You may have a separated shoulder if you have shoulder pain, shoulder weakness, bruising, swelling, limited shoulder movement, arm weakness, and/or a bump and swelling at the top of your shoulder. If you have tenderness or pain near the end of your collarbone, it could be due to a separate shoulder. The issue isn’t very serious, but it still needs professional diagnosis and treatment, so go see a doctor like one of ours here at The Orthopedic Group.

You should see a doctor, yes. A stretched or torn ligament in the shoulder should be diagnosed and treated professionally. Typically, surgery isn’t needed, but professional conservative treatment is. When necessary, we can provide surgery here at The Orthopedic Group, but we’ll always try conservative treatment first, and it will likely work for you.

The doctor you see will be able to determine the severity of the issue and whether a fracture or rotator cuff injury is present, and then help ensure arthritis doesn’t develop in the area. Also, the doctor will likely be able to ensure a full recovery, and probably a speedy recovery too!

Professional treatment will help ensure total and quick recovery. To address the pain right away, an over-the-counter pain reliever will help, and to allow the shoulder to heal properly, rest, icing, and physical therapy will help. A doctor can provide or refer you for certain services.

Resting means avoiding physical activities or movements that may aggravate the shoulder. To assist with this, the doctor you see might temporarily immobilize your shoulder/arm in a sling. This can also take pressure off the shoulder and promote healing. Icing the affected area can reduce pain and swelling, and you can use a cold pack for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. As for physical therapy, the stretching and strengthening exercises can help restore motion and strength to the shoulder, and help speed up recovery significantly!

For a minor separation, it typically takes a few weeks for it to heal so long as it’s treated professionally. For a more severe separation, healing could take several weeks or months with professional treatment. A treated patient may always have a noticeable bump on the affected shoulder, but this likely won’t affect the patient’s ability to use the shoulder. You’ll still be fully healed, most likely, and able to go about your regular activities once again.

We likely do! The Orthopedic Group has locations in Leesburg, Lansdowne, and Stone Springs. Please see our Locations page for the location close to you, its address, and its contact information, then call us at that location if you need our services. You can book a consultation or appointment with us from that page. We serve patients from Leesburg VA, Lansdowne VA, Stone Springs VA, Dulles, VA, Ashburn VA, Sterling VA, Aldie VA, South Riding VA, Herndon VA, Winchester VA, Reston VA, and Chantilly VA.

Don’t hesitate to contact us here at The Orthopedic Group. We can get you in for an appointment very soon and have you healing up quickly. We look forward to hearing from you!