grindy for a years until I started working out at a gym who had member who was a chiro but did some other stuff and we did what we could to work on the damaged tissue. The crunching has mostly subsided since then but there are times it makes some weird noises/feelings. I did still have lots of situations where it felt like it was going to come out again.
My main issue was (is, mostly was) that I work on cars and certain positions where Iām on my knees and reach down to set a lift under a car I can feel it start to slip out. Think position if you dropped keys under your car and you had to reach under to get them. Torso kind of aimed down arm sort of aimed back up. Iāve learned the feeling and have gotten better at stopping it. Again never a full dislocation just a painful pop back in.
The other common one was laying on that side and putting my arm under my pillow, I could feel what seemed to be it starting to slip out of place.
While it still happens from time to time what seemed to have helped the most was swimming. Once I started swimming a lot again the final crunching went away and the frequency that I get that oh no its coming out feeling has mostly went away. Possibly coincidence that enough time passed and I learned how to avoid it, but seems like the swimming helped.
I never have, but Iām reminded of a POV vid from Rachel Atherton where she dislocated her shoulder crashing on a DH course and couldnāt get any bystanders to pull on her arm hard enough to reset it. She wound up stepping on here own hand and pulling up to reset it herself and continue the ride down. She is one tough woman.
Iāve had a few traumatic dislocations (volleyball, cycling 2x) and a fewā¦Iāll say spontaneous dislocations of my shoulders
I think your question pertains more to the spontaneous ones, doing every day tasks and popping the joint out is a lot harder to live with
I wouldnāt say Iāve successfully managed it, but Iāve certainly reduced the frequency with regular resistance training, particularly vertically over my head (this is where I can dislocate relatively easily)
Iāve never had one dislocate that I couldnāt get back into socket on my own with the help of a wall
Not much helpful info, sorry. But I can commiserate, itās incredibly painful and, for me anyway, a huge mental vulnerability where I feel insecure doing things like putting on a sweatshirt or sleeping with an arm above my head (both ways Iāve dislocated it)
Thanks all, appreciate the stories and feedback. Ive also spoken to a couple of people who have had/know someone whos had the surgery successfully which is good to hear. I am waiting to hear from the consultant but in reality, even if they agree to surgery, it is likely to be months, if not a year or more, before Iām at the top of the waiting list.
I agree that spontaneous dislocations are going to be the new normal. I hadnāt known about the āstand on handā technique until now, so thats one I shall be looking in to more.
I know they say you shouldnt reduce your own shoudler because of the risk of increasing damage, but the fact is I ride, and work, on my own a huge amount. Its not unlikely this could happen when I am well away from help, so Iām going to learn as many techniques as possible so that I can get it back in myself if I need to.
Swimming is something I have wanted to do for a long time but unfortunately my life is already completely stacked out with stuff, Iām not sure I have the time for it. I wish I did though!
I do a lot of above-head strength work and will continue to do so when this injury has settled too. I agree, its the above head work that is the problem, particularly moving suspended ceiling tiles at work.
Someone did send me this instagram post which also shows the stand on hand technique in action!
Push to have the surgery ASAP, there are many studies showing that every time you dislocate you decrease the odds of a successful surgery, and you also risk doing permanent damage to the cartilage in your shoulder .
Most now recommend surgery after first or definitely second dislocation in a younger patient
Thanks, I did see that and it is a bit concerning.
Interestingly though, the recovery is sooo much faster this time. If Iām honest the arm is already back to normal other than a slight achy tendon. Certainly no mobility problems (although I am being super cautious not to reach up and backwards)
I guess the soft tissues were already lax so there wasnt much soft tissue damage again this time. However, cartlidge/osteoarthritis is still a significant concern and I am looking forward to discussing this with the consultant.
I was in a similar cycle, first pop in my late 20s, then a couple sketchy subluxations, and finally a full dislocation just tying my shoe. Thatās when I knew it wasnāt just about strength anymore, it was stability, and mine was shot.
I also wasnāt keen on surgery, but started researching more when it got in the way of daily stuff. I found this clinic and they gave me a clearer idea of whatās actually involved and what the trade-offs are if you let it go too long. Might be worth a go while youāre weighing things.
Whatever you decide, hope you get some solid function back, shoulders are unforgiving when they go rogue.
That sound when it goes back in, that clunk, is the worst. I kept rehabbing mine after the second dislocation, doing all the heavy military presses like you. But I still felt the weakness when I was just reaching for something on a shelf.
The moment I realized conservative care wasnāt enough was when I almost dislocated it sleeping. That scared me more than lifting weights did. I finally talked to dr. Bercik shoulder surgeon in Hershey, who explained that the repeated incidents had frayed the labrum too much. Knowing the specific damage made the decision less terrifying, he focuses only on shoulders.
Hi everyone - just an update for anyone interested
I saw the consultant and he said, if I was doing a job where I didnāt have the overhead work, then surgery wouldnāt be quite such a priority, however, if he was in my position, he would have the surgery (or at least get it assessed with an MRI to confirm that they can repair it). However, he gave me the option of 4 months of physio first because, in his opinion, there was a 50/50 chance that physio may stabilise the joint. I opted to try the physio first.
Iām about 2 months in to the physio now and I have had to stop it. Although initially it did seem to reduce the instability, the tendonitis has got so bad it is affecting my ability to do anything else - my strength work is suffering, despite the physio reducing the load from 3 x 30 minute sessions a week to 2 sessions to 1 session and, on the last visit, just putting me right back to basics, every time I do any of the banded work the tendon and joint feels like it is on fire.
I do think that maybe the joint is a little more stable (maybe the swelling is keeping it in place!!) but it isnāt worth the pain that I am getting. So I am waiting to be called back to see the consultant to get on the extremely long MRI waiting list. In the meantime I will go back to the strength work I used to do, but supplement it with some of the physio exercises they gave me which donāt aggravate the tendonā¦..and hope it doesnāt just pop out again on itās own. I feel like I can manage my own body better than the physio can to be honest. That may be me being overly hopeful though!
Hope you get it sorted soon Jo. Youāve been doing yhis long enough to know your own body well. Iām currently slowly working through straightening long term hip asymmetry which I think was caused by a crash at Foel Gasnach almost 20 years ago. Itās being stubborn after being unbalanced for so long however with a lot of stretching, manipulation and gym work its all starting to balance out.
Iāve never had a dislocation medically diagnosed. I might have done something to my shoulder after two falls on it on the same day last August. I cant remember the initial pain (which is probably a sign it wasnāt a severe dislocation) but it took over a year to heal.
Iām pretty sure you would have known for certain if it was a dislocation. Itās an unforgettable feeling lf wrongness like no other! Dislocation is the ball out of the socket. This was my xray on my second dislocation
Maybe it was a separation? They can take ages to heal and sometimes never do fully. A separation is damage to the joint between the collar bone and the scapula. I did mine when I was 19 and it took about a year to heal fully. This my my other halfās separation x-ray and itās never reattachedā¦.heās essentially got a floating collar bone at that end and it protrudes out all the time now.
