What type of shoulder injury would I have sustained from slipping and falling hard on my left shoulder ?

Question

I was walking to work last thursday when I suddenly slipped on a patch of solid ice. After flying up, I came back down and landed hard on my left shoulder. The pain was very sharp. I found it difficult to move my left arm after I had started to experience the pain in my left shoulder.

Answer 1

Shoulder dislocation, or shoulder sublaxation.

Answer 2

It could be any where from just shock to the muscles to mis-aligning the skelatal structure.

Not trusting Md's unless I can tell them what I need - I would see a chiropractor and massage therapist and use the principles in the book (bottom)

Much pain is from muscles below is an example of what may help (based on headaches).
Begin with a couple swigs of molasses or a couple of bananas (both are muscle relaxers) daily - magnesium (which regulates many things in the body) and potassium (a needed building block for muscles).
Drink at least 1/2 gallons of water per day. Running a body low on water is like running a car low on oil is the analogy the head of neurology at UCDavis told my husband about 10 years ago.

Now to the cause - muscles - your back, neck shoulders and head have tender spots. They are knots in the fibers of the muscles called trigger points. It makes the muscles tight which makes them press on nerves and other things causing the pain.

The cure - start with a professional massage, you will also want to go back over any place you can get to 6-12 times per session up to 6 times per day rubbing (or lightly scratching on your head) every where that is tender until the knots go away. The place where the skull connects to the spine press up under the edge of the skull (to get to those muscles).

For more information read The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Davies. It teaches what to do and where the pain comes from.

Answer 3

Your shoulder could just be badly bruised. Many times damage to a shoulder results in a rotator cuff tear and a SLAP injury. Most of these type of injuries need to be seen by a doctor; you would most likely need either physical therapy or surgery if you have a rotator cuff tear or a SLAP injury. There is a possibility that you may have broken something too.

Please go to the doctor and get it checked out. Waiting will only make it worse.

Answer 4

Look in the mirror with a towel or ? on so you can see a round r shoulders, do you see anything sticking out? Rub around your Collar Bone for tenderness, if there is tenderness there you might have cracked/broken your collar bone? The way u described the fall, your shoulder & coat might have broken the fall in other areas, but the shoulder probably shifted r collar bone and broke it. I know the pain, as when I was a kid we slid down hills and I broke my colar bone, it's the 2 bones level to your shoulders, which you can feel, and r stick out a bit but they are tender and easy to break in a fall such as yours, mine was stupid and careless. Please have r Dr. check it out? (x-rays)
Best of Luck,
diana d

Answer 5

you may only have soft tissue damage which will heal with time. you should see an orthopedic doc for diagnosis. i did not follow my own advice when i injured my shoulder in high school, and now at age 62 i have arthritis in it which, according to my doctor, probably would not be if they had the diagnostic tools available to doctors now. word of mouth is the best way to find a doc who is not too quick to cut if non-invasive therapy will fix you .

Answer 6

The possibilities include: shoulder dislocation, tear of your rotator cuff, fracture of your humerus or clavicle. You can diagnois the fractures or dislocation with an xray or use an MRI to diagnois the rotator cuff tear.

Answer 7

You may want to see the Doctor, but usually this is not a serious injury, but one that wants to linger on and on. It just takes time to heal.