It all started on October 20, 2011 when I was riding mountain bikes with a friend. We'd just finished a long difficult section with lots of switchbacks and hit the fast part of the trail - slightly downhill in the trees around Clear Creek in Buffalo, WY. A gnat or similar small bug hit my face and I reached up to swat him just as I came over a very small bump in the trail so down I went! I stuffed head and shoulder into the dirt at 15 mph. Stood up, was a little dazed, could tell that my right shoulder was damaged, had to sit down before I passed out. Friend Steve helped me limp 1/2 mile to the road, he rode down to get the car and took me to the emergency room in Buffalo. X-Rays showed damage, doc had seen this injury many times and it almost always heals itself.
Three months later the bones in my shoulder were still knocking around in certain movements so I went to the ortho center in Sheridan. X-rays and an MRI show that it is at least a Category 3 shoulder separation as well as a torn muscle around the rotator cuff. The separation is bad enough that it will never heal itself. It will require a tendon from a cadaver to fix it! Surgery will be scheduled tomorrow and is likely to be a week from Thursday (my choice). Recovery will include 6 weeks of no muscle movement of the shoulder followed by 6 weeks of careful non-strength activity. Rehab will consist of someone else moving my arm around for the first 6 weeks. The tendons will reattach within 6 weeks but the muscle on the rotator cuff needs to fully attach before the arm is ready for normal use.
I'll get it done now so I'm ready for activity when summer arrives.
