Is A Detached Shoulder Muscle Post An Injury A Symptom Of Muscle Atrophy?

Posted on Thu, 12 May 2016

Question: I'm waiting for an MRI appointment for a suspected detached shoulder muscle. the injury happened 11 days ago. I'm concerned about muscle atrophy or shortening of the muscle while I wait.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (57 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Waiting for 1-2 weeks will not do an extra harm.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
After detachment of the muscle, it retracts immediately. In case it is a full thickness tear then a surgical repair will be needed during which the muscle will be stretched and reconnected. Even after the repair you will have to provide rest to the arm till it heals completely. This waiting without activity can cause muscle atrophy that is corrected by proper physiotherapy after the muscle heals well.
Waiting for a week or two will not do much extra damage as you need to rest the muscle for healing.
I hope this answers your query.
In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Praveen Tayal.
For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Praveen-Tayal

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar