Dislocated shoulder

A snowHead

Day 2 in les arcs and I went down a red. It was open but half way down there’d been a deliberate avalanche. I’m in a chair so I sit ski. Made it 90% down but lost control, fell and shoulde came out. This is the second time.

I’m very depressed but trying to think if skiing is worth it. My favourite holiday but the pain and inconvenience is sub optimal…

Has anyone used shoulder braces like motocross riders use? After rehab I am wondering about options.

A snowHead

I use mountain bike body armour for shoulder protection, after having a couple of stupid little falls that damaged my shoulders.

It also has elbow protection which has definitely saved me from a smashed elbow after slipping whilst walking to the slopes.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

This is of no use to you whatsoever, but one of my mates dislocated his shoulder going off the side of a ski cross run. The doctors took 4 hours putting it back in Twisted Evil

They needed to dose him with lots of tranquillisers apparently.

Fast forward 24 hours and he was back on the slopes with his arm in a sling snowHead

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Once it dislocates once the chance of recurrence is high. Exercise rehabs are generally not particularly effective. However, some of this is likely due to poor quality exercise rehabs (i.e. focusing too much on rotator cuffs rather than fixing scapula dyskinesis). Surgery is very effective, and the route I would be looking to go down after a 2nd dislocation.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Chin up @Warnergb7, as I think there's longer ultimately productive/proactive view to take, especially if you enjoy skiing so much.

I'm certainly no medic, and know others on here can share a professional qualified view with you from that perspective.

Mine, more purely mechanical driven, is that the taping of this joint to keep the principal elements in correct alignment appears to be productive in getting the joint to accommodate loading without displacement happening. This link
http://youtube.com/v/8aLyLLEALjg is the specific method ive seen to stabilise an underlying low resistance to that displacement.

The body armour I'd view (I've used that extensively in moto-X) is much more as protection from impact of various origin.

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@ski3, that tape can be a good proprioception tool. However, its not really strong enough to "hold" things in their right position. Particularly as there is so much skin movement above the scapula, and it's more a case of faulty movement patterns than trying to freeze things in a set position.

After all it is free

@Warnergb7,
Really sorry to hear about your accident. Was it out for a while? From experience the likelihood of it happening again are quite high if you fall a similar way, I struggled on with mine for years but since surgery(7years ago) it has been great and feels 'solid' where as before I would know it was coming out before it actually did!
If surgery is an option for you I would go for that.

I did mine skiing in Bulgeria 3 years ago, hit ice and fell. I went for surgery that was delayed for 6 months through the pandemic. Had physio and thinking the same is skiing worth it. My physio and consultant had told me that my shoulder is back to normal. I am going to go again, but only ski when is has snowed so when i fall, hopefully it will be a soft landing. I personally wish you the very best.

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Thanks for the comments everyone., @alasdair.graham it was out for about an hour I think in the end by the time I got off the mountain. When I did it before I had no surgery but did a lot of rehab and after about 4 months I honestly felt no difference, Back in the gym, using a hand cycle as if nothing had happened, Physio said it was fine. I have since fallen on it a couple of times and its been fine but this time it was onto rock hard lumps of snow caused by the avalanche and I’m starting to think it would have dislocated regardless of whether I had done it before as my shoulder felt so solid. Just so annoying.

After the last time, teh first time down a slope felt horrible., Dread to think what it will be like next time, if there is a next,

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Rule 5 applies, double down on paracetamol and ibuprofen. Get through then cry off sick from work when you get home.

I feel for you having tried but failed to dislocate mine twice in a few days some years ago. I would recommend the type of strap worn by waterskiers to limit abduction. It consists of a chest strap joined by a short piece of webbing to a strap fixed round the upper arm. It probably has a name. Good luck.

You know it makes sense.

@Warnergb7,
The longer it's out the more everything is stretched so the easier it will pop out again, mine got to the point when leaning back the wrong way in bed it would come out, by the same token it would pop itself back in as easily as it came out so I just got on with it.
If you can get surgery then do it, no need to worry about going skiing then.

Help!!

Dislocated shoulder

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