Steelers’ QB “Big Ben” Roethlisberger played on Sunday against the Colts but he didn’t play especially well. He didn’t blame his separated shoulder. What IS a shoulder separation exactly, anyway? Should he really be playing?
Signed,
GoingforthebombinRI
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GOOD QUESTIONS…
According to the Associated Press on November 6th, Roethlisberger’s MRI exam on Tuesday “is very similar (to his previous one), but it is not the same as it has been,” Tomlin said. Well that’s clear as mud. I’ll attempt to shed some light…
Shoulder Separation:
As defined by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS – www.aaos.org ), a shoulder separation is not truly an injury to the shoulder joint. The injury actually involves the acromioclavicular joint (also called the AC joint). The AC joint is where the collarbone (clavicle) meets the highest point of the shoulder blade (acromion). In an AC shoulder separation, the collarbone separates from the shoulder blade. It’s most commonly caused by a fall onto the tip of the shoulder or onto an outstretched arm.
Steelers’ QB “Big Ben” Roethlisberger has Shoulder Separation
According to news reports, Roethlisberger re-injured his previously separated shoulder late in the 2nd quarter during Monday Night Football on November 3rd against the Redskins. He ran a quarterback sneak and got tackled and fell on his shoulder. There’s no information about the grade of the injury, (grade I, II, or III) but there’s no talk of surgery.
How does it get better?
Treatment for a grade one or grade two separation usually consists of pain medications and a short period of rest using a shoulder sling. The rehabilitation program may be directed by a physical or occupational therapist, and athletic trainer.
Some surgeons prefer to repair severe grade three AC separations, especially in high-level throwing athletes.
If surgery’s not warranted, therapists and trainers begin range-of-motion exercises as pain eases, followed by a program of strengthening. At first, exercises are done with the arm kept below shoulder level. The program advances to include strength exercises for the rotator cuff and shoulder blade muscles. In most cases, the pain goes away almost completely within three weeks. Full recovery can take three to six weeks for grade two separations and up to 12 weeks for grade three separations. Since there is little danger of making the condition worse, a person can usually do whatever activities can be tolerated.
The Steeler’s management and Roethlisberger seem to be downplaying the significance of his injury. It’s likely a more mild-to-moderate separation (Grade I or II). To get Roethlisberger back in the saddle ASAP, he’ll be doing all of the above, but his medical team will probably add some additional management in the form of steroid injection to reduce the inflammation, which will help to reduce pain so that he can be back in action sooner, as well as taping of the shoulder – White, McConnell, or Kinesio taping.
These tapes assist muscles and joints in different ways. If you’re interested, I found a nice summary at the following site:
http://www.westwoodpt.com/pages/services/soft-tissue-healing/taping.php#McConnell
(We saw a lot of Kinesio Taping at the Summer Olympics in Beijing. Perhaps the most visible was on Kerri Walsh, Women’s Volleyball Olympic Gold Medalist.)
Here’s an interview about Kinesio Taping if you’re interested…
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=827733771
Should Big Ben be playing? Well, he CAN play, as we’re seeing. And “should” really depends on one’s perspective. The bad news is, Roethlisberger may struggle with this throughout the season and have to wait for the off-season before giving it the recovery time it needs. And it’s certainly vulnerable to further injury when passing or being tackled.
Such are the burdens ‘shouldered’ by professional football players…
Meredith Soelberg, MPT, MBA
