NEED SOME HELP/ADVICE!!! injured arm...

[kdub418]

Hey everyone, thanks in advance for your help/advice!

I am currently a high school junior and have been playing softball since I was in 3rd grade. I haven't had a lot of major injuries/pain until last year...

A little background: my left shoulder used to pop out all the time when I was littler (somewhere between ages 4 and 6), and after a while, it simply stopped. I never had problems throwing a softball or hitting until last year. Towards the end of my sophomore fall season, I had an incident when batting where my shoulder felt like it popped out, but not all the way like it used to. It sort of shifted. Anyways, it continued and hurt to swing a bat, so I went to get it checked the next day. All the orthopedic said was that it was shifting in and out of the socket and sent me to physical therapy. I did multiple arm exercises every day and hadn't had problems with it again, except for it occasionally hurting when I swung (did not pop out, but still hurt).

Then, at the beginning of my current junior season, i started having intense shoulder/arm pain when I threw a ball. After about 5 throws, it would burn and tingle, and eventually it just felt like dead weight, like it weighed a hundred pounds. I just let it be for a while and didn't tell anyone (which I probably should have done) and iced it after practices. I don't think I was throwing wrong, because I had my coach watch me throw and he said I was doing fine. After a couple of weeks, it just went away. It only hurts once in a while now.

Then, during one of my games, my shoulder shifted in its socket again when I swung the bat and hit a foul ball. It just kinda gave out for a second. It didn't really hurt, it just kinda surprised me. I didn't go to an orthopedic because I knew he/she would just tell me the same thing and send me back to physical therapy. It hasn't happened again. I think my shoulder is just screwed up...

Now it had always been my left shoulder that popped out, and my right shoulder that burned. but one day, I tried to pull back a bow and arrow, and my right shoulder shifted/popped. That hurt. It felt just like the left one.

I don't really know what else to do except try to strengthen up my arms and see if it gets better...
any advice or knowledge would be greatly appreciated!

any questions can be sent to ktwhitaker418@gmail.com

Thanks!

 

[PA SB Dad]

You have subluxation of the shoulder joint. One important thing to have evaluated is whether you have an injury/tear of the rotator cuff, which is more serious. I had the same problem (subluxation) when I was younger, and eventually I had to have surgery my junior year in college. I missed my entire junior year of lacrosse, and never regained full range of motion in my shoulder. To this day I still have have soreness in my shoulder after catching for my DD. The problem with subluxation is that once it happens, it is more likely to happen again since the joint "loosens up".

You should certainaly get back to your orthopedic surgeon and have your shoulders re-evaluated. Diligent physical therapy to strengthen the shoulder joint (if it is not a rotator cuff tear) is essential, but should wait until the pain and swelling have subsided. I know from experience that you will not want to hear what your doctor tells you, particularly if he says to rest it for a period of time. Surgery may not necessarily be an easy fix, and can life-ltering consequences. Please do not risk permanent injury by continuing to play through the pain.

 

[sluggers]

Kdub--we do feel for you. The problem is that this forum is not for giving medical advice, especially to kids.

You should certainaly get back to your orthopedic surgeon and have your shoulders re-evaluated. Diligent physical therapy to strengthen the shoulder joint (if it is not a rotator cuff tear) is essential, but should wait until the pain and swelling have subsided. I know from experience that you will not want to hear what your doctor tells you, particularly if he says to rest it for a period of time. Surgery may not necessarily be an easy fix, and can have life altering consequences. Please do not risk permanent injury by continuing to play through the pain.

That quote says it all. So, I'm closing this thread.