Popular Post travsformation Posted February 3, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 3, 2020 As some of you know, I somehow managed to dislocate my shoulder while trying out my new KS16X, without even falling off the wheel… For anyone reading about it for the first time, here’s what happened (copied from my original post in The Photo Thread) On 1/23/2020 at 9:53 PM, travsformation said: Murphy's Law at its finest: You receive your new wheel during the worst storm the region has seen in the past 20 years. The next day the weather miraculously clears out mid afternoon, the sun comes out, so you excitedly gear up and take your wheel out for the first spin. You do the initial 10 km at 20 km/h, slowly getting used to how different it is to ride than the 18XL, how agile and easy to turn. You've done your research and have set the pressure to 30 PSI, which most people coincide is the sweet spot for preventing tram-lining. You intentionally seek out lines and cracks in the road (at low speed) to see how the wheel reacts and get used to the feeling. You practice broad and tight turns, and even a few evasive manoeuvres, to see how it responds. It's amazing how nimble it is... How easy it is to turn! What a wheel, I love it! After 10 km, you unlock it to 50 km/h. You're still cautious and don't exceed 30 km/h while you get a feel for the wheel. Riding past the beach, you notice a magnificent photo opportunity: the waves crashing against the rocks create a fine mist that floats inland, creating an orange haze as it's illuminated from behind by the setting sun. You ride slowly down the boardwalk, so entranced by the scene that you fail to notice you've reached the end up the boardwalk until the very last second. You don't have time to brake so you brace yourself, hoping the sand isn't too soft. It is. As the wheel instantly sinks, your knee-jerk reaction is to abruptly raise your arms in an upward-backwards arch to maintain balance as you're propelled forward . Too abruptly, it would appear.... So instead of a picture of the 16X on the rocks, in front of the crashing waves with the misty sunset in the background, the only snapshot I have to share is the one below... 😓 I'd put 3 km on the 16X after unlocking top speed past 20 km/h. 13 km in total (Good thing I'm not superstitious 😂). And I don't even have a cool story to share... 😭 I didn't fall while doing an awesome trick in a skate park, didn't nose-dive while doing some crazy-fast, Chooch-style off-roading, I didn't faceplant out of juvenile audacity...I didn't even fall: I landed on my feet and wasn't even going fast enough to have to run it off...it just caught me so off guard that I jerked my shoulder out of place. Doesn't get any lamer than that 😓😂 2 weeks worth of a sling, and then the slow process of rehab...Having a girlfriend who's a physical therapist will definitely help, but damn, I wanna ride my new wheel NOW! Damn Murphy and his f***ing law! Or do you reckon this is a new manifestation of the curse of the 16X? 😂 First of all, I'd like to thank all of you for your sympathy and words of encouragement! And in broader terms, for all the video content and comments posted in this forum, which are really helping to keep me distracted from the tedium of not being able to do much at all...(Netflix binges only get you so far until you get restless from lack of doing something slightly more proactive) Today is day 11 with the sling on, 10 more days to go. Then the slow process of rehab... I'm happy to note that I haven’t experienced nearly as much pain as I anticipated (at least since my shoulder got popped back into place; The hour and ½ I had to wait in the ER was pretty excruciating though; I wish I were as brave as you @atdlzpae and had the balls to try the pop it back into place myself). I haven't even had to take any painkillers, only anti-inflammatories to keep the swelling down, which is quite unexpected. I guess (or rather hope) it’s because my shoulder popped out “cleanly”, with minimal muscle and ligament tearing. It makes a certain amount of sense, since my arm was in the perfect position to “pop out”—raised and rotated outwards, the humeral head offering no resistance—and the jolt, when my wheel sank into the sand, was very sudden. It’s the perfect recipe for a dislocated shoulder, especially if you’re not in great shape, as is the case... But unfortunately this is the third time that I dislocate the same shoulder… The first time was when I was 18, skiing (my right elbow ended up touching my left ear...so serious ligament and muscle tearing: pecs, triceps, deltoid, trapezius). I made a full recovery, but 4 years ago, a nasty fall from about 2.20 m / 7 ft, where the first point of contact with the ground was that same shoulder, popped it out of place again (dislocations caused by impact tend to cause a lot of tissue tearing too; I was lucky I didn’t break or even crack anything). It was a slow and painful process (I wasn’t 18 anymore...), but I made a full recovery. Unfortunately I’ve really gotten out of shape in the past few years, mostly due to other injuries (2 separate instances of cracked ribs) and an array of health problems (laziness has also played a part, if I’m completely honest). More muscle mass could have possibly prevented this injury...and perhaps I wasn’t more at risk of suffering this injury than anyone else in the same physical condition... But wishful thinking aside, there’s an alternative explanation that I fear is actually much more plausible: there was (undetected) ligament stretching as a result of my previous injuries, making dislocations much more likely. It’s actually fairly common, as it’s difficult to prevent “residual stretching” caused by muscles, tendons and ligaments healing while still inflamed. In which case another dislocation could lead to a chronic shoulder issue requiring surgery (supposing that’s not already the case)… Either way, I won’t find out until I get an MRI after recovery, but fingers are crossed that it isn’t chronic. In either case I need to be very thorough with the rehab process—particularly the strengthening—and get back in shape to prevent it from becoming chronic (in the best case scenario) or delay surgery as much as possible (in the worst case scenario). So no riding for at least a couple of months after I take my sling off. I wish I could take the carefree approach of riding even with my sling on (after all, riding doesn’t require arms!) but it isn’t worth the risk. So for now, I guess I’ll have to make do with watching the rest of you ride… So California, Oceania and other warm weather riders, I’m counting on you to keep me sane! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EUC Custom Power-Pads Posted February 3, 2020 Share Posted February 3, 2020 What about this shoulder brace for now or later until you have built up your muscles? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travsformation Posted February 3, 2020 Author Share Posted February 3, 2020 3 hours ago, buell47 said: What about this shoulder brace for now or later until you have built up your muscles? That's a great idea, thanks! Will order one immediately!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rehab1 Posted February 3, 2020 Share Posted February 3, 2020 5 hours ago, buell47 said: What about this shoulder brace for now or later until you have built up your muscles? 1 hour ago, travsformation said: That's a great idea, thanks! Will order one immediately!!! Good idea but best to check with your physician and therapist first. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travsformation Posted February 4, 2020 Author Share Posted February 4, 2020 3 hours ago, Rehab1 said: Good idea but best to check with your physician and therapist first. I agree My father-in-law is a traumatologist, which definitely comes in handy... Glad I'm (at the time of writing this) on his good side 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travsformation Posted February 4, 2020 Author Share Posted February 4, 2020 24 minutes ago, Rehab1 said: You are in good hands. It’s tough bouncing back from a significant shoulder injury. Using EMS should help jumpstart your upcoming strengthening regimen. Be patient throughout your therapy. My downfall was that I tried to bounce back faster than my body would allow. I couldn't agree more, @Rehab1 You only get one chance at the sling-wearing/healing stage (preventing elongation due to tissue scarring while inflamed) , and after that, everything has to be extremely gentle...pushing one's self too hard just once can set you back big time... Patience is ultimately the name of the game... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post EUC Custom Power-Pads Posted February 4, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 4, 2020 (edited) Patience was never my strong point when it came to injuries and the urge became too strong. After my motorcycle accident with a car I was in hospital for 6 weeks. Comminuted fracture of the calf and tibia. Then I was released with a fixator and forbidden to put any weight on it. Prediction was, about 6 months until it had reasonably healed. My bike was completely destroyed and it was summer. I then bought a motorcross machine and rode around with the fixator. Every time I tilted to the wrong side when I stopped, I had to quickly remove my leg and fell over like a wet bag, because I could not put any weight on the leg. I was young (20) and stupid, but I had luck and nothing happened to my leg this summer while I was riding my motorcycle. Now I'm 50 and I think.........................nothing had changed. Between Christmas and New Year I overdid it a bit with offroad unicycling and got pain in my left ankle joint afterwards. I took it easy and as soon as it got a little better I was back on the unicycle, although I couldn't even walk without limping. I repeated the whole thing twice and now I sit here with a bandage around my foot and go to the doctor again in two days. Walking is only possible with crutches at the moment and every day I struggle with the urge not to get back on my 16X. Edited February 4, 2020 by buell47 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rehab1 Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, buell47 said: Patience was never my strong point when it came to injuries and the urge became too strong. I think most guy’s fall into that category. We are a stubborn breed. 3 hours ago, buell47 said: I sit here with a bandage around my foot and go to the doctor again in two days. Best wishes. Hopefully only a sprain. Edited February 4, 2020 by Rehab1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EUC Custom Power-Pads Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 24 minutes ago, Rehab1 said: Best wishes. Hopefully only a sprain. Thanks That is also my presumption/hope, I am only surprised that when the doctor presses, pulls and turns the foot, it does not hurt at all. Nevertheless, I cannot step with the foot, respectively kink/roll forward when walking. Well, he does not push or pull with 78kg, maybe that makes the difference? On Thursday I' m going for a magnetic resonance tomography. Normally I wouldn't care at this time of the year in Germany, but this winter is not a real winter for the first time and you could ride all the time without freezing your ass off. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rehab1 Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 6 hours ago, buell47 said: That is also my presumption/hope, I am only surprised that when the doctor presses, pulls and turns the foot, it does not hurt at all. Applying manual pressure combined with manipulation is so different than actual weight bearing. The ankle/ foot complex provides dorsi/ plantar flexion, inversion/ eversion and mediolateral rotation. With this illimitable ROM available it is extremely difficult for a physician to isolate the exact cause of your pain. Glad your getting an MRI. Be well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post EUC Custom Power-Pads Posted February 4, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 4, 2020 11 hours ago, buell47 said: and every day I struggle with the urge not to get back on my 16X. I had just finished writing this sentence and after at least 1 week of shit weather the sun came out and the blue sky smiled at me. What can I say......I am a weak man! I grabbed my 5 year old daughter who was only riding a few miles on my hand and limped out with our wheels. After 100 meters my daughter suddenly says by herself "Daddy, let go of my hand" and then she just drives away! Fuck my foot if it gets worse tomorrow, it was worth it. I am soooooo happy!!! Sorry @travsformation for abusing your thread. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Rehab1 Posted February 4, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 4, 2020 4 hours ago, buell47 said: I grabbed my 5 year old daughter who was only riding a few miles on my hand and limped out with our wheels. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travsformation Posted February 4, 2020 Author Share Posted February 4, 2020 4 hours ago, buell47 said: Sorry @travsformation for abusing your thread. There's no harm in derailing a frequent derailer! 4 hours ago, buell47 said: Fuck my foot if it gets worse tomorrow, it was worth it. I am soooooo happy!!! Awesome! Thanks for sharing! But no "but my daughter forced me to go riding" if your foot gets worse! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biped Phil Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Is the shoulder brace a prudent article of gear for everyone, or is it mainly for people who constantly have to check behind to see whether their arm fell out? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travsformation Posted February 8, 2020 Author Share Posted February 8, 2020 On 2/7/2020 at 1:55 AM, Biped Phil said: Is the shoulder brace a prudent article of gear for everyone, or is it mainly for people who constantly have to check behind to see whether their arm fell out? It basically pulls your shoulder inwards and backwards to help keep it in place, so unless you've had a previous dislocation, your body should be doing a good enough job already But @Rehab1 an probably give you a better answer than me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rehab1 Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 4 hours ago, travsformation said: It basically pulls your shoulder inwards and backwards to help keep it in place, so unless you've had a previous dislocation, your body should be doing a good enough job already But @Rehab1 an probably give you a better answer than me That’s a good description. Yes the rigid molded shoulder cap incorporated into the brace’s neoprene material along with the 2 wrap around straps are designed to resist an anterior humeral head dislocation. This brace would have minimal effect on preventing a posteriorly (rearward) dislocation. The straps provide both posteriorly (rearward) and medially (inward) directed forces to help counteract the forward and lateral forces generated when the shoulder hits the ground from the side and rear. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetroThruster Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 I had shoulder surgery about 14 months ago, had two full thickness rotator tears (complete tear) and a bicep tendonitis repair, it was no joke, my concern now being a new rider is protecting my shoulders and now with limited flexibility, I have to be extra cautious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travsformation Posted February 14, 2020 Author Share Posted February 14, 2020 13 hours ago, RetroThruster said: I had shoulder surgery about 14 months ago, had two full thickness rotator tears (complete tear) and a bicep tendonitis repair, it was no joke, my concern now being a new rider is protecting my shoulders and now with limited flexibility, I have to be extra cautious. Yikes! No joke, that's for sure... If surgery went well, you shouldn't be more at risk than anyone who's never dislocated a shoulder before. But limited flexibility after 14 months...? That should not be the case. These things depend enormously on age, physical condition, etc., but if you've taken your rehab seriously, flexibility shouldn't be an issue after that long. The best thing you can do for preventing a shoulder injury (aside from staying out of accidents) is being in the best shape possible and working on your shoulder strength and flexibility. . Whenever possible, don't delegate to external contraptions what your body, if taken good care of, will always do better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post travsformation Posted February 14, 2020 Author Popular Post Share Posted February 14, 2020 Sling finally off !!! It's been a long 3 weeks... These pictures were taken 5' after taking my sling off, I'm pretty pleased: 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rehab1 Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 8 hours ago, travsformation said: These pictures were taken 5' after taking my sling off, I'm pretty pleased: Great ROM ! Congrats! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanghamP Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 12 hours ago, travsformation said: Yikes! No joke, that's for sure... If surgery went well, you shouldn't be more at risk than anyone who's never dislocated a shoulder before. But limited flexibility after 14 months...? That should not be the case. These things depend enormously on age, physical condition, etc., but if you've taken your rehab seriously, flexibility shouldn't be an issue after that long. The best thing you can do for preventing a shoulder injury (aside from staying out of accidents) is being in the best shape possible and working on your shoulder strength and flexibility. . Whenever possible, don't delegate to external contraptions what your body, if taken good care of, will always do better! I've had all sorts of minor shoulder problems, but hanging zapped it out right away. That probably means I have impingement only problems, and by doing infrequent hanging the shoulder joint opens up just enough to get rid of the impingement for a few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travsformation Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 16 hours ago, Rehab1 said: Great ROM ! Congrats! Thanks, Rehab! I've moved on from esometric exercises to resistance bands Mobility is also progressing now that my muscles aren't as stiff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travsformation Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 (edited) To anyone interested in the Leatt shoulder brace, I received mine today. Looks like I'm probably going to return it... It's well built, but the medial pressure (inward) it's able to apply is minimum while the posterior pressure (backward) is quite considerable (it's very noticeable how it pulls your shoulder back). After fitting it on me and taking a good look, and then trying it on herself, my girlfriend said it would do me no good in preventing dislocations like this last one I had (caused by a violent jolt + external humeral rotation). What's more, she thinks it might even increase the likelihood: in pulling back the shoulder, as a "side effect", it also causes external humeral rotation (outward, as in your arm resting at your side with your palm facing forward)...which isn't good... She's also fairly skeptical about whether it would prevent an anterior dislocation caused by a fall. She explained that while on paper the brace's theory of medial and posterior pressure seems fine and dandy, it misses a key point in how anterior dislocations occur: external rotation of the humeral head. Even with a strong impact, the way the humeral head fits into the glenoid cavity (of the scapula) keeps it securely in place. It's when it's rotated outward that the risk of a dislocation appears. The problem being that impacts cause the humerus to rotate externally (which she demonstrated, luckily on my good shoulder), so it's the combination of the impact plus the rotation that causes the dislocation. The brace appears to facilitate that very rotation by applying posterior pressure, and in case of an impact, would possibly exacerbate it... (she doesn't quite buy the "developed in partnership with orthopedic surgeons" stated on Leatt's website) In fact, she pointed out that if the brace applied anterior (forward) instead of posterior pressure, although it would make for an awkward position and be uncomfortable to wear, the inward rotation of the humeral head it would create would probably be much more effective at preventing a dislocation than the system used by the brace...but that all the same, there's no amount of neoprene or feasible way of securing it that can effectively counteract the humeral rotation caused by an impact... From what she said, short of something rigid that severely impairs movement, it's near impossible to prevent a dislocation using a brace. You just can't limit the rotation of a bone (particularly on such a mobile and unstable articulation as the shoulder) from the outside: There's really no reliable external substitute for what the body can do from within. So taking good care of one's body, strengthening the area (rotator cuffs in particular), being patient and not taking any unnecessary risks prior to a full recovery are really the key points to focus on (in addition to averting crashes) Edited February 15, 2020 by travsformation 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travsformation Posted February 18, 2020 Author Share Posted February 18, 2020 On 2/15/2020 at 3:25 PM, travsformation said: To anyone interested in the Leatt shoulder brace, I received mine today. Looks like I'm probably going to return it... It's well built, but the medial pressure (inward) it's able to apply is minimum while the posterior pressure (backward) is quite considerable (it's very noticeable how it pulls your shoulder back). After fitting it on me and taking a good look, and then trying it on herself, my girlfriend said it would do me no good in preventing dislocations like this last one I had (caused by a violent jolt + external humeral rotation). What's more, she thinks it might even increase the likelihood: in pulling back the shoulder, as a "side effect", it also causes external humeral rotation (outward, as in your arm resting at your side with your palm facing forward)...which isn't good... She's also fairly skeptical about whether it would prevent an anterior dislocation caused by a fall. She explained that while on paper the brace's theory of medial and posterior pressure seems fine and dandy, it misses a key point in how anterior dislocations occur: external rotation of the humeral head. Even with a strong impact, the way the humeral head fits into the glenoid cavity (of the scapula) keeps it securely in place. It's when it's rotated outward that the risk of a dislocation appears. The problem being that impacts cause the humerus to rotate externally (which she demonstrated, luckily on my good shoulder), so it's the combination of the impact plus the rotation that causes the dislocation. The brace appears to facilitate that very rotation by applying posterior pressure, and in case of an impact, would possibly exacerbate it... (she doesn't quite buy the "developed in partnership with orthopedic surgeons" stated on Leatt's website) In fact, she pointed out that if the brace applied anterior (forward) instead of posterior pressure, although it would make for an awkward position and be uncomfortable to wear, the inward rotation of the humeral head it would create would probably be much more effective at preventing a dislocation than the system used by the brace...but that all the same, there's no amount of neoprene or feasible way of securing it that can effectively counteract the humeral rotation caused by an impact... From what she said, short of something rigid that severely impairs movement, it's near impossible to prevent a dislocation using a brace. You just can't limit the rotation of a bone (particularly on such a mobile and unstable articulation as the shoulder) from the outside: There's really no reliable external substitute for what the body can do from within. So taking good care of one's body, strengthening the area (rotator cuffs in particular), being patient and not taking any unnecessary risks prior to a full recovery are really the key points to focus on (in addition to averting crashes) BTW, I'd be enormously interested in your opinion on this, @Rehab1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rehab1 Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 1 hour ago, travsformation said: BTW, I'd be enormously interested in your opinion on this, @Rehab1 Both you and therapist girl friend were wise to evaluate the biomechanics of the brace. I was not sold on the idea when I first saw the brace. Trying to find some type of prophylactic device to prevent shoulder injuries while still allowing adequate ROM proves difficult. Trust me I’ve tried all types of brace to protect myself from stem to stern. Best to go the biological route and strengthen the entire rotator cuff complex. I’m sure your girlfriend has a plethora of exercises you can perform. Circular motions washing the floor and scrubbing the sink may be top on her list. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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