dislocated shoulder

grymlawk

White Belt
Joined
Jul 13, 2010
Messages
115
Reaction score
0
so i have been training bjj for a little over a month now(iam a proud owner of a white belt =] ),

recently in sparing i went for a sloppy hip toss and my sparing partner got my back while standing i grabbed his arm to try to defend the choke. he trips me and i land on my elbow and when i hit the mat i knew something was wrong i was in allot of pain and my sensei told me my shoulder was dislocated.

so i went to the hospital to get it reset. they put it back in and take x-rays, there was no muscle or bone damage so that was lucky. they told me it would be 4-6 weeks before it is fully recovered. mainly im wondering weather i will be able to train again as soon as they say, because i know that since it happened once it will be more likely to happen now.

oh also im 18 so im pretty young still don't know if that changes anything. Any advice would be greatly appreciated
 
Take the time to rest.

I dislocated my shoulder when i was that age and it hasn't really presented too much trouble since. I even wrestled that year, but it didn't feel totally stable.

The important thing is to take the time off. I know a guy who went back too soon and dislocated it over and over until he finally needed major surgery.

Physiotherapy really works, so do it if you have the chance.

Take care and don't look for medical advice on the internet.
 
i would invest some time in

'Thrower's ten': 10 shoulder exercises for pitchers .:. StevenEllis.com .:. Pitching Tips for Baseball Success with Steven Ellis

i know it says pitchers but its good either way!
and

Isometric External Shoulder Rotation

The Painful Shoulder: Part I. Clinical Evaluation - May 15, 2000 - American Academy of Family Physicians

its good to know some exercises you can do at hom and also understand what's going on with your shoulders so you know what to do and what not to do.

i've sprained both rotator cuffs in both shoulders, torn it in my left. depressed my clavicle in my right and dislocated my left.

you just need to take some time and seriously rehab it. the hardest part is taking the time and making sure you get those isometric exercises in and not think that they're too boring or a waste of time.

i would also invest in some resistance bands, cheap ones from modells or dicks or a sporting goods shop and when you're feeling comfortable with the isometric try some band workouts.
 
Ouch! sorry bout that fella, I have been in the same poistion.

I had a reasonable muscle development before the dislocation. Not sure about your story. However I was only in a sling for 3 days. The advice that I was given was that regular Range of Movement exercises and rubber band strength training were a way to re-tighten all of the muscle surrounding my shouler.

Def lay off bjj for 4 weeks, but I was exercising the injury after 5 days to make sure the repair started as early as poss and tthere was no time for it to set in a state of looseness. Band exercises and ROM stuf 3 or 4 times a day.

Immobility of the arm for weeks on end will just cause atrophy and the weakend ability to keep the arm in the socket.

Theraband - FTW

Any more qs, ask away!
 
if you do PT they will have you do shoulder stabalization exercises which I do almost every day since my torn labrum surgery.
 
Definitely don't rush back into the gym and listen to your doctor. Be diligent about physical therapy and if make sure you wear the sling for as long as they tell you. Also, when you do get back on the mats let your partners know about your injury. Seriously be careful with that shit. Not just with shoulder locks but with takedowns, armbars, and anything else that might strech your arm away from your body.

A few months after I dislocated mine I got caught in an inverted armbar from some dude's butterfly guard and it fucked my shit up for weeks.

You're about ten years younger than I was when I got injured so you'll probably bounce a little quicker. It wasn't until about 8 or 9 months until I felt like my shoulder was going to be as good as it would get. I got back on the mats too quickly, though.

Good luck man.

EDIT: Just to add, I started training about a month after it happened and that was waaaaay to soon. We warmed up with sprawls and it definitely aggravated my shoulder and set me back. In retrospect, I think I should have taken at least 2 months off.
 
Last edited:
Had a dislocated shoulder in high school, rushed back and it happened again. This wasn't BJJ but hockey so its a bit different. The issue is that when I went back the second time I had some damage and it took 12 weeks to get back on the ice. Point being, I think you should take the time off to let it heal. It would be a benefit in the long run. I'm sure thats not what you wanted to hear.
 
I have suffered 1 sublaxation and 2 dislocations so far in my BJJ career. Listen to your body and you will know when to return. The first sublaxation, I took 3 weeks off and returned to class. I rolled fairly slow for the next few weeks and was back rolling hard after about 5 weeks from the injury. The first dislocation, I took 3 weeks off exactly and purchased a McDavid shoulder brace and started training again. I stopped wearing the brace after about a 18 months of consistent training and no issues. My should ended up dislocating again within a month of removing the brace. I then took 2 months off with physical therapy 3 times a week. I have to train with the shoulder brace now to keep my shoulder in place. It's the sacrifice I make to train often. Eventually, I will have to get surgery but at this point I do not see myself taking 6-12 months off to recover from it.
 
I suffered an Acromioclavicular joint injury with a slight dislocation during a bjj competition. My advice would be 1. Make sure you let the doctor knows your specific level of activity you plan to start after the injury heals or post PT. I say this because the doctor may clear for normal activity, however this is the average persons normal activity. Your normal activity includes a combat sport that is extremely stressful on joints specifically your shoulders. The Dr. will likely have you take a larger level of care b/c of this. 2. If you have to do PT make sure they know you plan on returning to BJJ. 3. Research shoulder mobility and stability exercises and begin performing them daily
 
Wow thanks so much guys i didnt expect to get this many good responses back!

i plan on takeing atleast the 4-6 weeks off bjj and doing all of my doctors recommended physio therapy as well as trying some of the exercises you guys have suggested.

i have some more questions would it be a good investment to get a shoulder brace for when i do go back to training?

the doctors told me to keep my arm in the sling for 2 full weeks, ive had it on for 4 days now and it can already support itself decently i can like hold stuff with it and write (i haven't done much with it because i don't want to re injure it right away) so im wondering if 2 full weeks is too long in the sling?

i really appreciate your guys comments cause its good to get opinions from people who have had similar experiences, so thanks so much =D
 
I'd wear the sling for the full 2 weeks. Even if it feels better it's still vulnerable during certain random motions. Even after I had mine off I did sort of a half run/skip thing to catch an elevator and it tweaked my shoulder.
 
if he says two weeks then do two weeks. if after four days its feeling good on the recommendation he told you, imagine if you listen to his full advice!

good luck
 
Back
Top