Why do injuries take so long

[Red17]

Managed to damage my shoulder about 4 weeks ago when I fell of my bike, but it just wont seem to heal up.

I can ride OK and managed to go racing motorcycles with it a couple of weeks ago, (although a trip to the gym didn't help it) but every time I try to put on a jacket or lift my arm above my head the bl**dy thing hurts. There's obviously nothing broken but there is a lack of strength there.

I did leave off the exercise a bit for the first couple of weeks but now getting a bit fed up with this not healing instantly - anyone got any sensible advice I might follow for an quack cure or strengthening excercises (other than rest it and do nothing which is not what I want to hear)

 

[ianrauk]

What does your doctor say you should do?

 

[Red17]

Not asked him - his response to anything is paracetamol and come back in a fortnight

 

[ianrauk]

the get your self to a specialist sports injury therapist. You don't want to be doing yourself any more damage by doing something you shouldn't be doing. Especially on the advice from internet forum (non) doctors.

 

[martint235]

A lot depends on age. I'll never forget the conversation with my doctor following a crash where he said "At your age, deep tissue bruising will take around 6 weeks". I was about 45 and thoroughly depressed by the comment. He was right though.

Unfortunately rest tends to be the cure for most things. I've just recovered from an achilles issue that would probably have healed in half the time if I'd just stayed off the bike and rested it.

 

[Red17]

A lot depends on age. I'll never forget the conversation with my doctor following a crash where he said "At your age, deep tissue bruising will take around 6 weeks". I was about 45 and thoroughly depressed by the comment. He was right though.
.

I'm a couple of years older than that so what you say sounds right - In the good old days I used to just bounce and get back up again.

Doesn't stop it being frustrating though.

 

[MichaelO]

I came off my bike 3 weeks ago - they queried a hairline/small fracture on my arm (right next to the elbow) - x-rays were inconclusive. But the bigger problem is the soft tissue damage. I still can't straighten my arm or lift it above my head. I started physiotherapy last week, and was told, given the damage that it could take another 5-6 weeks (so 8-9 in total) until I can fully straighten it (I'm North of 40 too!). That was a lot longer than I was expecting, but just goes to show that these things can't be rushed.

Definitely go & see a specialist

I'm right up against it to be back on the bike for Ride London...

 

[martint235]

I'm a couple of years older than that so what you say sounds right - In the good old days I used to just bounce and get back up again.

Doesn't stop it being frustrating though.

Yep so did I. I used to play rugby and wake up Sunday feeling like a truck had run over me, by Tuesday it would all have eased.

It's incredibly frustrating hence I ignored the advice about my achilles when I really, really should have rested it. Another time I cracked two ribs in the infamous Emsworth crash and again the doctor told me to stay off the bike and it would take 4 - 6 weeks. I took a week off the bike and then started commuting again even though it was painful. On the Thursday, I crashed into a pedestrian and landed on different ribs but the only thought going through my head was the conversation that started "Hi doc, I know you told me to stay off the bike for a while but........."

 

[w00hoo_kent]

Considering we know nothing about medicine, or specifically what injury you got, I'd view this advice as worth what you paid for it, but if you are determined not to see a GP then I'd second sports therapist. I had an off a couple of years back on ice and managed to seriously bruise a specific muscle deep in the glutes (floored the pedal while still on the seat and put all the shock through one tiny point). Meant I couldn't lift my right leg at all (I had to pick it up and drag it in to the car) took a lot of deep massage to sort the muscle out and at 43 then, took around 8 weeks to fix. With your talk about putting the jacket on, it sounds like you've damage a muscle with a pretty specific job in some way and need to have someone work out what sort of damage and the best way to fix it.

 

[ColinJ]

I injured one shoulder just reaching behind me to turn an alarm clock off! It hurt a lot for several months, was still weak a year later, and I still get twinges in it several years later.

Since then I did something similar to my other shoulder and it still isn't right 2 years on!

That was with no treatment whatsoever, just avoiding doing things that hurt ...

I was in my early 50s for the first injury and late 50s for the second one.

 

[craigwend]

http://www.croydonhealthservices.nhs.uk/services/Physiotherapy/

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Physiotherapy/Pages/Accessing-physiotherapy.aspx

 

[fossyant]

Shoulders are an unstable joint so prone to injury, especially soft tissue injuries. They can take an age to heal when you are still using it.

It took 4 years to get my shoulder fixed after getting knocked off. Had loads of trouble for two years before the specialist would operate (shoulder decompression). Took a good 18 months after that and a set of steroid injections into the trapezius and back muscles to finally sort it. It's as good as new now.

 

[howard2107]

Managed to damage my shoulder about 4 weeks ago when I fell of my bike, but it just wont seem to heal up.

I can ride OK and managed to go racing motorcycles with it a couple of weeks ago, (although a trip to the gym didn't help it) but every time I try to put on a jacket or lift my arm above my head the bl**dy thing hurts. There's obviously nothing broken but there is a lack of strength there.

I did leave off the exercise a bit for the first couple of weeks but now getting a bit fed up with this not healing instantly - anyone got any sensible advice I might follow for an quack cure or strengthening excercises (other than rest it and do nothing which is not what I want to hear)

Rest and doing nothing may not be what you want to hear, but you need may to hear it and act if that is the case. Nothing heals instantly that i know of, and the older you get, the longer it takes. I don't like to speak out of turn, but in my humble opinion, i think you are foolish to not seek medical advice, and continuing to live as if the problem does not exist may cause you more problems long term, and this injury could complicate and get more serious if it isn't sorted soon. i know someone who had a bad knee injury a good few years ago,when he was in his fifties "it fixed itself", and now about 10 years on has to use a mobility scooter because it wont bend or straighten properly and it never will.

 

[vickster]

Pay to see a sports physio. In your neck of the woods, around £50-60 for the initial consultation to get a diagnosis and £40-50 for a session thereafter. You don't need a referral from the GP privately. In Sutton at least, and I can't imagine Croydon being much different, it's a 8-12 weeks wait for non urgent NHS physio

If you can't lift your arm, above your head, you need to get it seen to. Assume you've tried ice and heat therapy and gentle mobilisation already.

I've got a dodgy shoulder, biceps tendonitis and some impingement, but full rom so I'm working with physio. Probably help if I didn't keep damaging it further just as its getting better by falling off the bike!

 

[vickster]

Not asked him - his response to anything is paracetamol and come back in a fortnight

Assuming you've tried that off your own bat since the injury , the doctor should take action if he deems necessary beyond rest as suggested above