This really sucks...dislocated shoulder

This really sucks…I was doing great, just started in shifters, 3 great open practice sessions then I disclocated my shoulder in a stupid trip&fall accident at my own house…not my first time I dislocate it, but now it really sucks because I’ll be out of the driving seat for a while…has anyone had a similar injury? Anything in particular you can do to get back in the seat faster? Is there any physical therapy/doc that specializes in drivers you know of?

Paging @Trey_Shannon

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Ha I just dislocated mine again last night. I first did it way back in 2000 at the Quincy GP. Every dislocation is different for the individual. Mine pops back in on its own after A few minutes of relaxing so I don’t have to go back to A doctor to reset it. Its sore for days but I try to keep it stretched for days after with no real heavy lifting(especially high). I can drive A kart the next day without any problem other then discomfort from the stretched muscles from it popping out. To each there own. The rubber band physical therapy is the best practice I recommend though. It helps. Even if it hasn’t popped out for months, keep them going. keeps it from happening to often.

Shoulder dislocation is somewhat of a vicious cycle, in that the propensity for repeat dislocations starts after the 1st occurrence, & increases with subsequent episodes because the surrounding tendons & ligaments that surround the proximal ball joint have been permanently stretched & don’t secure it as well.

Strengthening the surrounding muscles can help support the joint better, maybe mitigate the chance of dislocation to an extent, but you still have to be careful, though. It may sound a bit over the top, but learning to develop the skill/habit of rolling with a fall instead of trying to catch/break it with your hands can reduce the odds of dislocating joints or even breaking bones.

Hey! I actually dislocated my shoulder the first time in a freak kart accident. Had surgery by a doctor at Scripps Medical in San Diego that does shoulder surg. on the Padres players…

I’ve since dislocated it twice…rehabbed both times. No, I’m not a huge risk taker…it just becomes more likely the more you do it.

Best thing to do is to begin rehab ASAP. I recommend a sports / athlete oriented rehab facility, as they will understand the timeline of a racer more readily than a traditional facility.

I wish you the best! It is an extremely frustrating thing to go through.

Ha! We are on the same boat then! Same here, only that I dislocated it playing sports. I repaired both of them a couple of years ago thanks to a pro-league baseball surgeon, shoulders felt great, I deadlifted 350+ lbs no problem. Until I plunged 10ft down from the attic, into concrete last week, the day before my Sunday track day…ouch. I’m actually looking for a good sports surgeon in socal and move from there…I’m glad to see all these comments, there’s light at the end of the tunnell, I’m not the only one :slight_smile:

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I’ve got a driver who dislocated his shoulder earlier this year causing a partial labrum tear. The biggest issue with this injury is it creates a large amount of instability in the shoulder joint. The most important thing to do is get a diagnosis from a doctor and see how bad the damage is. Find out if anything is torn as a result and if any surgery is required. I our case, we were able to work with our physical therapist and had him back in the seat 3 weeks later without missing any races or testing. Every case is different though.

Once you know there is minimal to no structural damage, you can begin working on bringing stability back to the shoulder joint. Most of this is done through improving external rotation strength and for karters, building strength and stability back up in the serratus anterior and muscle.

Ultimately, there are three things I would recommend.

  1. Get a diagnosis so you know the extent of the damage
  2. If you need surgery, get it done
  3. If you don’t need surgery (or after if you do) work with a PT with specialty in that area. Shoulder dislocations are fairly common, so finding a good PT for this shouldn’t be difficult. If you’re in Charlotte, Indianapolis, or Boston, I would be happy to recommend one for you.
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Thanks for the suggestions! I found a shoulder surgeon/specialist in OC, I’ll go see him this week and move from there…

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