Dislocated shoulder----question for Bill

[russ]

I dislocated my left shoulder playing hockey tonight. It was reduced fairly quickly, without sedation. No previous disclocations.

Any preliminary thoughts on the length of the recovery period? I know that I'll be in a sling for a couple of weeks and I'll have to get my mobility back for a few weeks thereafter. I'm guessing 6-8 weeks before I can start to make inroads again. I have a PT that I trust, so I'll be calling him tomorrow.

Naturally I'm very frustrated. I've made some good gains. Now I get to be skinny again

[poopy pants]

Looks like Billy's hittin' the links.

[russ]

The links,eh? It'll be a while before I pull out my sticks again

[Bill Hartman]

I've seen a high school QB come back in 4 weeks (non throwing shoulder). Get your acute/protective phase done with, reestablish full pain-free range, and start working on cuff strength-endurance with your PT. You may be able go with isometrics pretty quick. With no prior history, you should be fine assuming the labrum is intact and you don't have a massive instability.

Was it an anterior dislocation?

Bill

[russ]

With no prior history, you should be fine assuming the labrum is intact and you don't have a massive instability.

I've had bouts of supraspinatus and bicipital tendon injury, but they've always resolved with PT. No previous dislocation, no history of instability (physical exam has been essentially normal in the past).

I'm hoping that the labrum is intact. I don't have an osseous Bankart injury, but it'll be a few weeks before I can really be assessed for labral tear, I figure. Even MRI wouldn't be useful at the moment as I can't get into the 'ABER' position to properly evaluate the anterior/inferior labrum.

Was it an anterior dislocation?

Basically. It was quite inferior as well. I was taking a shot on goal and a guy slid to block the shot and basically took my legs out. I landed hard on my left elbow (if I hadn't braced the fall with my elbow, my face would have taken the brunt of it and I'b be talking about a broken jaw and concussion nstead). I gather that my humeral head was then forced into a rather violent external rotation.

No pain at rest, but my arm feels ready to fall off when I take off the sling.

I've seen a high school QB come back in 4 weeks (non throwing shoulder).

That's pretty quick. My arms are co-dominant. I throw righty, but write, eat, and shave lefty. I'm hoping that I'll be able to regain my strength bit by bit over the next year. I'm guessing 3-4 months before I start with light weights at the gym and I'd love to be back at full strength in a year. I'm also hoping to be ready for golf by next May.

I'm willing to be patient with the recovery process as I'd prefer a long rehab period to a major setback because of coming back too quickly.

Thanks Bill.