Separation anxiety Aug 7, 2007
When I bought my dirtbike a few months ago, Per and I joked a little about what type of injury would send me to the Emergency room first. I went with finger or some type of laceration, he went with collarbone. Well, both of us were wrong, but he was closer. Last night I had a bit of an “off” and suffered an AC joint separation, also known as a separated shoulder. Now, a separated shoulder is different from a dislocated shoulder, but you can go here and read all about it. I’m no doctor, but based on the pictures and my symptoms, I’d guess mine is a Grade 3. Despite my rough landing, however, I was able to call my wife, tell her we’d probably be going to the hospital, pick up the bike, get it started and ride home. The initial impact was painful, but I got right up, shook it off and figured that I was in for a couple of weeks of a sore shoulder and some minor bike repair. When I put my hand up to my left shoulder to give it a quick rub, though, the big hump of my detached clavicle was, to say the least, unsettling. So, for now I’m in a sling or resting the arm on a desk or a pillow to keep the load off. If it’s still, or bearing no load, the pain is almost nil. Even in some positions with a slight load it feels surprisingly normal—certainly not as bad as the rather gruesome X-ray would lead you to believe. And the swelling has reduced considerably in just 24 hours, and with it the displacement seems to have lessened considerably. I go to an Orthopedist on Thursday, so I should have a better idea then whether they’ll want to reattach the clavicle surgically, or let it heal on its own. Apparently even in Grade 3 AC separations surgery is not mandatory if things appear to be healing well. Oh yeah, and I’ve ordered some shoulder pads. And when I get back on the bike my first trip is going to be to the stump that snagged my right footpeg to pee on it. For you sickos, here’s my X-ray. I’m pretty sure that those two things that aren’t touching are supposed to touch.
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