Old injuries acting up... What to do?

[OveroHunter]

I broke my humerus at the very top and it was dislocated from my shoulder as a result back in the fall of 2005 after a nasty spill on a horse. After two surgeries that fall the shoulder healed up fine after a little PT and it really never gave me any problems… Until now. I have recently gotten very into working out and usually spend 30 minutes on the eliptical and then do 30 - 45 minutes of weights 4 times a week. My shoulder has been completely killing me. It gets a little sore from going back and forth on the eliptical and I was doing arm weights and machines, but completely stopped in the last week because of the pain in that shoulder. Now even when riding it is getting sore…

This is a 7.5 year old injury so I don’t know if it even has anything to do with my original problem. Chiropractors have said they can feel a lot of scar tissue in that shoulder so I don’t know if that has much to do with it.

Should I see a doctor? It’s just really sore… Also, if it helps, it has been sore in the morning when I wake up and shower for the last few weeks.

[Laurierace]

Yes, you should see a doctor. Hopefully you have already.

[paw]

I’ve just had shoulder arthroscopy after two years of PT and cortisone - the pain just kept coming back. My surgeon took out a bursa and shaved off a bone spur, and I’m hoping this will be the cure. Hard to tell, and even with such minimal repair it’s going to be 2 months before I’m cleared to ride, so there’s a tradeoff.

Find a good shoulder surgeon (if they’re any good, they’ll want you to do PT first) and go back to PT for a bit. This isn’t something a chiropractor can fix.

Good luck!

[csaper58]

Could be over use type injury. The soft blue ice packs they sell at the Sport’s Store work for me. Also, try not to sleep on that (bad shoulder) side. If NSAIDS, rest, and ice don’t help, it’s time for a Dr. visit.

[Bristol_Bay]

I had a similar injury seven years ago, although not quite as serious. It healed fine and other than the occasional ice pack, never needed any special treatment. Last summer, I, too, started trying to get in shape and the shoulder fell apart, so to speak. I had some PT, a cortisone shot, but basically I had to quit using it. I finally had an MRI, and there was a lot going wrong. Arthroscopic surgery cleaned it up and I am almost back riding.

Don’t wait. You need an MRI to know what’s going wrong.

[Takelababy]

When I was into body building as a woman trying to gain weight, I began to have rotator cuff pain. I changed from using a straight bar for the heavier weights to the one shaped like an M. It worked. A woman’s arm, elbow and wrist comes from the shoulder in a different configuration than a man’s so the straight bars are fine for them. I’d noticed that I can’t use the straight handlebars on my mountain bike and had to find an old style again with the M shape.