Dislocated my shoulder on the 12th of November. Can I ski for new years?

A snowHead

I very sadly dislocated my shoulder for the first time while kayaking about a month ago.... And am booked to go skiing with mates for new years. (30th to the 4th of jan). There was no fracture in the dislocation and i am due to start Physio next week. (17th).

My doctor said he could advise against me skiing.... butttt...... i realllly want to ski. Is it a really bad idea to not head his advice? Is there like a shoulder brace type thing i can buy to stop it dislocating? (would not mind having almost no upper body flexibility, could still do simple slopes).

PLEASEEEE, i thought it would be ok not skiing but with all of these skiing things coming up on my news feed i'm becoming increasingly distressed haha.

Thanks! lex

A snowHead

Skiing should be absolutely fine. Its the bit that happens just after flying through the air that you should be worried about... oh and avoid any vigorous extended arm pole-planting

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

Curious as to why you don't start physio sooner after the injury. Is that necessary to let the swelling subside?

Personally, I wouldn't go against my doctor's advice. I might try and find a doctor with a different opinion though!

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The doctor (who was a specialist) seemed to think i should wait a while before starting physio to let it recover. Haha nothing about a brace type thing i can wear?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

lexei, I'm sure he's right about waiting before physio. Just wondered if it was lack of NHS physio availability that was the issue.

I think there are braces that can give you a huge amount of support against dislocation, but beware of those fu***ng Pomas. They are enough to rip anyone's arm out of its sockets.

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lexei, I have not dislocated my shoulder -- but do have an AC joint separation thanks to an over-the-handlebars at speed MTB incident.... IMV shoulders are really exposed should you fall - and difficult to protect. I'd go with your Dr's advice. You insurance company will agree with him --- and not you....

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Go - Once its come out once then it will come out again so no point in fannying about.

(slightly tounge in cheek! I have disclocated mine but I really focused on the strength based physio exercises and it hasn't come out since despite lots of falling over skiing. Strength is improtant as the shoulder is held in with muscles.)

But unless the doctor specfically says "don't go" then I would go. You can do a lot of physio in couple of weeks as all the exercises you do yourself at home every day and you can continue to do it while away as well.

After all it is free

lexei, I know a lot about dislocated shoulders - 32 at the last count but injury free and stable for the last 3-4 years through self-physio. How old are you? If you're over 30 there's less likely to be tendon damage. How long was it out? the quicker it's relocated, the less long term damage is done. Was it immobilised for a couple of weeks after injury to allow the rotator cuff muscles to reattach and the tendon to shrink? I presume it was an anterior dislocation.

The usual recovery time is quoted at 3-6 months but for a first dislocation with a lot of home physio 3 months should be easy. Can you lift your arm up to shoulder level at the moment out in front (not above your head)? Out to the side (harder)? If you can, you can start rehab work. Free weights (dumbells) and resistance band exercises are the key. Lat bar pull downs if you've got a multigym (but be very careful at first).

This is the best brace on the market http://www.djoglobal.com/products/donjoy/sully-shoulder-stabilizer

With some intense work for the next 3 weeks and that brace you should be fine. I've twice dislocated mine on a mountain and put it in using a ski pole as a brace to pull against. I then worked another 6 weeks as a ski guide when I couldn't even lift my arm up high enough to pole plant so yes, you can ski wink

Let me know if you have more questions.

The shoulder is a difficult joint to stabilise with a brace without seriously limiting normal movement, which would probably be necessary to ski well.

I've dislocated my shoulder 7 times now, although never when skiing, all through football/rugby. The closest I have ever popped it out to a skiing holiday was one month before my holiday a couple of years ago, and I went skiing - HOWEVER I would like to stress that I am not reccommending you go skiing. My shoulder is now in such a bad state that when it pops out I can easily reduce (medical term for putting it back in place) the joint myself. The glenoid (the area of bone that typically holds the shoulder "ball" in place, has become flattened, so the shoulder will pop in and out more easily than it should.

I looked at reconstructive surgery of both the ligaments and bone, but the potential benefits, for me at least, do not outweigh the inconvenience and possible complications I could face.

I have done a lot of strengthening work on the muscles around my shoulder to try and protect it, as with any weakened joint. It's now been almost 2 years since I last dislocated it - You definitely become a little more cautious in certain things once you've done it a few times.

If you are even relatively young and active, there is around a 90% chance you will re-dislocate your shoulder at some point in the future.

People can all offer their advice, but nobody is as qualified to offer good advice as your doctor. My brother dislocated his shoulder snowboarding on the first day of his first ever snow holiday and spent the best part of an hour on a snowmobile being taken to the nearest medical centre... in the next valley. I don't think I'd fancy being on a blood wagon or skidoo getting rattled about with my shoulder out.

At the end of the day, the ultimate decision is yours.

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lexei, You might do well to take foxtrotzulu, 's advice about finding another doctor with a different opinion. If you go skiing against doctors advice, it will nullify your insurance - & that could be costly if you pop it again while skiing. As a 5 times shoulder dislocater, it was at least 2 weeks post injury before I was allowed to start physio, each time. I was surprised by how much muscle wasting had occurred in the relatively short time. Any chance you could wait till later in the season?

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Don''t fall over and you will be fine !!!!

lexei, you would need to find insurance which will cover you with all details of your injury fully disclosed. And none of them will if you are skiing against medical advice.

You know it makes sense.

I dislocated my shoulder skiing (skied into a ditch in bad viz. skis released so no harm to legs, landed badly, anterior dislocation, put back within 30 mins by doctor at Les Arcs, after agonising trip on bloodwagon). The best advice i was given was to do nothing energetic with my arm until the rotator cuffs had rehabilitated through physiotherapy (which I paid for rather than join an NHS waiting list). The rationale for this advice was that the shoulder is a uniquely complex joint, with particularly complex movement; it is important for its future stability that the small muscles which control the complex movement rehabilitate before the arm starts doing anything strenuous; the risk if you do not is that the much more powerful muscles that do the strenuous work will dislocate the shoulder again, because the small rotator cuffs do not have the strength to keep it in place. That was about 8 years ago.

I followed the advice, and have had no further dislocations. Your call.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

lexei, as pam w and others have said, you need to make sure you are properly covered. You must inform your insurance company. They will ask what your surgeon advises.
You say your doctor is a "specialist". Specialist in what? You need a shoulder surgeon who deals with sports injuries.
You then need to brief him/her accordingly. Back in 2007 I broke my elbow. It was fixed the same day, but I wanted to go skiing 3 weeks later. I made sure my surgeon knew this before i asked the question: "can I go skiing?", and he replied "Yes, as long as you are careful". This I passed on verbatim to the insurance company, who said it was fine for me to go.
Of course, if your surgeon/specialist says "No!", then you would be foolish to go.

A snowHead

A snowHead

you know your body best. All my shoulder dislocations happened playing rugby. it eventually became a weekly event (partial dislocate at least a dozen full dislocate three left one right) and I would strap it and play, dislocate during game and pop back in and carry on. The first couple were proper painful and then less so just suffer loss of feeling pins and needles for a few minutes then recover. Never had surgery just managed it ands strapped it up. I have particularly muscular shoulders and happily ski without fear of dislocation now after working weights for years. I highly recommend one of the braces Raceplate, highlights. They work. I guess its a question of risk of injury vs potential pleasure. Strap it wrap it and ski.....but hey its not my shoulder!!

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

If you damage the rotator cuff it can cause a lot of trouble long term, takes a fair bit of physio. Then again, Slingman dislocated his shoulder badly doing a mogul pole plant on an EOSB, needed a rescue and skied the annual race through gates with his arm in a sling two days later. He was quite fast too

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Lexei - I'd speak with your physio about it when you start - I did mine skiing a few years back and I was skiing - albeit tentatively - 3 days later with it strapped up.

I think the chances of it popping out again depends on the type of dislocation - if it was due to impact (as mine was) then the chances of it popping again are lower

Having said all this if you are covered on insurance then I'd claim and schedule another trip later in the season - good look with it

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

lexei, My personal view would be take care with your high brace when kayaking in future - was there any water a month ago?! In terms of skiing you will know how strong it feels and I would probably make sure a surgeon has given me advice I can pass on to insurance without a problem.

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Was it Lee Mossop who dislocated his shoulder in a challenge cup final (Rugby League) and returned in the second half to continue playing?

I dislocated my shoulder skiing a few years ago and after a couple days rest continued skiing with the arm strapped to my chest. It was quite a bad dislocation and needed surgery later on the rotator cuff (very painful) but I still enjoyed the skiing holiday. The most difficult part was putting the boots on and getting them off single handed and of course I could not drive home.
LikePeterkct, I did it in Les Arcs, but found the blood wagon ride back down to 1600 OK. The pistuer won the bet with the doctor as to what my injury was. It took both the doctor and the nurse to put it back in, one pulling and the other manipulating. The sudden reduction in pain was amazing. On returning to the UK the speed of action of the NHS was impressive - I called into my GP on the Monday and was being operated on 10 days later.

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lexei, Mine now falls out if I twist the wrong way when reaching around with a handful of bog paper. I destroyed the shoulder about 25 years ago and it should really be seen to surgically but that'll need a major op now. Physio is really important to continue to get full range of movement and strength back and you need to be certain that you don't have torn or broken off cartilage and tendons etc. in the joint restricting movement.

If the docs have freed you to go and work with the Physio team then they should be happy that the joint just needs physio and exercise. Talk to your physio and discuss the risks. If you are still under the docs supervision, he/she should say if you're clear to go.

Really work hard on your physio, it makes a BIG difference in the long term as pointed out above.

After all it is free

Having dislocated both of my shoulders in separate incidents.........I would say "God No" don't do it!! Let the shoulder repair fully and do all the physio you can in order to make it strong and stable for the next ski holiday!

Im not a risk taker, so just my personal opinion! Little Angel

i dislocated my shoulder 3 days ago, skiing down an unpisted red run.
there was an obstacle hidden near the end, nbt thinks it was a rut, i was going at speed to make sure i made it to the lift. the pain was excruciating, then a trip in the blood wagon. several other people hit this with only myself and another guy actually hitting the deck
the health centre couldn't pop it back in, so an ambulance took me to hospital in boug st maurice, where i went under general anaesthetic. surgeon says there's a small fracture too. no exercise for 4 weeks and 6 weeks for fracture to mend.
this happened on the first week of a 6 week dream skiing holiday. i'm scared after reading other peoples experiences, that i won't be able to ski in march.
physio is something i'll do with effort.
what are my chances of skiing again this season.
apologies for poor typing.

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Curious as to why you’d listen to a anonymous bunch on an internet forum rather than your own doctor. Is the because some one here will give you the answer you want and you can go back to your doctor with internet derived opinion? Make sure you check the contributors medical qualifications and professional indemnity insurance.

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@ster,

a) because I'm not home yet to see my own doctor, but I did listen to the surgeon who fixed me up

and

b) there are an awful lot of very knowledgeable and experienced snowheads whose opinions I respect. There are also a lot of trolls, who I don't...

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There are some here who would be out skiing the next day if they could, or at least the day after removal of the cast. Toofy Grin

How long before you can see your own doctor?
Might be best waiting to see how well it's healing, which would normally be another X ray in your local Hospital in a few weeks if you are in the UK.
If you can see him late Feb, then I'd suggest taking his advice.

If the surgeon said 6 weeks for the fracture to heal, that would take you to mid Feb.
I'm no medical expert, but see no reason why, as long as you have decent pain free movement, and took it fairly steady, then you shouldn't be OK, particularly if it's later in March.

Just be careful not to have another fall on it.

You know it makes sense.

I will add in broken arm 2 days ago. Hoping to ski 9 weeks from accident but would do so if cleared by a specialist. It’s broken in 2 places so not wildly optimistic. Prepared to go through physio pain to get out again but only if someone will say fit to go

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

@lexei, so did you ski?

A snowHead

All very interesting as i sit here in Sauzy with a newly dislocated shoulder. First time, and fwiw i have acromion-clavicular joint dislocated grade 4. I’m assuming that ‘shoulder dislocation “ can come in many forms… local doc advised me to get CT scan when home, and expect to rquire surgery to relocate/attach the joint, which in this case seems to be sinew/tendon. So not a fracture . At least two, and prob 4, weeks skiing lost.
As others note, skiing against medical advice wold be foolish. Skiing in a two week old wrist cast may be ok if your careful, but i have no desire to fall on my shoulder at the moment.
Best wishes to @lexei,

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

@hamilton, ah booger. I bet it's sore.

AC separations are common in contact sports, but the recovery can be good.
Grade 4 often means surgery as the ligaments are usually ruptured.

This fellow has done 2 people Who know well and is very well respected. He has some good info on AC joint injuries.

Hopefully your "ball and cup" are undamaged.
https://www.shoulderdoc.co.uk/article/60

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@Frosty the Snowman, great link, thanks.

Help!!

Dislocated my shoulder on the 12th of November. Can I ski for new years?

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