cobolman

The other day I was crossing over a bridge and coming down the circular down ramp. I’ve done this 100 times or more. There is one section that is shady and dark when it is sunny as it was that day. Homeless people camp here. They left a whole bunch of trash and I did not see it and I went down. and landed on my shoulder. I was able to ride home but a trip to the E/R and an x-ray showed that I had an A/C separation. The ligaments are stretched and hopefully not torn. I’m wearing a sling. Range of motion has improved. See my GP in 10 days.

I’m 72m small frame and not muscular. Anyone have a similar experience? How long did it take before you could ride again> I could ride now but the point is that I keep my arm up and allow the ligament to heal. i ride all year round but this is summer and rides in the early morning are quite pleasant. I won't rush it.

I also hit my head and cracked my helmet. My wife bought me a new one the next day. We plan on showing the cracked helmet to the grandchildren in the hope that they won't ever ride without a helmet. We can hope

rando_couche

I had a third-degree a/c separation 18 years ago (at age 47) , thanks to a pickup truck making an "improper right turn" (changed his mind midway thru a LEFT turn!). This happened in early April and pretty much ended my cycling season that year. 3 months in a sling and I don't remember how many months in PT. It never got back to 100%, but I was able to ride the trainer by that fall and XC ski that winter. By and large that shoulder works almost fine now. Just follow your doctor's instructions, do your PT and be patient.

cobolman

Thanks for the reply..Th ER doctor did not mention the degree of separation.Ihave an appointment with my GP in 10 days. My arm is in a sling and range of motion has improved. If recoery is slow than I best start using the exercise bike in the cellar..I am going to miss riding in the coming months

OldTryGuy

Separation healing does not like lots of movement so be cautious. My total Right Shoulder Replacement was a breeeeeeeeeze and much easier than separation healing so be careful or you will pay the piper for rushing things.

cb400bill

I crashed in June 2014, at age 54. I have a total separation of the AC joint in my left shoulder. My doctor said that I could ride again when I could handle the discomfort. He recommended not having surgery and I followed his advice. I wore a sling for about 60 days and was off the bike for about 90 days.

5 years later and my lifestyle hasn't changed much at all. I have to be careful when lifting things like a gallon of milk from the shopping cart. Bowling is out of the question.

cobolman

The ER doctor said that I should move the arm from time to time to avoid the shoulder freezing up.

Damned if I do and damned if I don't.

Moving and not moving both sound correct.

Thanks for the info

CliffordK

Isn't a broken collarbone or AC separation a badge of honor for cyclists.... And you made it already to 72...

My brother broke his collarbone as a teenager, and has no lingering ill effects that I know of. But, you're a bit older... take care of the injury.

cobolman

Surgery does not sound to be much of an option. As i mentioned it's my right shoulder and I'm a lefty. so I would carry things with the good arm. For some reason I eat with my right hand so eating with the left hand has been somewhat clumsy.

I haven't bowled in decades. I had started stripping paint from the back porch before the accident. The belt sander is out so I'll use the paint scraper and the pad sander. My wife can put the sandpaper in the sander. The lawn has stopped growing for the summer so I don't have to worry about that.

Driving is also out so I will probably walk downtown next week to get my wife's birthday card and arrange to have her corsage delivered. Amazing how banged up shoulder restricts your life. I normally use the bike to do a lot of these things.

It still could be a lot worse.


Thanks for the info

cobolman

I've been riding for five years now. I'd rather not have that 'badge of honor'. So it goes

OldTryGuy

April 2011, 3 months shy of 61st B-day, bike crash resulted in a minor broken neck and collar bone. Arm was in a sling WEEKS compared to ONE DAY following complete shoulder replacement. Was in neck brace for 16 weeks 24/7 and only allowed to walk, not even indoor exerciser but was back on bike in 3 days following shoulder replacement.

Easy does if for excellent healing.

Trevtassie

Go see a sports doctor or an orthopedic surgeon ASAP, you'll likely need a referral from your GP. If the separation showed up up an X Ray (ie quite large) likely the specialist will request an MRI with a dye injection to see what's really going on. You don't want to mess around with your shoulder like I did. By the time I got surgery it was too late to do it properly. See a Physiothe****** about what movements you can do to help healing.

cobolman

Thanks. Unfortunately waiting for office visit and referral will be what is is. Insurance companies rule the roost. Swelling has gone down..I've been careful to keep my arm immobile as much as possible.

JohnDThompson 

I've managed to acquire grade III Acromial-Clavicular separations in both my shoulders, a couple years apart. In both cases, the orthopedic surgeon advised that he could either operate or prescribe physical therapy, but that the long-term prognosis either way was about the same. I went for the physical therapy both times. The first one took a couple months to resolve, although I was riding my bike short distances/upright bars within a couple weeks. The second one resolved much faster for some reason. While neither shoulder feels completely "normal" any more, I do have full strength and pain-free range of motion in both shoulders. Long rides, up to a century, have not been a problem.

HTH…

SClaraPokeman

Seven years ago, at age 53, I came around a corner and hit a fawn while going about 32mph. I broke a helmet and separated my shoulder. The doctor said it was "grade three" which means a total ligament tear (there are five degrees of separation, but I don't know what signifies grades four and five--they must be quite severe). Anyway, if your ligaments are stretched and not severed, as you say, it probably is grade one or two. In my case I now was a pointy part of my shoulder and lack some stability for something like doing a flat bench press, but pulling type exercises are no problem.

cobolman

Thanks to all. It sounds like surgery is best to be avoided. Fine with me.

The ER doctor did not think that I tore the ligaments based on what I don't know. His experience perhaps. I was very clear headed so I didn't ask many questions.

My appt with primary care doctor is not till next week. I assume that she will send me to orthopedist.. P/T will probably be on the agenda..We have a few good ones in town.

Tylenol is helping with discomfort. I sleep OK but wake up in the night for a visit to the bathroom. Pain is not a problem. I do miss being able to ride. I have a feeling that this is going to drag out for months. Fall is coming and I don't see that there is a way to rake leaves with one arm. Cleaning out the gutters with the leaf blower is also out. These are things that I actually look forward to every fall. I'll have to find teen in the neighborhood and pay him or her to do the raking.

canklecat

I was hit by a car in May 2018. Grade 4 separation. Broke my coracoid process, the little bone that stabilizes the shoulder.

During X-rays they discovered my thyroid was so swollen I couldn't be intubated for surgery -- the swelling was distorting and crushing my esophagus and trachea. Later in 2018 I had surgery for thyroid cancer.

That whole mess delayed surgery so it was too late for shoulder surgery. That hindered healing.

I consulted with three ortho docs, got three different opinions about wearing a sling. The first wanted me to wear the sling until I had surgery, but that was based on surgery within a week of the injury. The anesthesiologist recommended against surgery due to my thyroid and trachea problem. The next ortho doc recommended against the sling and suggested some very mild PT, starting with dangling the arm and swinging it gently for the first week or two. The chief of ortho shrugged and suggested wearing the sling when I needed to for comfort. So that's what I did. I mostly wore it only on walks or away from home. I walked 2-5 miles a day, most days, for four weeks.

After that I use a Cycleops indoor trainer for most of the summer. It helped.

I took my first real bike ride after 6-7 weeks, on a comfort hybrid. That didn't aggravate the shoulder. Most of the discomfort came from trying to sleep, do routine chores, etc.

I was back on the road bike by August, and doing physical therapy at home, gradually increasing to light weights, then some full floor pushups. But between the shoulder injury and thyroid problem I didn't begin to feel close to normal until January this year.

I resumed guided physical therapy at a clinic in April and had 2-3 sessions a week for two months. It helped a lot.

I still have some nagging aches and pains, mostly in the neck and shoulder blade. My neck was broken in a car wreck in 2001 and the 2018 injury re-aggravated that old injury. That will always be a problem. I've seen a chiropractor for a few sessions but it doesn't really help. I know some folks get some benefit from chiropractors but mostly I think those clicky pen doodads and joint manipulations are BS. I need a good masseuse but my insurance doesn't cover that so I'll have to pay for my own.

A week or so ago I got a long handled percussion massage vibrator, which reaches my back and shoulder blade. Between that and Ted's Pain Cream, it's finally easing the persistent pain. There were some small spots, about the size of a dime, around the shoulder blade. Just touching those spots provoked severe shooting pains. But between the percussion massager and Ted's topical ointment it's eased up to around a 5 on the 10 scale. (Google Ted's Pain Cream and read the data. It was developed by a team of neuroscientists who discovered that topical resveratrol from grapes and Japanese knotweed, combined with a transdermal carrier like MSM, worked better than oral resveratrol or even CBD. Seems to work for me.)

Long story short, at age 61 I don't bounce or heal as quickly as I used to. I wouldn't have imagined that I'd still be dealing with recovery more than a year later. Fortunately I have access to good health care. And supportive local cycling friends who've also had their share of injuries.

It is aggravating to have to wait for referrals and approval from insurance companies. They were quick to take care of my thyroid cancer problem, but it's been slower with the shoulder and neck injury.

cobolman

Thanks for all of the replies. Saw my GP last week. Another x-ray in a week and then P/T. Range of motion is now good. Shoulder is weak and aches from time to time. Still wear the sling during the day. We have had a beautiful summer but i now that I will have to wait to get back on the bike.