OT- Fell at school

[J'aime Paris]

I work as an aide in K, and I fell backward over a little guy yesterday. (Really ungraceful, really hard!) He was sitting on the floor taking off his
snowpants, and I did not see him. Thankfully, he was not hurt. I was not so lucky. At first, my elbow and hip seemed to hurt the most. But during the night, I woke up to severe shoulder pain.
The walk-in clinic dr. said it's most likey a rotary cuff sprain, or an injury to my glenoid labrum ligament. He put my arm in a sling to rest my shoulder, and prescribed ibuprofen. I go back for another look in a week.
Anyone have any experience with shoulder injuries? What's in store for me?

 

[disneygal2007]

I hope you feel better.

 

[ilandrazdsw]

Haven't been through a should injury, but sending you some in hopes you feel better soon.

this is probably a given, but did you file an accident report? If not be sure to.

 

[noahdove]

Take the ibuprofen and a couple of hours later take 2 tylenol..This is what my dr. told me to do when I had a broken ankle..it is a great way to ease the pain constantly...actually, what I do is take them all at the same time now...be sure too to fill out an accident report with the school nurse. Are you comfortable with the diagnoses? If so, do as he instructed. If not, it won't hurt to get a second opinion..better to be safe then sorry...I know, I had to when the first dr. told me my ankle was not broken....hello...several weeks later....good luck...here's a few prayers for your recovery...

 

[CrAzY4DL]

Ugh shoulder injuries are a pain in the tush! In July I was in a car accident and sustained whiplash to my right shoulder and the muscle that goes from shoulder to neck and here it is, February and I am STILL in physical therapy and just upped my Tylenol-3 prescription to Vicodin. :-( I think shoulders are like ankles, once you hurt them they take forever to heal. Also, DH fell during a touch football game in the rain and injured his shoulder in early December and is still having problems. Just started on physical therapy last week.

In the beginning, my physical therapist told me not to use that arm whenever possible, even when carrying my purse (and it's a TEENY purse!) and at my last appointment I got all holy heck for not using that arm and the muscles are sooo weak and sad now! HAHAHAHA Good times! Best of luck to you!

 

[Leajess99]

I work as an aide in K, and I fell backward over a little guy yesterday. (Really ungraceful, really hard!) He was sitting on the floor taking off his
snowpants, and I did not see him. Thankfully, he was not hurt. I was not so lucky. At first, my elbow and hip seemed to hurt the most. But during the night, I woke up to severe shoulder pain.
The walk-in clinic dr. said it's most likey a rotary cuff sprain, or an injury to my glenoid labrum ligament. He put my arm in a sling to rest my shoulder, and prescribed ibuprofen. I go back for another look in a week.
Anyone have any experience with shoulder injuries? What's in store for me?

I hurt my shoulder a year and a half ago and it took quite awhile to heal. I hope your shoulder and the rest of you heals quickly. Just try to take it easy and use ice and heat to help it.

 

[squirrel]

I too hurt my shoulder.

I hurt mine trying not to land on my niece who was sitting in a chair. I should have just landed on her-just kidding, but it was her fault I slid on a grape she dropped on the floor.

My shoulder was sore for a few days, and then it was better. A month or so later it hurt again. I went to the clinic and the Doctor said I had calcium build up on it and it could build up again. He gave me some kind of shot to break up the calcium. So far it hasn't hurt again.

 

[karliebug]

make sure you fill out an accident report at your school. You should see their dr. on the list for work injuries so that you are covered by workman's compensation. You need to make sure it is documented in case something gets worse down the road, you never know.

 

[newddmommie]

My husband just had surgery on his shoulder for a torn labrun. He was in pain initially but is feeling better. If you end up with a tare go ahead and have surgery. He wanted 8 years of pain before he finally had it fixed. I hope you feel better soon.

 

[J'aime Paris]

Thank you for all the get well wishes!

I did fill out an accident report; my supervisor witnessed the accident and had me go directly to the office.
Sleeping last night was a bit uncomfortable, but the pain is bearable since I'm on ibuprofen. Hoping that I'll be good in a couple of weeks...for now it's ice and rest for me.

 

[JimMIA]

The walk-in clinic dr. said it's most likey a rotary cuff sprain, or an injury to my glenoid labrum ligament.

There could also be a small fracture to one of the bones in the shoulder; those often don't show up on xray until they calcify several weeks later. I had that experience a few years ago when I dislocated my shoulder skiing. The first xrays said no fractures, but my orthopedic surgeon just laughed and said, "Let's see how the xrays look in a month. Sure enough, small fracture, but it healed itself.

He put my arm in a sling to rest my shoulder, and prescribed ibuprofen.

A sling alone will only take the weight off the shoulder...which will rest it, but not immobilize it. If you find yourself moving your arm/shoulder around, that might cause additional irritation or injury to whatever is already injured, so you may want to use a sling/swathe. To do that, put the sling on normally and then use an ace bandage or triangle bandage tied around your torso to make sure the whole arm stays against your chest. You're basically using your torso as a splint. That will immobilize the shoulder joint and provide more rest for healing.

Ibuprophen is good as an anti-inflamatory as long as you don't overdo it. If you are on any other medication, be sure to read the interactions info and let your doctor know exactly what you're taking.

Ice is magic, and ice plus rest is often the best cure for joint or muscle injuries.

The suggestion above of interspersing Tylenol with ibuprophen for additional pain relief is an excellent one. You get more pain relief without the downsides of ibuprophen.

If this doesn't clear up in two weeks, I'd get a referral to an orthopod for more specialized diagnosis and treatment. Either way, you may need some physical therapy.

 

[RMulieri]

I have had a rotator cuff injury and ittook 3 months to heal properly, and then i re-injured again.