We’ve all fallen at some point in our lives, and if you’re lucky enough to catch yourself during the process of a fall, odds are it’s your arms and shoulders that try to protect the more vital areas of your body from significant injury. Of course, this natural reaction also greatly increases your likelihood of suffering a more serious injury to your shoulder region. A fair amount of our patient base comes to us after they’ve injured their shoulder during a fall, and while treatment will always be based on the individual needs of the patient, there are some steps you’ll want to take in the wake of a hard fall. In today’s blog, we share what steps you should take after hurting your shoulder during a fall.
Caring For Your Shoulder After A Fall
No two falls are the same, so while the following is general advice that many will find helpful, know that you’ll get the best care for your injured shoulder by connecting with a specialist who can view your injuries in person and provide individualized care. With that said, here are some helpful steps to consider after falling and injuring your shoulder:
- Initial Assessment – The first thing you’ll want to do after a fall is give yourself a quick assessment. Check for any clear and obvious injuries, then start with some gentle movements to see how your body responds to these actions. For example, it may be obvious that you suffered a shoulder dislocation, but damage to the rotator cuff that didn’t lead to a dislocation may only be noticeable if you try to bend, lift or rotate your arm. For clear and obvious injuries, skip to the third step on this list, but for more mild issues, consider trying to manage the injury on your own with the help of the next step.
- RICE– RICE stands for rest, ice, compression and elevation, and this is a pretty standard course of care for mild to moderate soft tissue strains. Rest helps to protect that shoulder from additional injury while it’s in a weakened state, while ice, compression and elevation can help to control swelling in the area and in turn speed up your recovery time. Anti-inflammatory medications and over-the-counter painkillers can also help during this time. However, rest and these other passive treatments are only good for so long. After a while, you’ll want to start pursuing proactive treatments that work to restrengthen the injured tissue and stabilize the shoulder complex as a whole. Physical therapy works wonders at this, and you can connect with a PT in your area without a doctor’s referral, or you can find some helpful exercises from a reputable online source. Many people also find that water-based resistance exercises or swimming can help to provide controlled stress on the shoulder that helps it heal without overloading it during the process. Whether you’re dealing with a minor or major shoulder injury, expect physical therapy or some similar active offshoot to help restore physical function in the area.
- Consult A Doctor– If you’ve suffered a clear and obvious shoulder injury that warrants attention, or you’re not seeing progress with the help of the above conservative treatments, it’s time to connect with a medical professional. They’ll be able to conduct a physical exam and explore the extent of your injury with the help of imaging tests. You’ll walk out of their office with a clear diagnosis and a plan for recovery. Odds are you’ll follow many of the above conservative techniques, but your rest period and PT period may be much more extended depending on the amount of healing that needs to take place. Bracing or the use of a sling may be recommended to take additional stress off the shoulder during the early stages of treatment.
- Following Recommended Advice– In order to make the strongest recovery after a fall that injured your shoulder, you need to stick with your treatment plan. Whether you’re managing it on your own or have an individualized care plan from a physician, you’ll only see results if you put in the work and follow through with treatment until you’ve reached maximum recovery. If you skip PT sessions or settle for good enough, symptoms may linger or you could be at an increased risk for a recurrence later in life. Following through with a rehab plan is typically the last step for most patients.
- Surgery– In the rare instance that a shoulder injury does not respond well to the above treatments, or if the fall resulted in significant shoulder damage, you may need a shoulder surgery to address the issue. A minimally invasive operation can help to restrengthen damaged ligaments and tendons in the rotator cuff complex, or hardware may be inserted to hold bones in place while healing runs its course. Following surgery, you’ll revert to the above step and follow a post-op recovery protocol until you’ve made a full recovery.
Hopefully you never suffer a shoulder injury after a fall, but it’s a reality for thousands of Americans every day. If you find yourself in need of care for a shoulder injury after a fall, a sports collision or another traumatic incident, reach out to Dr. Holloway and his team today at (865) 410-7887.
