Mountain bike crash - Dislocated shoulder

[kudos100]

Hi all,

I crashed on a jump yesterday and landed with most of the weight on my shoulder. My shoulder dislocated and then after a few minutes popped back in. Rather stupidly I carried on riding as the pain was not that bad.

Having done a bit of reading I am a bit concerned about it and how to best go about rehab to give it the best chance of recovery.

Pretty sure it was only a partial dislocation as I was able to ride on it. The dislocation was anterior and I have pain at the back of my shoulder near the top scapular. The capsule feels sore and the shoulder is weak and unstable.

I have reasonable range of motion although it feels like it wants to come back out in certain positions.

What is my best course of action? Should I go and see a physio or is it something I can rehab at home?

I already do rotator cuff exercises for my other shoulder due to a loose capsule.

I'm aware that shoulders are often not straight forward when it comes to recovery/rehab and i'd like to give it the best possible chance to recover quickly.

Any help greatly appreciated,

Thanks,

Jules

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[PhysioAdvisor]

I would strongly recommend seeing your physiotherapist for accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. You may potentially need x-rays to rule out bony injury that may occur occasionally due to the high forces involved in a dislocated shoulder. Inappropriate rehabilitation can result in a high risk of future recurrence and instability. Rotator cuff exercises are certainly an important component of rehab and should be guided by the treating physio.

Hope that helps,

[physiobob]

I tend to agree with PhysioAdvisors comments. Is this the first time that you shoulder has 'dislocated'? What makes you think it was in fact a dislocation. It is unusual that if this was a first episode that after a few minutes it would relocate by itself. Often there are bony injuries with such dislocations and also the cartilage around the joint is often torn making a repeat event likely. As a MTBer myself you may want to source a neoprene brace to wear under your gear to give it support until you build confidence in the joint again. Do let us know the results if you have any investigations.

[pudding_bowl]

One thing not said already, and I feel I need to instill a little fear into you is that after 1 dislocation it's far more likely you'll dislocate again, so it is very important you get appropriate rehab as has already been said.