Shoulder injuries and bitework helpers/decoys - Page 1

Has anyone dealt with a shoulder injury that is a helper/decoy and how did you have to modify your technique in working dogs?  I'm talking any shoulder injury not just from working dogs.  Also how long was the recovery time?

Thanks,

Colleen

Years ago I destroyed my shoulder working dogs.  My sleeve arm was shot.  Started off I believe as rotator cuff injury, not treated and turned into Adhesive Capsulitis.  This is translated "frozen shoulder"  My shoulder could not bend at the joint.  The cartilege had solitified and it would not give.  Sometimes I would make a sudden move and the pain was excruciating, sometimes in public, embarrasing my wife as I went down to my knees in pain.  I switched to my right arm but never did like this.  Finally had day surgery where they knock you out and break it free.  The Dr. said sometimes the shoulder will break if the cartlidge is stronger than the bone.  After two sessions of this it got better but was never quite the same.  To this day I find myself swinging my arm around in full rotation to make sure it is free to move.  Not a good thing to go through.  I will be suprised if there are not more that have experienced this.  I think most of this was caused by Rotts.  They have such tremendous power in their upper shoulder area and drop with the bite.

Advice, if you or someone is experiencing pain in your working shoulder, do not ignore it!  Deal with it now.  I think they have better ways of treating this now, maybe lasor treatment?

Bump

Surely someone else has had this issue?  Steve1 could you ask around at your clubs? 

Thanks,
Colleen

Been working dogs for 15 yrs. and have never had a shoulder injury! As a matter of fact, I've had a few bites but, nothing physical...knock on wood!

ron

I tore my rotator cuff on my sleeve arm playing football. I had surgery and it took about 4 months before I could lift weights and play again. I haven't had any problems since I was cleared from the Dr. Catching dogs have never bothered it at all. My advice is if you are injured then don't work any dogs and get it fixed. Something minor can turn more serious later. Better to be out of training a few months than to push it and never be able to do it again.