I didn't have this injury, but I did have a partial dislocation that (thankfully) slipped back into the socket by itself. When I went to the orthopedist, she said I was a "loosey goosey" - meaning that the ligaments in **both** shoulders had too much play in them. She sent me to therapy to strengthen the muscles in order to support the joint. Of course, the catch was that the exercises had to be 'life long' in order to keep the muscles strong ... which I haven't done. :)
There might be other treatments, in between the strength training and the full-blown surgery that would be worth exploring.
It probably depends on just how much of a tendency there is to dislocate, once things heal up. It hasn't been a problem for me, so surgery would be a really hard sell for me, but I know of other folks with shoulder injuries who have their shoulder pop out of joint on a semi-regular basis.
On Jul 22, 2009, at 3:00 PM, Truman Prevatt wrote:
Valerie,
My wife did a long time ago skiing. Caught an edge in on an icy mogul, and flipped and landed on her shoulder. She was laid up for quite awhile and the shoulder finally healed - ligaments take a long time to heal. The bad news is the shoulder had a tendency to dislocate after then. That continues today. After a freak accident last year she had a minor break in her wrist. She was talking to the ortho guy about the shoulder. It seems that while the ligaments healed - they are stretched and the joint is "too loose." It can be fixed by surgery. That might be something you want to talk with your MD about at some point.
Truman
Valerie Jaques wrote:
Anybody out there have a similar injury? How long did it take to recover? I'm just feeling like I'll never get better. Farriers are not well known for our patience in ourselves. Besides, I need to work. Not just for the money, but for my mental health. For the moment, just looking for a little conversation and maybe some encouragement!
Valerie
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“I maintain there is much more wonder in science than in pseudoscience. And in addition, to whatever measure this term has any meaning, science has the additional virtue, and it is not an inconsiderable one, of being true.” CarlSagan
