This week, I thought I’d share one of our recent learning experiences with you all.
My eldest daughter dislocated her shoulder while at school—quite badly, in fact—and ended up with a nerve impingement. If you’ve ever experienced that, you’ll know it’s one of the worst pains in the world. Naturally, I had to pick her up early. When I asked her how it happened, her answer was surprisingly familiar to me. It was also something I’ve only come to fully understand myself in recent years, well into my 40s.
When I first got my wheelchair, I was concerned about whether I’d be able to propel it on my own. The reason for my worry was that I’ve had chronic instability in both of my shoulders for most of my life. However, what I’ve learned is that when I’m making controlled movements—like pushing my wheels—my shoulders are generally okay. It’s when I reach beyond what I guess is my “comfort zone” that my shoulders tend to slip out.
That’s exactly what happened to my daughter. All she did was reach a little too far into the food cabinet to grab a vegetarian sausage roll. That simple action caused her shoulder to sublux, leading to a lot of pain and damage. It’s hard for others to comprehend how something so minor could have such a significant effect. Thankfully, she’s recovered pretty quickly, which is a relief because the last time I did something similar—reaching too far to hang washing on the clotheshorse—I spent over six months recovering from a subluxed shoulder.
So, I guess what I’m trying to convey is the importance of learning to understand where our joints should stop, not just where they can stop, if that makes sense. It’s something I’m still figuring out. In fact, I’m now having specialist physiotherapy again to hopefully learn how to better manage this because I still don’t have all the answers.
Other than that, I hope you’ve all had a great week! I’d also love to hear if any of you have experienced something similar to what I’ve discussed. Feel free to share your thoughts!
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