RealSurf Surfers' Forum

the other day was surfing and got smashed and my arm hyper extended over my head and now i cannot move my shoulder very well.

was just wondering if this has happened to anyone before, what did they do and how long it took to recover?

Did my rotator cuff at rugby in much the same way you described, arm above my head and took the impact of a tackle flush on my shoulder. Did physio for a couple of months then just went about my own gym work after that. A year on and it hasn't worked out too well, still don't have full mobility, still experience a bit of pain especially with any impact or jerky movements. I wouldn't advise going down that path, better to get it properly seen to or the effects will linger for a long time/forever.

oh crap im not liking the sound of all this

It might not be the rotator cuff that's damaged. Go see a doctor and get some xrays and ultrasounds of the joint. They should indicate the nature of the problem and give the doc an idea of the best course of treatment.

Don't fcuk around with shoulders, they can take a long, and I mean a long time to heal if you don't get it diagnosed right.

Go and see a specialist if you can afford it

ahh k sweet as, got a mate who's a physio so hes gonna have a look at it over the weekend, so hopefully he can fix it up, you dont know how much you use your shoulders, from driving, cooking and putting the clothes on the line its buggered and such an effort (i live alone)

Oy rangaman, there's a whole thread on this somewhere, try a search

ohh sweet as, i will try find it, but just been told it could be a slap tear which would probably mean surgery, looks like i will be out of the water for a while or stuck to ride a booger

I work in this area, and something to keep in mind is that there are several classes/types of shoulder injuries.

You can have repetitive strain which gradually inflames a tendon of part of the joint, which is takes a certain approach to treat. You can also have a sudden traumatic injury that results in reduced movement, lots of pain, sometimes swelling, etc. They both require a different approach to treatment, and the only way to get the best treatment is to go and have it assessed properly.

If you haven't seen a sports physiotherapist yet, I would highly recommend doing so. Your physio can recommend to your GP if a referral to a specialist for an opinion and an MRI might be needed.

Just stick to the rehab process diligently and you'll recover as quickly and the best that you can.

thanks mate, yeah just got back from physio been seeing him for a few weeks now. he first thought it was a bicep strain and its improving everywhere but one test so if its not better by next week gonna have to get a few scans done and go from there. its killing me being out of the water

I hurt my rotator in the surf, hurt like hell, thought I'd dislocated my shoulder but the physio diagnosed it correctly. It was still niggling after 6 month & a friend suggested Myotherepy & scanar (electric pulse treatment). Worked instantly & I've had no problems since. There are good exercises to do once recovered to strengthen the area & stop it happening again.

If its still troubling you lots, try and get a MRI done - its the only way you'll know what's really happened. I've had 2 shoulder injuries in the last year, and both started with ultrasound tests that pointed to something it wasn't - the mRI showed other things was was closer to the cause. Physio ( a good one) is super important, but don't rush (I made that mistake) otherwise it will take 3 times longer. I'm still not back in the water after 10 months, but I'm having one of those years its seems - got a buggered knee now!..

ahh spewing sorry to hear that wjp. its starting to get better the physio thinks im about 2 weeks til i can get back in the water. im swimming now but it still hurts to do backstroke a bit so im still a bit scared as thats backstroke movement is sort of how it was injured so gonna wait a bit.

itching to get back in, my mate just got back from 3 months around central and south america and his stories and pics of the surf he scored was unbelievable

Have an aching shoulder that comes and goes for a month at a time, I think from a shit house paddle technique also have wrenched it a few times one way or another. I basically ice it after every surf and ensure I dont sleep on it, before a surf I'll take anti inflamatory tabs and somedays its ok and somedays its clicking and painful as hell. Hoping it just goes away. I have been in out of physios all my life and I find generally the initial diagnosis and recommended exercises are enough without a ton of repeat visits at $80 a pop, if any injury doesnt get better within a month I will go to the Doctors and get MRI'd.

How old are you Davros?

47 Nick.

From an even more ancient perspective -- you gotta know, things are just gonna hurt from now on. Something will start hurting for no super obvious reason and it will go on hurting for months, then slowly back off. Looking for singular reasons gets more and more tricky. I suggest rather than trying to treat them individually, you think about embarking on a long-course physical rejuvenation and maintenance plan. Not an exhaustive weights program or whatever, but a series of different changes, diet, stretching, fluid exercise etc, designed to help you adjust to your body's long term aging process. This sounds sorta tough mate but honestly, it's all downhill from here; short of human growth hormone, you will never turn the clock back even by a minute. You can however slow it considerably, and you might improve a lot about your movements in the process. Mental strength leading to physical efficiency is the biggest arrow in most late 40s men's quiver.

Thanks for that honesty Nick....yep it's very rare I dont surf injured...when the planets align and i'm not its great. What is fluid exercise sounds sort of interesting, could yoga help? My mate stretches for 30-60 mintues as soon as he gets out of bed, he surfs like a guy 15 years younger.

Also a bit of a Catch 22 if you start moving up in board sizes for floatation, as the heavier wider boards take their physical toll with duck diving, turning strains, and paddling deep and harder to get the momentum for faster more powerful waves.