OW!!!! My Shoulder/Arm!!!

laura 2 · 09-04-2007, 11:05 AM

Holy crap, I just totally took a header down the basement stairs!!!

I was running down the stairs as per my usual frantic pace, and my ankle just totally went out from under me (this has almost happened a couple of times when doing Saidi hopping steps). My ankle feels fine but I went ass over teakettle down 4 or 5 steps, landing in a graceless heap on my knees and left shoulder/arm. My knees are skinned all to hell and owie owie owie my shoulder and arm hurt!

I should probably ice it, but it's kind of hard to identify where the pain is, exactly. Nothing feels tender to the touch, but if I try to lift my arm horizontally out to the side, I have pain from my shoulder down to my elbow, and kind of creeping up into my neck, too. It hurts to lift anything with my left arm too - even my coffee cup. I don't know if I should push the panic button and go to the doctor yet - since it just happened about 15 minutes ago, it's understandably hurting now. But at the same time, I don't want to ignore something that early treatment would help. ACK!!!! Any suggestions of what I should do immediately? If it's still hurting this badly in a couple of hours, I'll definately try to get into the doctors.

Thank God I cancelled classes this week because of the holiday, but I have Jim Boz workshops and a show this weekend that I will be crushed if I have to miss.

jasani · 09-04-2007, 11:38 AM

Ouch! Hope you are feeling better but if your arm still has that pain I would go see a doc. You could have torn a tendon in your shoulder. I had a tiny tare in my shoulder tendon (pinched the tendon between the bones while sleeping with my arm under my head, it's a common injury) and it really hurt to lift my arm sideways. It healed by lifting weights and three or four massage sessions. I hope your doing better now though. Yeah, I would ice it.

acmcgraw · 09-04-2007, 11:43 AM

I hope you feel better soon! I second the ice suggestion.

kat · 09-04-2007, 11:43 AM

Ouch! 3 words: Go To Doctor! Make that 4 -- Now!

Lauren_ · 09-04-2007, 11:51 AM

I don't think it would hurt to get it looked at. My gut says soft tissue injury -- like a torn rotator cuff (your symptoms sound so much like mine!) or maybe a pinched nerve in your neck, but who knows?

If it were me I probably wouldn't rush to the ER, but I'd call the doc. If I had health insurance, which I don't.

Meanwhile, you could try icing the general area and take an anti-inflammatory to help reduce swelling/pain.

susuabdo · 09-04-2007, 12:10 PM

GET TO THE DOCTOR NOW! You may have fractured your collarbone or torn your rotator cuff in the shoulder. This is nothing to fool around with. You need it looked at. Don't wait. A fall down the stairs is serious. Epecially when you land all your weight into the one shoulder. Please seek medical attention. This is the nurse in me talking!! Good luck

laura 2 · 09-04-2007, 01:04 PM

I decided to go to the doctor about 5 minutes after posting.

It took me about that long to realize that if I was concerned enough to post on Bhuz, it was probably in my best interest to go. I do have health insurance, so it only cost me a $15 copay.

They did x-rays to be sure, and have confirmed nothing is broken or dislocated. The doctor says it's hard to tell right away, but he suspects it's only bruised based on my range of motion and level of discomfort. He suggested icing for 20 minutes at a time, ibuprofin for the pain/swelling, and taking it easy. As far as the workshops and show, he told me to just listen to my body, and let it tell me if I'll be up to either or both.

Thanks so much, everyone. I plan to take the stairs a little more slowly from now on.

Lauren_ · 09-04-2007, 02:07 PM

Galatea, I highly recommend Biofreeze to help you get through the workshop, it saved my life. Even if I did spray it in my eye at one point.

You can get it from massage therapists and chiropractors, or I just noticed a kiosk at our mall selling it. It's like novacaine for your body.

My advice would be to use sparingly & save your arm during the workshop, use it before your performance but don't let the numbness fool you into doing anything tricky!

Also, if your injury is at all like mine, you may find that you can still lift your arm overhead without causing yourself a lot of pain/more injury if you:
A) make sure your armbone is back, not forward, in the shoulder socket
B) Externally rotate the arm (pinky side of the hand toward the leg)
C) Arc your arm forward as you raise it.

Those things got me through the competition. Of course, your injury might be different. In any event, take care of it & use it with caution!

jasani · 09-04-2007, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laura 2

...He suggested icing for 20 minutes at a time, ibuprofin for the pain/swelling, and taking it easy.

Morocco talks about the evils of ibuprofin. She said she almost died!

http://www.thehipcircle.com/article/...?ArticleID=268

AngelaDiCaprio · 09-04-2007, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by susuabdo

GET TO THE DOCTOR NOW! You may have fractured your collarbone or torn your rotator cuff in the shoulder. This is nothing to fool around with. You need it looked at. Don't wait. A fall down the stairs is serious. Epecially when you land all your weight into the one shoulder. Please seek medical attention. This is the nurse in me talking!! Good luck

Ditto what she said except from a Certified Nurses Aid.....

Go! Now! pronto!!!!

AngelaDiCaprio · 09-04-2007, 06:25 PM

Gald to hear you listened, even though I'm four and half hours late.

But still, I hope you feel better soon.

donnadiva · 09-04-2007, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laura 2

I decided to go to the doctor about 5 minutes after posting.

It took me about that long to realize that if I was concerned enough to post on Bhuz, it was probably in my best interest to go. I do have health insurance, so it only cost me a $15 copay.

They did x-rays to be sure, and have confirmed nothing is broken or dislocated. The doctor says it's hard to tell right away, but he suspects it's only bruised based on my range of motion and level of discomfort. He suggested icing for 20 minutes at a time, ibuprofin for the pain/swelling, and taking it easy. As far as the workshops and show, he told me to just listen to my body, and let it tell me if I'll be up to either or both.

Thanks so much, everyone. I plan to take the stairs a little more slowly from now on.

Ow, Galatea!!! Take care girl! Let me know if you're still up for company on Friday night. I certainly would understand if you're not. Of course, if you're still feeling poorly, I can cart your poor little body around so you can rest up. We'll make sure JB takes it easy on you.

sumayasaahir · 09-04-2007, 08:53 PM

I told you to lay off them cocktails

No seriously, (I'm sorry the ass over teakettle still has me laughing). Ahem, OKOK...I have this strange reflex when people fall that I laugh hysterically..I think its because even if I don't see it, the horror of falling touches a deep nerve for me.

I'm so glad you're OK. Bad things can happen on stairs when you are not careful, and having seen the afore mentioned staircase, I know you are seriously lucky not to have broken anything or worse. You tumbled down a non carpeted wooden structure and landed on concrete!

Don't push it, either. Be a spectator if you have to this weekend, its not worth damaging it further....Me and Diva will take good care of you and will be keeping a watchful eye, so dont think you fan fool us if you are still owie!

donnadiva · 09-04-2007, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumayasaahir

I told you to lay off them cocktails

Don't push it, either. Be a spectator if you have to this weekend, its not worth damaging it further....Me and Diva will take good care of you and will be keeping a watchful eye, so dont think you fan fool us if you are still owie!

Yeah, what she said!

{whispering: Sumaya, WE don't have to lay off the cocktails, do we?

}

susuabdo · 09-04-2007, 10:06 PM

Glad to hear you did not break anything. Go slow and take care.

laura 2 · 09-04-2007, 10:08 PM

Ms. Diva, you would be still be welcome if my hubby had to wheel me over to you in an iron lung.

Luckily, that seems not to be the case at all - it is much, much better this evening. I think I pushed the aforementioned panic button, but I'd rather be overly cautious and okay than living in denial and have made things much worse by waiting to have it looked at.

Sumaya, I totally don't blame you for finding humor in the situation, since you've seen the staircase in question.

Believe me, if I could have seen myself in third person, I'd probably have busted a gut - I'm sure it was a total Chevy Chase-style slapstick moment. I swear, I don't know how anyone as uncoordinated as myself can make a living from dancing!

And I may lika da cocktails, but I swear I was not inebriated at 10:30am this morning. 10:30pm, now, you might have had somethin' there...

I will probably take it easy on the top half for the workshops, but I think I'll be okay to perform if I continue feeling better at this rate. It's a simple baladi choreo, not to much crazy in the arms, and thankfully no veilwork!

sumayasaahir · 09-05-2007, 05:51 AM

Well, Im glad you are feeling better. And I have a feeling Karma is going to bite me in the ass at some inappropriate time for laughing...I better go as forgiveness to the gods or Ill end up on my ass at the show...

Dear gods...please forgive me for laughing when Galatea fell down the steps, I really didnt mean it, I was just nervous for her is all. Dear Gods, please forgive me.....

(Diva, WE can have cocktails ;)