Could you dislocate your shoulder while punching?!
Question: Doing muay thai and a lot of bag work and pads, could i dislocate my right arm while punching?
I dislocated it twice, the first time while in wrestling the other time was like a year later and I got kind of drunk and rolled down a hill, I forgot why but I swinged my arm and it dislocated after that. But now I have been doing muay thai for about a year havent dislocated my shoulder, but for some odd reason im worried now because im getting sugery on it soon. Please give me an educated answer, and if you do not know your stuff than just don't answer. Thanks for the help.
Answers: Doing muay thai and a lot of bag work and pads, could i dislocate my right arm while punching?
I dislocated it twice, the first time while in wrestling the other time was like a year later and I got kind of drunk and rolled down a hill, I forgot why but I swinged my arm and it dislocated after that. But now I have been doing muay thai for about a year havent dislocated my shoulder, but for some odd reason im worried now because im getting sugery on it soon. Please give me an educated answer, and if you do not know your stuff than just don't answer. Thanks for the help.
The real answer is Yes! You CAN dislocate your shoulder while punching (especially a hook punch), and having a weakened shoulder from previous dislocation makes you more prone to a future dislocation - this is proven fact. I'm a grad student in sports medicine and also did a few years of martial arts training (Kung Fu), and we did a lot of circular punching, and I was always nervous of this too, although I never had a shoulder injury like yours. Did you tear your rotator cuff with the dislocation? Why are you getting surgery this long after - are you sure its necessary? Have you been rehabilitating it with a specialist? There are a lot of strengthening exercises I could recommend to you, or any trainer could for that matter, especially with exercise tubes/straps.
Given your information (two dislocation incidents to the same shoulder and the fact you are going to have it repaired) it is very possible to dislocate it either throwing punches or blocking. Dislocating a joint causes the muscles and ligaments to tear. The more you dislocate the looser the joint gets. To repair the joint muscle and or ligaments must be severed and drawn up to take the slack out of the joint then reattached and allowed to "graft" or grow over the scres used to attach. With proper rehalb (TIME-TIME is the key to rehalbing to the best ability-don't rush the PT) the joint can be as good or better than new.
Dr. Tommy Skelton
(former athletic trainer)
i am a pain relief specialist , been doing bodywork for 10 years...is your question, should you get surgery? No definately not...if you can move it, it isnt fully dilocated. If it is stiff and limited in movement, I can definately help...you can im me for full details, but for the general public, I will say that this is common for many people, and in order to attain freedom of movement for any part of the body, relieving tension is the key. to do this, you need to stretch the muscles while they are completely relaxed..it takes patience and the willingness to do it...I have gotten many great results with people that had thought about surgery...and I have met people after surgery and they are far worse off...cutting into the flesh and muscle adds more tension to them....laney
So why are you getting surgery? Once you have dislocated a joint, there is an increased risk of dislocating it again. This is because ligaments and tendons don't snap back like muscles do (think rubber bands); they just stay stretched out. That same joint will always be at greater risk of repetative-use injuries that come from constantly punching bags and pads. Try working out the other shoulder more. But always keep stretching and strengthening your muscles, as that will be what prevents a dislocation again.
my guess is that you have a chronic subluxation of your shoulder. Usually what happens after you initially dislocate it, the soft tissues are stretched out and do not return to their original tenstile strength. What is happening now when you are punching is that your shoulder (humeral head) is partially slipping in & out of joint. It is a really shallow joint to begin with and depends heavy on the soft tissues surrounding it for support. Those tissues are lax now because of your repeated subluxations. Can it get worse? Yes, because there is a possibilty that you could start chipping off pieces of the joint surface or leave grooves were it should be smooth, this leads to arthritis. Also, you could stretch those soft tissues even more or even tear them, however unlikely. You don"t want to get your surgery done with an inflammed shoulder either. All the soft tissues are swelled and makes any procedure more difficult.
Use common sense above all else, you know punching a bag is not going to help it and if it causing you pain, swelling and mobility issues...I'd lay low for awhile. Meanwhile, take naproxen for swelling, aspirin for pain and ice it down if you can't avoid aggravating it. My guess is that you are going to have what they call a "bankart repair" to tighten up the soft tissues. Make sure you rehab well if you have it done, you could be screwed for life if you don't. Here's a link for more information. Hope this helps!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dislocated_...