Injury causes pain when arm is lifted with forearm horizontal

Hi there,

Details of my injury:
I am a student skydiver. On a recent static line jump, my arm was behind me when my static line pulled my parachute. Whilst it was behind me it got hit quite hard by the parachute as it opened, and possibly jerked upwards from behind my back, violently.

My arm is ok for most day to day movement, the position in which it is very painful, is specifically when I raise my arm with my arm in front of me, and my forearm horizontal (parallel to the ground). If I raise my arm with my arm in front of me, and my forearm vertical (perpendicular to the floor), this doesn't really cause any pain. It can also hurt sometimes if I pull something towards me, eg opening a heavy door.

I went to my doctor about this fearing that it was a rotator cuff injury, he did some manual tests pushing and pulling and said it wasn't. He seemed unconcerned about it and said it would heal with time. However it's now been a month and the pain is still there when I lift my arm as described above. It also limits my movement slightly when I do the 'pull' action when practising skydiving training. I am keen to try and repair any damage done so I can get back in the sky!

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what the injury I've sustained could be? eg which muscle? And any exercises I could be doing which would strengthen my arm and help get it back to full health.

Thank you very much in advance :)

George

Hi George, it seems like it could be a muscular issue but then I would not rule out the joints such as the AC joint and neck as well. You really need to drop into a sports physio clinic and show them how the injury occurred and get them to make a manual assessment. Perhaps this could be assisted with an ultrasound scan or MRI but an assessment and some rehab advice following would be a worth while first investment. Unfortunately the Dr is not the one for this type of assessment.

Thanks for the advice Bob, I'll get this arranged through my doctor.

Here in England I am sure I'll have to wait a month or 2 for this appointment, any idea of any exercises which could help in the meantime? The pain isn't severe when it happens so I should be capable of any strengthening exercises you could suggest.

Thanks again!

Hi George, Your description would suggest as physiobob pointed out, some muscular damage possibly posterior or middle deltoid. The action you mentioned could also point to a displacement of the shoulder which a competent osteo or physio could rectify. Given that you may have to wait a while to see a therapist you might like to get into some very very lightweight (I'm talking max 1kg) forward, rear and side flyes. remember to only take the weight up to shoulder height and keep the movement slow and controlled. Best of luck. Joost

Thanks for the advice Joost, I will look into those injuries online while I wait for my appointment, and will get going on the flys :)

Cheers!

Hey, don't diagnose yourself online. Worst thing you can do. Get advice and ideas online but only act on them really following a physical assessment. It doesn't cost much to drop in just for an assessment and advice to a good local physiotherapist. Invest a little in yourself to get going now with the right exercises for what they diagnose.

Hi, yes I'll definitely get myself diagnosed in person by someone qualified, I have an appointment with the doctor to refer me to a physio on Friday! In the meantime I will take it easy and maybe do some very light exercises..

Thanks again :)