thegirlsclub

[Henri]

So, Saturday I was in a rush to get to my morning class on time. I was running (carrying a metric ton of crap), slipped and fell. After a few seconds of floor time, I gathered myself up and limped over to class. It felt like I had nearly snapped my ankle, and I was more worried about it than anything else.

Sunday, I woke up with a severely achy shoulder. I assumed that I had slept wrong on it (I sleep in three different beds over the course of a week, so it's pretty common for me to sleep wrong) and carried on with my day. It got worse as the day went on, despite some pretty intense stretching. By Sunday night I figured I had probably screwed it up during the fall. At one point last night it felt almost like it had slipped out of place and then back in really fast.

So, today is Monday, my shoulder hurts, and I have fighter practice tomorrow. Is there anything I can do to get it in shape? Should I write it off for this week and try to get it back by next week?

I really don't want to lose a week of training. >.<

[Hildemar the Alchemist]

OK, speaking as a certified emergency responder who isn't actually there:

It is possible to dislocate the shoulder, you betcha. It is also possible to bruise it, stretch or tear ligaments, etc. Sometimes a shoulder will pop out and then back in again. Sometimes it doesn't - and will remain dislocated.

*See a doctor*. A visual inspection will tell her/him whether or not the shoulder is now out of joint. Given the pain you are mentioning, I would not advise heavy use of the shoulder until it has been seen. Don't sacrifice a fighting career for one fight practice! If the pain is getting worse, that's a sign that something is not right.

Generally speaking, joint injuries are tougher to identify and can be tricky to heal properly. Muscle tends to be more forgiving; ligaments, not so much. A little downtime (even if you spend it on footwork or something else) may be what this shoulder needs. But see the doc first.

[Isabella E]

There's no way to tell what you did to it without seeing a doctor. It's possible you just strained it but it's also possible you tore something, in which case you should not be doing things like intense stretching because you could make it worse.

Be smart and take some downtime and don't make it worse. Otherwise you will end up with a permanently torn up shoulder like me and it will be a lot of rehab.
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[Henri]

So, the one good thing about living in the dorms is the fact that there is a doctor's office downstairs. The verdict is that I've likely strained it. So, ice pack, hot pack, repeat repeat.

Probably focusing on shield and footwork tomorrow- no sword for me tomorrow.