Bruised shoulder?
August 17, 2011 | 30,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Ive Dr. Schaaf
Hello,
I am male, 36 years old.
On Saturday, I was fouled while playing football and fell on my right side/shoulder while running.
My shoulder was immediately painful and I could barely move my arm up. I immediately went to the emergency practice, where I was x-rayed and diagnosed with a "shoulder contusion" and discharged. The pain in my shoulder has improved almost daily, but on Monday I went to see my orthopedist again, who x-rayed me again with two 5kg weights in each hand and only briefly examined me. Diagnosis again here was "shoulder contusion."
My question:
When I extend my arm straight, forward away from me, it is still painful and associated with a feeling of weakness. Could this be from the contusion, or should I be concerned that there is damage to the rotator cuff? Lateral abduction is painless and possible with load.
Thank you very much.
It all sounds like what you would expect with a bruise. The stress test was done to examine the ligaments between the collarbone and shoulder blade, the so-called AC (Acromio-Clavicular) joint. Suspicion of a rotator cuff injury would only be raised if the recovery of mobility, strength, and pain relief were significantly impaired, or if there were clinical suspicion in this regard during the examination.
However, it would also be considered whether the suspected defect may need surgical correction and only then would an MRI be taken.
It is worth knowing that an injury to the rotator cuff in the form of a tear from a fall on the shoulder is extremely rare. This type of accident is typical for a bruise. A tear is more likely to occur from a fall on an outstretched arm, where the upper arm head directly impacts the rotator cuff. If I understood you correctly, this is not the case for you.
Kind regards
Dr. Ive Schaaf
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