Shoulder Dislocation Feedback

I dislocated my shoulder on 1/17 on Pan Face (booting up, slipped on ice and took a ride) :'(. The good news is that all I did was dislocate my shoulder, I had helpful companions and strangers (Mike - don't know if you post or lurk on TAY, but I owe you a beer for a well crafted sling - just PM me if you do) and outside a long time to get put back in place (walk down and then a car ride to Good Samaritan in Puyallup), a pretty standard anterior dislocation. I have been to a good ortho and am currently receiving some awesome PT.

I am curious to other's experience in recovery from a dislocated shoulder (especially snowboarders (but not limited)) and their time getting back on the hill or in the BC, concerns they had, instances of recurrence, etc. I'm currently at that moment of recovery where the initial joy of progress (getting range of motion back relatively pain free) is being outweighed by the digression (atrophying muscles, limiting my activities, etc.) that is occurring...

Any feedback is appreciated!

-Paul

p.s. I do plan on riding some green runs at the EOM to keep the streak going

Paul.
Sorry to hear of your injury. I dislocated my left shoulder in the back country July of 2006. It was a posterior dislocation which happens in only 5% of shoulder dislocations. I was out of socket for HOURS, and it slipped out again in the hospital. I was in the sling for 3 full weeks, and as a result I had a full (and intense) regime of rehab: PT 2 days a week, massage, and acupuncture. I was pulling water in the pool (gently for rehab) by late August, back on the bike by October, and skiing by late December.

I'm fully recovered and haven't had it out since that initial time in the hospital.

Best of luck to you!
PM me if you want more specifics or names of massage/acupuncture folks.

Jessica

Hey Paul,
I feel your pain.  Life is not over.  I have dislocated mine a few times over the years.  The first and most traumatic on a coast back pack trip decades ago.  I had to be carried out and transported to a Port Angeles hospital.  Ahhh, I still remember fondly my first encounter where pain meets Demerol.  And the second...and the... I digress. ( I think it's the drugs.)

Anyway, I've dislocated it several times since, including once at Crystal had to be  sledded down.  But the good news is, it hasn't come out in many years, and I still ski, hike and climb regularly.  

So, you see, even though I have a zipper scar, a nylon staple in there somewhere, some loss of range of motion, occasional aching, and low grade but constant fear...it's all good, and you can keep risking it as much as you want.    And on the brighter side, your treatment will, I'm sure, be much more successful than mine.  I don't think they knew what PT stood for back in my day.

Good luck! And keep your elbows in tight.

Make sure your PT understands your level of activity and what you want your shoulder to be able to do. My wife broke her clavicle and dislocated her shoulder a long while ago and, though she never went to a PT, we both climbed a lot and thus got a LOT of shoulder exercise. She's always been prone to dislocations, but her regular shoulder workouts went a long way toward keeping the joint tight.

When your ligaments are stretched, as they are with a dislocation, you have to make up for it with well-toned muscles and strong tendons to support the joint. Not so much the large muscles, though they help, but the rotator cuff muscles and all the other small supporting muscles in the shoulder girdle. Be consistent and vigilant with those exercises and it will go a long way toward stabilizing the shoulder in the future.

Thanks for the feedback folks. I do plan on being very rigorous with my exercises - so far so good. I feel fortunate that both my doc and PT are outdoor athletes and are understanding of my goals.

How long does it take for the confidence to come back in the joint?? In many ways I am fortunate that it is my left shoulder (right handed), but since I ride regular - the left is my leading shoulder and that side bears the brunt of impact.

Any surfers out there (I've seen some surf trip reports here) who have come back from this??

Thanks again! I'm always appreciative of the positive support that the TAY community gives out.

My first dislocation was in the Grand Canyon while kayaking; it stayed out for 2 days before we could get to Diamond Creek and on to a hospital in Flagstaff.  Second was high on a multi-pitch rockclimb; had to get lowered while in agony.  Third was skiing; again, had to be evacuated to the ER to reduce it. 

At that point, I decided that surgery was in order:  I was sick of putting myself and others in dutch because we could not field-reduce the injury. 

Solution:  a Bankhart repair by a fantastic doctor, Fred Matsen(sp) at UW Medical Center in Seattle.  I picked him from a choice of many sports-oriented orthopedic surgeons...he was awesome, and the shoulder has not dislocated since 1999.  Full recovery within six months...Good luck!
-Bill