Last February I was involved in a collision with a car (me on my bike). My main injury was a fractured right femur. That's coming along nicely, thanks to the addition of some internal titanium scaffolding. I've been back on my bike for quite awhile, have pretty much full range of motion in my knee and hip, and have recovered much of my leg strength. At times I can even jog short distances with little or no discomfort.
Secondary to that I also dislocated my left AC joint. At the time, treating it seemed relatively unimportant as I needed both arms for crutches for several weeks, and my physical therapy focused on my leg. I haven't been in the pool in a long while. I tried a couple times after I was mobile, but decided I wasn't ready, and went so far as to give up my pool membership.
My AC joint still pops out in a number of situations, so I think I might need more than more r&r. I did get some attention from my physical therapist and do a couple exercises pretty regularly (standard horizontal rotation, and rolling my scapulae back and down), but wonder if there is more I could be doing. I'm coming up on my one-year follow-up, and plan to discuss options with my doctor. In anticipation of possible surgery, or just continued rehab, I'm wondering what other exercises I could do to improve strength around the joint.
I fully dislocated my left shoulder from a mtn bike crash in 1992 moab ut. A doctor just happened to pass by and reset it for me. Several years following, another crash and another anterior dislocation, this time I went to the emer rm for the reset. The following 6 years it would fully dislocate for various reasons - must have been 6 or 7 more times. I basically learned to reset it myself, not fun but quick. At the time I started lifting weights in 2002, and along with learning to protect the shoulder with daily activities, the dislocations stopped. When I started swimming from scratch in 2007 I feared reinjuring the shoulder as it had been a full 5 years without incedent, but luckily it never happened. As I started to compete I feared diving from the block would cause injury but, as I knock on wood, it has yet to happen. I never had surgery but I was only 35 when the last dislocation occurred. Now that my other (good) shoulder is likely about to be surgically repaired, I am still weary of having the left looked at as it really isn’t bugging me.
I can say that weights, RC exercises, stretching and swimming as well as a cautious lifestyle (most of the time) all contributed to keeping the left shoulder joint functioning relatively issue free. Don’t give up, do what you feel would be best, and be careful.
I fully dislocated my left shoulder from a mtn bike crash in 1992 moab ut. A doctor just happened to pass by and reset it for me. Several years following, another crash and another anterior dislocation, this time I went to the emer rm for the reset. The following 6 years it would fully dislocate for various reasons - must have been 6 or 7 more times. I basically learned to reset it myself, not fun but quick. At the time I started lifting weights in 2002, and along with learning to protect the shoulder with daily activities, the dislocations stopped. When I started swimming from scratch in 2007 I feared reinjuring the shoulder as it had been a full 5 years without incedent, but luckily it never happened. As I started to compete I feared diving from the block would cause injury but, as I knock on wood, it has yet to happen. I never had surgery but I was only 35 when the last dislocation occurred. Now that my other (good) shoulder is likely about to be surgically repaired, I am still weary of having the left looked at as it really isn’t bugging me.
I can say that weights, RC exercises, stretching and swimming as well as a cautious lifestyle (most of the time) all contributed to keeping the left shoulder joint functioning relatively issue free. Don’t give up, do what you feel would be best, and be careful.
