Managing broken shoulder
When you are diagnosed with a broken shoulder you may undergo an operation to stabilise the broken bones. The affected area is also immobilised to ensure that the broken bones heal correctly or becomes well aligned.
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There may be instances where the bones do not heal properly or in the wrong position but this can also be corrected before exercises are started.
The individual is also educated about the condition to prevent it from becoming worse. Whilst the arm is immobilised you would still be required to move your elbow, wrist and fingers to prevent any stiffness from setting in.
Items such as the hand therapy balls or therapeutic putty are quite helpful to maintain forearm strength whilst your affected arm is in the sling.
Treatment
Treatment is dependent upon the precise fracture pattern, which is considered together with your age, general health and the kind of job you used to engage in before the injury occurred.
This is also important because you would need your shoulder and arm to be strong enough to return to your daily functional activities.
Your physiotherapist will develop an individualised treatment plan to deal with your specific condition, and assist you to return to your desired activities.
If surgery is not required, your physiotherapist will determine the best time to begin your therapy depending on how far your bones have healed.
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When the fracture is healed you would realise that your shoulder feels stiffer than normal. The physiotherapist is best placed to advise you on the exercises to perform, how often you are required to do them and when to start.
Exercises are only started when the fracture is healed and it includes range of motion exercises, active-assisted, progressive strengthening exercises.
You need to follow the directives of your physiotherapist whilst performing the exercises to prevent re-injury.
Strengthening exercises are necessary to improve the power in your affected muscles and also stabilise the joint.
Individuals who get injured and sustain broken bones sometimes adopt different movements due to the limitation in the shoulder joint and the pain. These movements usually need to be corrected so your physiotherapist will design a safe and comprehensive programme to suit your condition.
Your rehabilitation includes;
Range of motion exercises
The physiotherapist will assess your shoulder and elbow movements and compare it with your unaffected arm or your normal range of movement.
Due to limitation of movements after the injury, you will lose your usual range of shoulder motion and may develop stiffness of the shoulder joint.
Your physical therapist will assist you to perform range of motion exercises to restore shoulder function.
Strengthening exercises
Your shoulder and upper back muscles assist the movements you make in your shoulder joint. Your shoulder joint moves in all directions which imply that it ought to have a required amount of stability. Strengthening exercise helps to improve the strength in all the muscles to protect the joint and enhance its effectiveness.
The immobilisation of the joint also causes your muscles to grow weak over time hence the need to improve its strength.
Pain relief
Exercise will also assist in relieving your pain but should not cause you to have intense pain.
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Pain relief may be alleviated through other physical modalities. This is necessary to help you to continue performing your exercises.
Improve function
The manner in which you go about your daily activities is important no matter the job you engage in or your age. Adopting inappropriate movements will eventually lead to secondary injuries.
Your physiotherapist is an expert in assessing the quality of your movements and will be able to point out and correct faulty movements, so that you are able to return to and maintain your daily activities without causing further injury.
The writer is a Senior Physiotherapist at the 37 Military Hospital. (panerius @live.com)
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