Recovering from a fall - landed on shoulder!

willowblack

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So on Saturday in celebration of improving weather off we went on a hack :D

During a short canter down a track my 4 year old tripped sending us both flying with me landing on my shoulder :eek:

It didnt hurt (at the time) and must have just been an unlucky positioning because I have ruptured the ligaments holding my collar bone down to my shoulder.......

The doctor tells me this is a common injury, does anyone have any experience of this injury? length of time to heal? operation or not? but most importantly when will i be able to ride again???:(
 

JustKickOn

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As with any injury - rest, rest, rest. If it hurts, don't do it.
Ligaments and tendons can take a tremendously long time to heal, my ankle took just over 10 months to heal after straining it, let alone then rupturing.

You may need physio too to regain full movement in a controlled way.
*Healing vibes*
 

sophiebailey

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Can sympathise with you, sat at home with two slipped discs after a fall on Monday ;( so bored already!!! Hope you heal fast :) xxx
 

WetandMuddy

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I came off almost exactly a year ago and hit the point of my shoulder on a tree. That really hurt. I chipped the bone and damaged the ligaments and tendons and muscle. I couldn't ride for 6-8 weeks because it really hurt. It still aches if I lie on it wrong at night, but it did take a long time to stop hurting when I lifted my arm.

I had a sling which was brilliant and I could put it on when the shoulder really started to hurt.

The doctor said not to ride whilst it hurt and I didn't. I am glad I didn't because listening to other people with the same sort of injury, theirs took a lot longer to heal.
 

philamena

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Yowch! Poor you. 9 weeks ago (not counting at all, can you tell?) I fell off and broke my proximal humerus into several bits and had to have it screwed back together. I didn't realise until I saw a private sports physio two weeks later that as well as the break, I'd detached my collarbone similarly - now it sticks up at the end and visibly bounces if you press on it.

I have to say that at the time, the collarbone injury really didn't hurt (and I wasn't taking hefty painkillers because they made my stomach feel dreadful). The pain was focused on the break, and then down the rest of the arm.
BUT... when it's come to doing more advanced physio to restore the range of movement I can really feel it that it didn't help having the shoulder so completely immobile for so long from the point of view of getting over the collarbone thing as well as the break. So my advice would be, keep it mobile *within your pain limits!* Don't push it, but don't let it sieze up. The shoulder gives up very quickly, and it's only when you try to restore movement that you realise how complicated a joint it is and how many different directions you need it to move in! And continue to watch your posture because if you favour it too much you'll end up with a wonky donkey back :)
 

snowstormII

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Oweee!I can totally sympathise. I had something similar happen to me. Fell off horse who had fallen over, onto my right shoulder on the road, and broken my collarbone right at the shoulder end (less common than right in the middle). I am right handed but quickly learned to adapt to being left handed - needs must. I was out of a sling for the first 2 weeks as they thought I had ruptured the shoulder tendons and it hurt, so I was re-xrayed and told it was broken afterall, not dislocated/ruptured. So then I was in a sling full time for another 3 weeks, and only as required for another week. It was a total relief for it to be in the sling. Physio guy said it was what was needed to see if bones would heal, but rubbish for the shoulder joint as it seized a lot. I didn't realise as I was on cocodamol - my new friend ;) I had to go to GP to get that - hospital didn't mention any painkillers :(

However, the next consultant said as I live such an active life, that would be the best physio for me, even though the bones were not knitting back together (Yikes). Besides 3 horses and a family I also own a cattery, that means lots of cleaning of walls and floors!

So 7 weeks from original injury I am now relying less on my 'good' arm/hand and using my wonky arm more. It has regained loads of mobility and strength ( I am now lifting 20kg feed bags, very carefully and can wash down 1 cattery wall out of 4 with that arm). I rode a friend's good horse last weekend, 6 1/2 weeks from injury, sort of one handed and really enjoyed it, so now I know I want to ride again, having lost a bit of confidence. Consultant told me to get back on, just to make sure I didn't fall off for a bit!! Need to be convinced my mare is the one to carry on with though!! It still aches a lot when I first get up, but more in my biceps and later in the evening when I get sucked into the vortice that is HHO!!

Hope that gives you hope. Let your pain be your guide, but like already said don't let it seize up and if at all possible go to see a consultant who is understanding of sports injuries and the mind set of active people. Let us know how you get on.
 

wes

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I fell on my shoulder December 2011, then fell again (whilst racing a motorbike) and shattered my collarbone at the ligament end.
Had it plated, but shoulder froze so had to have another op to free it up, getting better but still doing physio.
As others have said keep it mobile
I have been riding again since back end of last summer, but shoulder still uncomfy but strong whilst riding and anything with arm less than shoulder height. Above this and I struggle.
 

Honey08

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Shoulders are pretty rubbish joints, all in all. I haven't experience of this injury, but have had three shoulder ops in the last six years, and would say keep it moving gently, get physio if you can, but don't overdo it, you will only suffer in the future by pushing through... The body needs what it needs to recover, you can't cheat that.
 

philamena

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Also - find a very good private physio, pref a shoulder specialist. The NHS guys are so over stretched that they just don't have the time I'm finding. They're very lovely and work hard, but for my last appointment I walked into the appointment at 3:05 and was finished, out of the hospital, back across town and sitting at my desk again by 3:33. The progress from the private physio is understandably much more marked... Plus agree with the above poster who says the sports physio guys are very understanding about what we need to achieve and what our aims are. As above, he told me I'm allowed to get on in the next few weeks provided I'm prepared for it to hurt from the movement, and absolutely must NOT fall off, his point being that the bone healing slows and plateaus after that point so it'll still be pretty screwed if I fall on it for several months, and we're clearly not going to wait for completely full strength, that sport's about balancing the risk, etc...
 
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