Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Putting the Separated Shoulder Back Together

A separated shoulder is one of the more serious injuries you can incur while playing high-intensity contact sports like football. Sports medicine physicians define it as the spraining of ligaments between the clavicle and scapula. The injury often occurs due to an outstretched hand or direct hit to the shoulder. Analyses of the injury may classify its level from Type I to VI, with Types III to VI requiring surgery.

Symptoms of separated shoulders include a deformed shoulder, tenderness in the collarbone, and intense pain when the injury strikes. If you are the subject of a separated shoulder injury, you will have put the affected arm on a sling and apply ice up to four times a day. Your medical practitioner should also prescribe painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, as well as determine whether the injury needs surgery. 

The surgery often involves reattaching the torn ligaments back together and using strong sutures to anchor them in place. However, extra care is needed over the course of the operation. Some experts note the danger of complications such as clavicle loss of reduction, fractures in the clavicle itself, and detaching deltoid/ trapezius muscles. The post-recovery operation may take between two to six months.


A separated shoulder is never the end of the world. Adequate surgery may give you a fighting chance to get back in form.

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