Shoulder / upper arm pain

[MrJacques]

So I went over the bars today (too much front brakes on a rocky downhill) and instinctively stuck out my hand to break the fall. Fortunately I didn't break anything (could have been a broken wrist!), but my upper arm and shoulder are pretty sore. I guess all the force of it went up my arm into the shoulder area. It doesn't seem swollen, it just hurts when I move my arm above shoulder height, so hopefully it's just a sprain that will heal with some rest. I've hurt this shoulder before by doing dips and it took a while to recover.

 

Anyways, I'm sure someone here has had a similar injury and could share some advice on recovery or what was broken / torn? What exercises can I do once my shoulder is healed to strengthen it?

 

Is it possible to fall the 'right' way so you don't injure your wrist / shoulder?

[Witkop]

ride loose, don't use the brakes, and let go quickly (of course this is impossible if you are not loose or are squeezing the brakes in terror).

 

Buy the book Mastering Mountain Bike skills by Brian Lopes.

[Noneking]

So I went over the bars today (too much front brakes on a rocky downhill) and instinctively stuck out my hand to break the fall. Fortunately I didn't break anything (could have been a broken wrist!), but my upper arm and shoulder are pretty sore. I guess all the force of it went up my arm into the shoulder area. It doesn't seem swollen, it just hurts when I move my arm above shoulder height, so hopefully it's just a sprain that will heal with some rest. I've hurt this shoulder before by doing dips and it took a while to recover.

 

Anyways, I'm sure someone here has had a similar injury and could share some advice on recovery or what was broken / torn? What exercises can I do once my shoulder is healed to strengthen it?

 

Is it possible to fall the 'right' way so you don't injure your wrist / shoulder?

 

 

Sounds like it might be AC joint?? Very common injury. Look out for noticeably elevated point on collarbone where it joins the shoulder.

[MrJacques]

@Witkop: Thanks for the book recommendation, it looks good.

 

@Noneking: Quite possibly an ac joint injury, although I don't feel any elevated points so maybe it's not too severe. Deltoid a bit tender, but it already feels better than yesterday

[davetapson]

Shoulders are not to be messed with - may be worth seeing a physio?

[rich_mark]

Sounds like a strained ligaments on the collar bone. Typically hurts when arm is raised sideways around or above shoulder height. Lots of ice and hot packs.

[Rob_Lions]

I had the same sort of experience! (buying a piece of land) - It carried on for about a month and I finally went to the physio and he said it was a muscle that stiffened on impact; thus the pain when trying to lift your arm above should height. It might be worth it to go to the physio, my shoulder is now a lot better (2 months down the line) but still not 100%

[MrJacques]

@rich_mark: yeah, that sounds like the most accurate description of what I'm experiencing. It already feels a lot better, but I know from a past injury that shoulder injuries can take a while to heal. I have noticed that it 'clicks' a bit more now than it used to as well.

[MaxUmis]

I have a similar shoulder issue since falling myself into a different gender group in June.

 

After about 3 weeks of the sore shoulder, I went for a couple of sessions at the physio. To be honest, only the first session helped a little.

So I got fed up paying for sessions that didn't help and left the shoulder again to "rest".

 

3 months after the fall, I go to a sports chiropractor because the sore shoulder isn't getting better and is very uncomfortable. 4 sessions later and the shoulder is much better. However it still isn't 100%.

 

The chiropractor says that I should have had the shoulder looked at sooner, because my body has now "adapted to working around the pain"...

 

So I'm also keen to see if there is an answer here that doesn't involve rest, physio or extended use of anti-inflammatories.

[rich_mark]

Yeah, there's no blood flow to ligaments so they can take up to 3 months to heal, depending of course on how bad it is. If there's any swelling in the area use an ice pack. If you need relief a hot pack works a treat. Light stretching will help as well. Other than that give it time to heal.