rumrunn6

lol I may have overdone it last night, gonna back off again for today. just an office worker but I have my dumb moments

rumrunn6

for the shoulder diary: 3 weeks 3 days

did the 14 station circuit at lunch. laid off the 2 overhead press stations. used light or no weights at the other arm stations. exceptions being bicep curl & tricep stations. I limited the range of motion I did on the triceps but used more than light weight. on the abs crunch that involves the arms overhead to start, I started w/ just 1 arm until I got the grips lower, then took the left arm out before returning to the start when I was done. for the 2 overhead press stations, one of which is angled more forward, I first tried them w/ zero weight but the range of motion was too premature, so did those stations w/ very light weight & just the right arm

rumrunn6

4 weeks
not logging all the gym stuff here
but will write that I've stopped the ibuprofen I was taking twice a day
on the fence about the Glucosamine Chondroitin I've been taking & I haven't taken any today

rumrunn6

St Paddy's Day wine at work seems to be helping considerably

rumrunn6

3/22/22
for the shoulder diary: 5 weeks out, yesterday 3/21 after 2 weight training sessions, there was no general soreness, as there had been in the past. very pleased about this because I was concerned about some new discomfort around the clavicle & sternum, for at least the past week. this seems to be gone. those angled overhead press stations are still a challenge, but I will keep after them w/ no - little weight

3/30/22
for the shoulder diary: 6 weeks out,
Monday 3/28/22 - 2 weight training sessions, those angled overhead press stations are still a challenge, 1st station no weight, 2nd station back to normal weight from before the slip

Wednesday 3/30/22 - instead of waiting 48 hrs between weight training session I went back for more after skipping just 1 day. couldn't do a double due to after work commitments, so on my lunchtime 14 station circuit I skipped everything but the arms stuff & added the assisted pullups again. this is now part of my circuit even tho it is in a different part of the gym. only exception is the seated, weighted, abs crunch which I always do, now. for that 1st angled overhead press I just go real slow w/ no weight. seems OK. not rushing it. plan to add weight again. maybe next week?

Cornchips

I've been belatedly diagnosed with a Grade II AC joint sprain. Does this thing get any better? For those of you who experienced it, what helped?

The Doctor advised I wear a sling for 6 weeks, but the Physio I am going to reckons I don't need it as I have nearly full range of motion in my right arm, although it still hurts, especially when raising the arm above my shoulder.

The Physio has got me doing 'weighted pendulums' with a 2L bottle, which helps with movement, I guess. It's now 3 weeks after the accident. Is there anything else I could be doing?

rumrunn6

be your own advocate
do an insane amount of research
read & watch videos from physical therapists. meaning, don't rely on just 1 doctor or just 1 therapist
if you are attracted to conflicting information, bring it to the attention of your doctor & therapist. they have professional training & experience

from my experience w/ my minor sprain I have learned a lot & heard a lot of conflicting advice
about that little attachment point between the collar bone & shoulder blade
my rehab is going very well, I think, but it's been super frustrating. I can't just take a pill or do some exercise & make it better
the human body can heal. this little spot has to heal, on it's own. I've read about slings & my doctor recommended against it. so my plan was to let it heal w/o immobilizing it. which is tricky because even tho it's my non dominant side I use that arm for so many things. I got the sheet of physical therapy movements to do, after it healed. discomfort in this area lasts a long time. working thru it, doesn't make it heal faster. only time & rest let if heal on it's own. after it heals I began for movements. but I also researched strength training w/o using that joint. the worst thing we can do is nothing. there are isometric exercises that can be done w/o moving the joint. I chat w/ ppl at the gym & found out several have had a similar injury & they gave me advice from their perspective. knowing every shoulder recovery is different

if mine was worse I would use a sling to rest it & keep me from using it a lot. stuff we don't normally think of like shampooing hair, moving shower curtain, tying shoe laces, reaching for seat belts, all kinds of stuff. we might not have to completely immobilize it but it might help to lay off it. & yeah, it will take weeks. mine happening valentines weekend 7 I'm going back to my lumber job approx. 2 months later

I would be inclined to trust my doctor more than my physio. regardless, I think they should be giving the same advice not different. I suppose you can use a sling & then for some beginning physio, take it off & when you leave the session, put it back on?

I feel lucky that mine was so minor even tho it freaked me out. my Dad is 95 & never had this injury. I see him struggling with his balance & strength now I want to recover completely, because I need to be strong for another 30 years. I don't need to play frisbee left handed right now. I don't need to do push ups right now. I don't need to do full body weight dips right now. you might want to change your physio therapist. I believe I read where someone tried a few until they found one they liked & that they felt was more in tune with their condition

I hope your shoulder doesn't look like this guy's

rumrunn6

for the shoulder diary, 7 weeks after the slip & fall, 4/3/22, got back on a bike. no ill effects. no discomfort riding. some general discomfort in the whole shoulder area, which felt better after a several minutes w/ the hand held massager & a hot shower at home

side note: interesting that when Wifey gave me a big double shoulder slap & hug, I squeaked w/ an "ouch" & I felt the AC joint bark a little. I guess it surprised me. surprising because she's not a powerful person. just a reminder not to fall on that shoulder again anytime soon, I guess

was on the road bike & got curious, on an old favorite dirt road, that was mostly dry. there were a cpl softer spots where the high pressure road tires got squirmy & I thought, hmmm yeah, no, don't ride this right now you dumb*ss ...

while I can roll onto my left side I'm still not sleeping on that shoulder. when I can, that will mark "full recovery" in my book

Cornchips

This thing has knocked me flat. Coming to nearly a month after the fall and it is still pretty painful. The good news is I have nearly full ROM and the bad news is it still hurts, and I've lost a lot of strength, even basic tasks, like putting on socks, are (almost) beyond me. I had a follow up appointment with my Doctor who ordered another set of X-rays AND a meeting with an orthopaedic surgeon. I 'only' did a grade II strain, with only minimal bruising and no super-obvious bump (although there is one there). Like you, I've become almost obsessive about researching it on YouTube and various other bike forums. A lot of people say they did like a Grade IV, rode 500 miles to hospital, did a couple of exercises with their PT and were good to go the next week. I've never heard of being referred to a surgeon after a Grade II tear...so I am getting a little worried. According to the 'generic' medical advice on the Internet (ala RICE), at/on around week 4 I should be healing and possible on track to resume light work duties, but it is not going as well as I would like and I still feel like I am a long way off returning to work (semi-labour intensive job in the event industry). I'm wondering of the belated diagnosis has anything to do with it as I did go to work for 3 days after my accident before the AC joint sprain was officially diagnosed, which really only gives me 3 weeks of decent rest so far.

I've been doing all the exercises prescribed by my physio, and a few more, thanks to YouTube and some resistance bands, but it doesn't seem to be making a huge impact. I go to bed each night wishing the injury away, but am reminded of it every time I wake up in the morning...

rumrunn6

good luck w/ the next Doc! these things do like rest. hard to rest it tho, even on the non dominant side. I was doing more reading & sometimes there's other damage, besides the AC Joint, complicating the diagnosis. so we treat the AC but there's something else that needs care. maybe you didn't rest it enough, maybe PT was too aggressive, too soon? maybe there's something else going on in there? remember isometric exercises that don't require moving the joint

my shoulder had a previous issue that a Doc & PT person weren't able to help. then I fell on it. so now my AC is mostly better, but I still have that lingering shoulder issue, whatever it is. I fear I'm piling up injuries on this shoulder

had a buddy at my last job, older, like me. we had a kind of running joke when either of us tweaked something. we'd say: "give it 6 months"

Cornchips

Here is the latest X-Ray of my AC joint. The Ortho said I was on track for a 'full recovery' and that it is pretty mild as far as AC sprains go (although it doesn't feel like it). Unfortunately getting misdiagnosed at the hospital and not getting an accurate diagnosis right off the bat has probably put my recovery back a week or two. Also, because I have a semi-physical job, means I can't really jump straight back into work, which is a bit frustrating, because nearly everything I do will aggravate it further.

I think I'm done reading all the AC joint threads on various bike forums. I just need to focus on how I feel, do my exercises and trust that it will get better (easier said than done).

Man, I miss being a kid. Not even getting hit by a car could stop me. Now I take one little fall and I'm off work for 6 weeks. I have been back on the bike once or twice since the incident. Doesn't feel too bad except for when I go over potholes/bumps in the road.

rumrunn6

9 weeks after mine, I can sleep on that shoulder for a while, but I try to be careful how I roll over. I find myself favoring it at my 2nd job, which is physical & requires lifting but I can perform my job functions w/ both arms. I got x-rays too but I wasn't able to see them, or get a copy. maybe I should ask again, just cuz I'm curious

rumrunn6

11 weeks out from the slam, I can say I have ALMOST no lingering symptoms or side effects from the mild AC Joint Sprain
- I can't sleep on my injured side w/o some discomfort. the longer I lay on that side, the more discomfort I have & the longer the discomfort lasts
- I hear some noises from my shoulder, but only rarely
I had to take a cpl weeks off from weight training & the 2nd job (physical), shortly after increasing my hours, due to illness & scheduling conflicts
I think the rest break was beneficial
based on recent work shifts & the last 2 days of weight training, I think I am good to go & resume where I left off in February
the 2 trickiest weight stations, the 2 angled overhead presses, no longer pose the challenges I had when rehabbing the shoulder

Cornchips

I'm in my 8th week now of a supposed Grade II strain. I've been back at work for 2 weeks on 'light duties'. A lot of simple things I took for granted are still beyond me...like throwing, rolling tables and lifting semi-heavy things. I am a lot more 'functional' than what I was, and even going over bumps on my bike doesn't bother me too much anymore, and I can drive my car relatively pain-free, but my shoulder still gets 'achy', even from walking or standing up for periods of time. I don't think I've a had a pain-free day since I did it, and I've given up trying to sleep on the affected side.

I am getting a little worried as I'm in the 8th week and well past the recovery time set by the Doctor, I mean, I have good range of movement and am back at work, but the shoulder is still painful and I have lost a lot of strength. I just wish this thing would go away. I kind of feel like there might be something going on besides the AC joint, or maybe I've been misdiagnosed? Like maybe the clavicle displacement is Grade II but the ligament damage is Grade III or something? As relatively my slow recovery seems to be more in line with a higher grade strain.

The Ortho I went to said it was was 'quite mild' as far as AC sprains go, so maybe I'm getting soft in my old age? It just doesn't feel right and the recovery doesn't seem as straightforward as the '4-6 weeks of rest, ice and anti-inflammatories' the standard/generic advice seems to suggest...

rumrunn6

here's hoping it improves with more time. even though I'm over the hump, I too was very frustrated. I can lay on that side but if I dod & roll or sway, thus grinding the joint somewhat, it can be a little uncomfortable, so I'm giving that more time. that might be the vey last sign of recovery. stay patient with that. I'm hopeful for you but like I said that might be the last thing to improve. some guys I met who had a similar injury, in their younger days, mentioned the rehab exercises helped them so I kept at them, especially the one where you stand against an immovable object & push out & then in w/ your forearm

here's another link with more you've probably already seen. hang in there. great to hear you are back at work, that's important, but so is time, rest, rehab & weight training, when appropriate. btw not sure if it helps but I think it does, I applied aspercreme to the whole shoulder & clavicle area, in fact I still do after weight trying & before my physical 2nd job. there are different formulas (like w/ lidocaine) so I just stick whatever is in the original basic formula

Cornchips

Oh yeah, thanks for the link to the exercises. I have invested in a set of elastic bands - the Physio at the start had me doing a lot of the isometric exercises, but after YouTubing 'AC joint rehab' or something similar it was quite apparent that I needed a set of elastic bands and I have been doing it everyday (or almost everyday). I tied one to the clothesline and do a set or two of internal and external rotations every time I walk past. When I went home for Easter to see my Dad I grabbed a set of dumbbells I had laying around from my teenage years (never really did get into weights) 5+ kg is probably still too heavy for me, but funnily enough I find the bar heavy enough for most of the exercises if I don't want to use the bands or if I want to add a bit more weight. One night I was doing 'side lying lateral rotations' with the dumbbell bar and heard a 'snap' in my shoulder, and surprisingly, its felt about 5% better since then.

One of the best rehab videos I found was by a guy called Trail Breaker. Simple, straightforward, no-nonsense type stuff:


AskDrJo also has some good videos on shoulder rehab, again in a simple, helpful way.

That's the frustrating thing about this injury - for me anyway - is that I can do most of these exercises relatively comfortably (although admittedly I can't do too many 'sets') but find there is a big difference between doing these exercises and the 'real word' and lots of everyday tasks remind me I'm not out of the woods yet - like reaching for things, standing for long periods of time (shoulder gets sore), walking, winding the windows down/up in the car (old car), steering with the affected arm, lifting things, sleeping on my affected side, and just a general feeling of the shoulder feeling not quite right. I'm still not confident in reaching across my body, for example. Having said that, I guess things are slowly getting better - it wasn't that long ago putting a shirt on or off was causing me great pain and in the past week or so even putting on my socks has been relatively easy.

rumrunn6

I'm so grateful ppl like this take the time & effort to share this. he's got cpl I haven't seen before. not sure I would do them at this point tho. I haven't tried going back to regular pushups yet because I do 3 kinds of similar movements in the circuit I do. maybe I'll add those easy ones that he has in the video. it's been a cpl years since I did my pushups with my feet on the bench & hands on the floor. same for full bodyweight pullups. don't know if I'll ever go back to those. interesting comment about keeping the shoulder "up" & his taping

Cornchips

I'm now 3 months post injury and back at my second job bagging groceries at Safeway and am slowly returning to 'normal life' all be it in a weak and sore manner. The last consultation with the physio has recommended I do more weights, especially in areas where I am weak, i.e. above my head. He's recommended 3x10 sets, but I can only manage 2x10 comfortably. I've been doing 'shoulder presses' and 'shoulder flexions' this past week, but can only manage a couple of kgs at most. He did some test where I held my arms out straight and I had to resist him pushing down on my arms. My right arm (injured side) came down almost straight away. Feels like I have the strength of a 5 y.o. It's so frustrating, especially with all the work with the therabands I've been doing, but it seems its time to up the ante.

My movement is pretty good - although I'm still a bit tentative reaching across my body and I've noticed after going to the physio I can't put my injured arm behind my back and then reach for the opposite shoulder. I can sleep on my injured side, but only if my arm is straight. I still get sore at work, but I notice it is becoming slightly less painful. When I first returned to work I couldn't get through a shift without some sort of painkiller or ibuprofen, now I can get through without having to take anything.

As I have done all along, I can't help but wonder if there's some comorbidities going on - possibly rotator cuff strain (?) as I've well and truly gone past the typical 4-6 week recovery period of a type II AC joint injury.

Cornchips

I'm now 7 months down the road of my AC joint injury and my shoulder is still giving me grief. So much so, that I bit the bullet and ordered an MRI. I have just got the results back. The report reads:

Extensive labral tear throughout with labral/paralabral cysts. AC joint degeneration with mild undersloping of the acromion.

Where to from here? I really had to push for the MRI as my physio said 'the results won't change anything' and only added the words 'for your records' with the attached MRI report from the radiologist. I'm a bit worried that I have 'extensive' labral tears some 7 months on from my accident. And despite my weight training, and being more 'functional', I'm still weaker on my right side than my left. I'm now going down the labrum tear rabbit hole on the interwebs.

I always suspected something else besides the AC joint was going on, and I guess this confirms it, as I completely blew out the 4-6 week recovery period for a Grade 2 AC joint sprain.

I also feel I'm back to square one in many ways. Now I know what's wrong, what do I do? Will more rest help? Seek a second opinion? Is surgery an option? Will I ever get back to full strength? This would have to be one of the worst things I have ever done, as it has affected so many areas of my life as I live under the spectre of chronic pain.

GhostRider62

What to do? In the USA, 1) get a lawyer to sue the negligent Physio and 2) see a shoulder surgeon to review your MRI and determine if repair is warranted. Down under...????

rumrunn6

thank you for sharing. I wish you well. I'm a month ahead of you, so 8 months out. my complaint is not being able to sleep on my left side for every long. I have some occasional abnormal sensations but nothing that keeps me from my normal activities or exercises, just the sleeping on that side. I would not be surprised if later down the road, more damage becomes apparent, or the current damage contributes to future damage. certainly don't want to fall on my left side again. hang in there

GhostRider62

Sleep is definitely the issue with shoulder problems, I used to wake up when rolling over but after surgery, I was good. Fast forward 4 years to a broken clavicle, broken scapula, humerus, 5 ribs, trocanter, and elbow all on the left. I found that stuffing pillows or I should say wedging them into my left side kept me from rolling over for at least part of the night......sharing in case that helps. Some say sleeping in a lazy boy type chair works, too.

Cornchips

I remember sleeping was torturous when I first did it, as I usually sleep on my (injured) right side. Despite my recent MRI result, it is in the best shape since I did it. Lack of strength is probably the biggest issue for me at the moment and pulling up sore after a big day at work. Funnily enough, I can sleep on it, provided my arm is straight...

rumrunn6

really? what do you mean straight? like straight down w/ hand at your hips? with your body weight on your arm or is it in front of you? please tell me cuz Wifey sleeps on my left & I's like to cuddle more on that side. my shoulder has been interfering with that

Cornchips

Sorry, no, certainly can't sleep with my arm straight down or bent while lying on my injured side. I meant 'straight' as in my arm in a 10 or 11 o'clock position. Feels most comfortable for me and I seem to avoid putting too much weight directly on the shoulder (if that makes sense - just realised it is hard to describe my sleeping position).