Shoulder injury in Key West

How shoulders get hurt on this island

The shoulder is not designed to absorb a fall, but it does so frequently and without much consultation. When you go down on a bicycle and instinctively throw out your arm, the shoulder takes the impact. When you slip on a wet boat deck and grab for a railing too late, the shoulder wrenches. When a pickleball dive goes sideways, the shoulder hits the court before anything else. The result can range from a mild strain that resolves in a few days to a significant injury that requires imaging and specialist evaluation. The problem is that the range is wide, and pain alone does not always tell you where on that range you have landed.

What you might be dealing with

Common shoulder injuries from falls and sports activity include rotator cuff strains and tears, clavicle fractures, acromioclavicular separations (separated shoulder), glenohumeral dislocations, and labral tears. Most of these can be managed without surgery, but they require accurate diagnosis to manage properly. A rotator cuff tear treated as a muscle strain, or a clavicle fracture treated as a shoulder bruise, will not improve with rest alone, and continuing activity on an undiagnosed significant injury can worsen the damage and complicate eventual recovery. X-ray can identify fractures and dislocations. An orthopedic evaluation guides the next steps for soft tissue injuries.

Emergency

Warning signs that mean the emergency room

Go to the emergency room for a shoulder with visible deformity where the arm is hanging at an abnormal angle that cannot be corrected, an open wound at or near the shoulder joint, numbness or complete weakness in the entire arm below the injury, a shoulder injury accompanied by chest pain (which can indicate a cardiac event), or a shoulder injury sustained as part of major trauma with head impact or loss of consciousness. For these presentations, do not come to an orthopedic clinic. Call 911 or go directly to the emergency room.

Non-emergency shoulder evaluation

When emergency signs are absent, shoulder injuries benefit from early orthopedic evaluation. Imaging at the time of evaluation can identify fractures and dislocations. For suspected soft tissue injuries like rotator cuff tears or labral damage, the orthopedic evaluation establishes a clinical diagnosis and guides whether additional imaging such as an MRI is needed. Key West Concierge Orthopedics provides shoulder evaluation with on-site X-ray. Same-day evaluation for acute shoulder injuries may be available. Call ahead to confirm.

What to do in the hours after a shoulder injury

Stop the activity. Do not try to put the shoulder through its full range of motion to test it. This is how dislocations become complicated and how minor fractures become displaced ones. Apply ice wrapped in a cloth for fifteen to twenty minutes at a time. Support the arm in whatever position is comfortable, often with the arm close to the body. If pain is severe, worsening, or accompanied by any of the warning signs listed above, seek evaluation promptly. If pain is moderate and you are otherwise stable, call Key West Concierge Orthopedics to arrange a same-day evaluation before attempting to continue any activity.

Frequently asked questions.