Shoulder Separation

[thebob]

Hi all

so today was my turn to have a nasty OTB and experience a separated shoulder. I’ll be off to the specialist on Monday to see if I have an op or not. From what I can see mine looks like a grade 3 or 4. Anyone who has experience in going through this injury or treating it, please chime in with your experiences. I’m interested to see what I am in for.

[MORNE]

Yes…Not a so much a ‘separation’,  more of a ‘rearrangement’ haha.

This happened in January 2025. I still don't have full range of motion and still suffer some minor pain if i do certain things. Certainly not riding anywhere near the level i was before..partly due to mental gymnastics but also just not being comfortable on the bike in all situations due to limited movement. I struggle to get really low now for instance. Not the same injury know, but ive also dislocated them a few times…and the rehab sucks for those too.
 

The only advice a would want to give someone with any kind of shoulder injury is to try working on mobility, rotation, strength in all directions as soon as possible or allowed. After this injury i now fully appreciate how important the shoulder is the the movement of the whole arm. Once all those little bastard muscles around your shoulder, neck and upper back freeze up and/or wither away…you’re in for a pretty long stretch recovery wise. Plus most of my nights also now include a session with a massage gun to help. 

Edited August 9, 2025 by MORNE

[Dexter-morgan]

I had a grade 4, ligaments off, I just have a bigger bump on my one shoulder but have good range of motion, when I get tired on the bike, ons side hangs more than left side, mine happened in 2019, I did a bunch of training indoors, get used to hate that sling, I got a wire but it came loose again.

[thebob]

4 minutes ago, Dexter-morgan said:

I had a grade 4, ligaments off, I just have a bigger bump on my one shoulder but have good range of motion, when I get tired on the bike, ons side hangs more than left side, mine happened in 2019, I did a bunch of training indoors, get used to hate that sling, I got a wire but it came loose again.

Already hate it 😖

[Estiaan Geyer]

I had a grade 3/4 around 5 years ago I think. After about 2 weeks I was 70% fine again and shortly after that I was 100%. The only lasting problem I have is it's a bit uncomfortable to sleep on that shoulder now but apart from that I'm 100%. I have a bump from the clavicle sitting in a raised position but have no discomfort or pain at all. From what I understand regarding surgery is depending on the severity of the damage it is mostly aesthetics to get rid of the bump and put your clavicle in its place again. If surgery is not required I wouldn't bother with it. 

Definitely work on shoulder strength and mobility for your shoulder health in the long run. 

[26er]

Did a grade 3 in 2020,

After seeing two specialist's, both advised not to operate.

The only real irritation is sleeping….

I find it weakens faster when not trained for a while, you almost have to keep training it with gym work or resistance training.

 

 

 

[mazambaan]

Ouch and I smashed a shoulder maybe 10 years ago, also no operation but had Sani in a few months so went to a biokineticist then physio to get there. Money well spent methinks. It is still uncomfortable when I lie on it and haven't got full range of motion but it works and minimal pain.

[RocknRolla]

I had an off in December. 

Dislocated shoulder that was re-set in the ER. 

Clavicle tendon separation stage 4 or whatever. Looked like I was smuggling a golf ball on my shoulder. I saw a Orthopaedic surgeon in Pretoria (Dr Julian - Highly recommended) who advised to operate. He was concerned about possible bicep damage subsequent to the dislocation.

So I had Shoulder AC joint repair using a double loop neo tendon (With harvested wrist tendon) with dogbone to tie everything together nicely. Also orthoscopy to check the bicep, and its tendons.

Op in Feb, off work for 10 days. No driving for 6 weeks, only on the bike (road) after 3 months. 

Pain post op was about 20/10 till I got serious drugs. Limited mobility and range of motion. Started physio after 6 weeks, and the rehab was excruciating. 

If you opt for surgery it needs to happen towards the end of the 6 week period post-injury, from what I was told.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

Edited August 11, 2025 by RocknRolla

[bullet77]

I had grade 3 injury in 2017 fall, advised not to operate. Got the bump sticking out but I can swim, paddle , ride and sleep without discomfort.

Sounds like I got lucky.

[Irvin85]

Good luck, I had 4 shoulder operations in total, 3 on the left one on the right. It really sucks and is damn sore. Dislocated shoulder is where it all started, torn rotator cuff after that. it was all put back together than my body rejected the pins, needless to say I still do not have full movement in my arm and something like a overhead press is impossible to do. I will eventually go for number 5 that will be a complete shoulder reconstruction. 

If it is only a dislocation you should be okay within a couple of weeks. Take care of your shoulders and make sure you train that little muscles as much as possible. Mobility training every day for the rest of your life. 

[thebob]

Ok, so good news for me. It is a grade 2 separation only. Going to go with the conservative 6 to 8 weeks recovery with no operation. hoping time flies and I'll have a good recovery. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences

[DJR]

On 8/9/2025 at 3:44 PM, MORNE said:

Yes…Not a so much a ‘separation’,  more of a ‘rearrangement’ haha.

This happened in January 2025. I still don't have full range of motion and still suffer some minor pain if i do certain things. Certainly not riding anywhere near the level i was before..partly due to mental gymnastics but also just not being comfortable on the bike in all situations due to limited movement. I struggle to get really low now for instance. Not the same injury know, but ive also dislocated them a few times…and the rehab sucks for those too.
 

The only advice a would want to give someone with any kind of shoulder injury is to try working on mobility, rotation, strength in all directions as soon as possible or allowed. After this injury i now fully appreciate how important the shoulder is the the movement of the whole arm. Once all those little bastard muscles around your shoulder, neck and upper back freeze up and/or wither away…you’re in for a pretty long stretch recovery wise. Plus most of my nights also now include a session with a massage gun to help. 

 

 

Yoh, you did a proper unplanned disassembly there!

I agree, rehab is the key to post-op recovery. Physio and rounding off with a biokineticist is what I did. The whole process took about a year before I felt totally healed. I was urged to first and foremost concentrate on getting full range of movement back. Only after that, to build up strength. Initially the arm was so weak, it could not even lift itself. If you try and make it strong first, it will compromise your full range later. Patience was a great help, but I found it hard in the beginning. I wanted to do more early on, but as it turned out, I now have full movement and it is as strong as the other side. My one shoulder is a bit narrower after it all, and it will forever be a bit clickity-clackity, but functions just fine without any discomfort or pain. It is now about 4 years past my injury and all is well. Besides for cycling, I can even lift heavy things on the Landy roofrack. So, no complaints about the scars.

[thebob]

Feedback for those interested. Doc was happy with my progress at 6 weeks. Went to physio the same week as I saw the doc. Light dumbbell work and resistance bands along with loosening up the muscles that tightened up with being in the sling. I've also been on the MTB since last week, but had been on Zwift since about 3 weeks after the injury. Still can't sleep on my left side and the shoulder is very weak in certain circumstances, but the recovery has gone a lot better than I expected. Still a long way off where I want to be, but the signs are promising

[DJR]

Vasbyt

[Dexter-morgan]

On 10/10/2025 at 1:38 PM, thebob said:

Feedback for those interested. Doc was happy with my progress at 6 weeks. Went to physio the same week as I saw the doc. Light dumbbell work and resistance bands along with loosening up the muscles that tightened up with being in the sling. I've also been on the MTB since last week, but had been on Zwift since about 3 weeks after the injury. Still can't sleep on my left side and the shoulder is very weak in certain circumstances, but the recovery has gone a lot better than I expected. Still a long way off where I want to be, but the signs are promising

For me it has been 5 years, shoulder is not 100% but I can do most things I could pre-fall, it takes time.

[dave303e]

On 10/10/2025 at 1:38 PM, thebob said:

Feedback for those interested. Doc was happy with my progress at 6 weeks. Went to physio the same week as I saw the doc. Light dumbbell work and resistance bands along with loosening up the muscles that tightened up with being in the sling. I've also been on the MTB since last week, but had been on Zwift since about 3 weeks after the injury. Still can't sleep on my left side and the shoulder is very weak in certain circumstances, but the recovery has gone a lot better than I expected. Still a long way off where I want to be, but the signs are promising

whatever the physio told you to do. Do it lots now and then at least once a week for the rest of your life...

By shoulder is bad, but it would have been better if I did a lot more work the first 6 months after the first dislocation. Now I have lost count of dislocations and there are certain movements I just don't even bother doing and other motions feel like worn rust bearing in the shoulder.