Are you safe to drive? 

Shoulder range of motion required to drive a car:

Forward Flexion 14º to 54º:  moving your arms up in front of your body. For reference: when holding your arms straight in front of you, parallel to the ground, your shoulder flexion is at 90º, and 180º with your arms straight up in the air. 

Abduction up to 18º: moving arms away from the side of your body. Abduction of 180º is when you have both your hands facing the ceiling and your arms are parallel. 

Adduction to 9º: this is the opposite movement from abduction, but you are engaging the muscles to bring your arm towards the body. 

Shoulder rotation: from 6º external rotation to 32º internal rotation. 

Source: Defining the upper extremity range of motion for safe automobile driving

Shoulder range of motion required to drive a car is less than the average range of motion of the shoulder.

How to Measure your shoulder range of motion

You can measure your shoulder range of motion today for free using our Shoulder Mobility App called Reflex. You can use this data to see if you are ready to drive or plan your recovery.

Click here to measure your shoulder range of motion

Forward flexion, internal rotation and forearm rotation have been shown to be key upper body movements to drive safely. You can measure your shoulder range of motion using Reflex. 

Driving safely after shoulder surgery will require range of motion and strength to have returned to your shoulders, with the range of motion figures above determined by Aziz Rawal and his team.

These range of motion measurements are taken from the complex shoulder movements while driving.

To avoid simulated hazards, the steering wheel revolved 57.2°. The key movements in hazard avoidance are shoulder flexion, shoulder rotation, forearm rotation and wrist deviation.

Check that you meet the physical requirements to drive safely after shoulder surgery: 

• Flexion range of motion scores Zero pain up to 54º 
• External Rotation up to 6º
• Internal rotation up to 32º 

You can measure yourself now using the Reflex Shoulder App. If you’re not quite ready yet, you can track your recovery progress to get an estimated recovery time. You may not be able to drive, but you can still make plans with your friends and family.   

Click here to assess your shoulder using Siphox Health

More on Fractured Shoulders:

1. Can you fracture your shoulder?

2. How do you treat a fractured shoulder?

3. How to tell if you have fractured your shoulder?

4. Can you fracture your shoulder blade?

5. Can a fractured shoulder heal on its own?

6. How long does it take to heal a fractured shoulder?

7. How long before you can drive after a fractured shoulder?

The post How long before you can drive after a fractured shoulder? appeared first on Siphox Health.

1. Hematoma formation (day 1 to 5)
2. Fibrocartilaginous callus formation (day 5 to 11)
3. Bony callus formation (day 11 to 28)
4. Bone remodeling (day 28 to months/years)

Factors that affect healing time for a fractured shoulder

These additional factors primarily define why some of us heal quicker than others.

Local Factors (these factors affect the fracture healing specifically at the fracture site)

1. Type, size, and location of the fracture
2. Infection
3. Blood supply at the fracture site
4. Soft tissue damage
5. Constant movement of the fracture segments

Systemic Factors (these factors slow down the overall healing capacity of the body)

1. Age
2. Obesity
3. Haematological abnormalities (e.g., anemia)
4. Endocrine conditions (e.g., diabetes mellitus)
5. Malnutrition
6. Smoking

Monitoring your recovery using the Siphox Health app

If you have fractured your shoulder blade, you will need to monitor your recovery carefully.

Siphox Health is an app that can help you keep track of your progress as you heal. As your recover, you can expect your shoulder range of motion to gradually increase and shoulder pain to subside. The app will provide you with customised exercises and stretches based on your stage of recovery.

Click here to assess your shoulder using Siphox Health

More on Fractured Shoulders:

1. Can you fracture your shoulder?

2. How do you treat a fractured shoulder?

3. How to tell if you have fractured your shoulder?

4. Can you fracture your shoulder blade?

5. Can a fractured shoulder heal on its own?

6. How long does it take to heal a fractured shoulder?

7. How long before you can drive after a fractured shoulder?

The post How long does it take to heal a fractured shoulder? appeared first on Siphox Health.

Can a broken shoulder heal on its own? Most broken shoulders are treated by immobilising the broken shoulder using a cast, sling or splint.

Depending on the severity, surgery may be the best treatment for a fractured shoulder.

Surgery becomes the choice of treatment if the fracture healing is likely to take place abnormally- e.g., the bone will heal in a rotated manner, if the bone is comminuted (broken into little pieces), if the fracture is open and contaminated, etc.

Surgery is also important if various complications are associated with the fracture- e.g., nerve or blood vessel damage, chances of avascular necrosis, etc.

More on Fractured Shoulders:

1. Can you fracture your shoulder?

2. How do you treat a fractured shoulder?

3. How to tell if you have fractured your shoulder?

4. Can you fracture your shoulder blade?

5. Can a fractured shoulder heal on its own?

6. How long does it take to heal a fractured shoulder?

7. How long before you can drive after a fractured shoulder?

The post Can a fractured shoulder heal on its own? appeared first on Siphox Health.

What does a fractured shoulder blade look like?

Locations of shoulder blade fractures are shown in the diagram below.

Read more about Fractured Shoulders:

1. Can you fracture your shoulder?

2. How do you treat a fractured shoulder?

3. How to tell if you have fractured your shoulder?

4. Can you fracture your shoulder blade?

5. Can a fractured shoulder heal on its own?

6. How long does it take to heal a fractured shoulder?

7. How long before you can drive after a fractured shoulder?

The post Can you fracture your shoulder blade? appeared first on Siphox Health.

1. Pain in the shoulder
2. Swelling
3. Bruising
4. Depending on the type of fracture, a deformity may be present
5. Pain on palpation (= tenderness)
6. Loss of shoulder contour
7. Inability to move the shoulder

More on Fractured Shoulders:

1. Can you fracture your shoulder?

2. How do you treat a fractured shoulder?

3. How to tell if you have fractured your shoulder?

4. Can you fracture your shoulder blade?

5. Can a fractured shoulder heal on its own?

6. How long does it take to heal a fractured shoulder?

7. How long before you can drive after a fractured shoulder?

The post How to tell if you have fractured your shoulder? appeared first on Siphox Health.

Immobilisation

If the fractured shoulder is a simple fracture, it may be treated with a sling or a cast. X-rays are taken of the shoulder and then it is put in a sling, cast, or splint. Immobilising the joint will ensure the correct position for the shoulder to heal on its own.

Surgery

If the fractured shoulder is a more serious fracture, surgery may be required. Surgery usually takes place under general anaesthetic and you will stay in hospital for two to three days. The type of surgery you have will depend on the type of fracture you have.

The surgery for shoulder fractures can be a closed reduction (without cutting your shoulder open) with a K-wire fixation. If you have a more serious fracture, the surgeon may need to put metalwork (plates and screws) into your shoulder to hold the bones in place. This is called internal fixation.

Partial shoulder replacement may be considered for fractured shoulders, if there is damage to the blood supply of the head of the humerus.

Either of the management will always be followed by a tailor-made physiotherapy regime. If you have had surgery, you will need to wear a sling for four to six weeks. You will then start your rehabilitation exercises. The aim of rehabilitation is to regain as much movement and strength in your shoulder as possible.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is an important part of treatment for a fractured shoulder. It helps to regain movement and strength in your shoulder. A physiotherapist will design an exercise program specifically for you. The aim of rehabilitation is to regain as much movement and strength in your shoulder as possible.

The exercises will help to reduce pain and swelling, and improve the range of movement in your shoulder. They will also help to strengthen the muscles around your shoulder.

If you want to regain your shoulder range of motion and strength, it is important to do the exercises as prescribed by your physiotherapist. In fact, most people fail to complete their rehab and do not reach their full recovery. It is also important to be patient. It takes time for a fractured shoulder to heal properly.

See Also:

Shoulder Bursitis Exercises

Read more about Fractured Shoulders:

1. Can you fracture your shoulder?

2. How do you treat a fractured shoulder?

3. How to tell if you have fractured your shoulder?

4. Can you fracture your shoulder blade?

5. Can a fractured shoulder heal on its own?

6. How long does it take to heal a fractured shoulder?

7. How long before you can drive after a fractured shoulder?

The post How do you treat a fractured shoulder? appeared first on Siphox Health.

However, what is a fracture? It is a break in the continuity of the bone with a degree of injury to the soft tissue (muscles, ligaments, nerves, blood vessels, etc.) surrounding the bone.

All bones have their special classifications attributed to them to help make their diagnosis and treatment easier.

The proximal humerus (upper arm bone) that forms one-half of the shoulder joint follows Neer’s shoulder classification:

Neer’s Classification is based on the anatomic relationship of four segments shown in the figure below. The fracture is said to be displaced if the bone segment has moved more than 1 cm or greater than 45 degrees from its normal position.

One-Part Fractures:

a fracture with no fragments displaced

Two-Part Fractures:

where one fracture fragment is displaced away from the bone

Three-Part Fractures:

usually, one tuberosity is displaced, and the neck fracture is displaced. The remaining tuberosity is attached, which produces a rotational deformity.

Four-Part Fractures:

all 4 segments are out of place and displaced. This is a severe injury and carries a high risk of avascular necrosis (death of the bone cells due to lack of blood supply).

Read more about Fractured Shoulders:

1. Can you fracture your shoulder?

2. How do you treat a fractured shoulder?

3. How to tell if you have fractured your shoulder?

4. Can you fracture your shoulder blade?

5. Can a fractured shoulder heal on its own?

6. How long does it take to heal a fractured shoulder?

7. How long before you can drive after a fractured shoulder?

The post Can You Fracture Your Shoulder? appeared first on Siphox Health.