Mountain bike crash - Dislocated shoulder

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

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,

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.

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.