I was playing football and went for a low tackle, while still half way in the scrum. I stuck out only my arm to tackle the person with the ball (as i did not have enough time to pull my entire body out) but his legs pushed my shoulder far back. There was soreness and pain if I applied pressure to the shoulder or stretched it too far. I consulted the doctor who simply told me it might be a muscle injury, or I might have torn my tendon that keeps the shoulder joint in place. I was told to rest it for a week, and if the pain does not succumb, I will need a scan to see if the tendon did rip. If this is the case, I will need surgery. However, there has been no inflammation or bruising Instead my shoulder has been a little stiff. It has been 3 days and has definately gotten better. However, today I was playing football, and completely unaware, threw the ball to injure it once more. I was wondering if someone has the slighest clue as to what happened, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
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There are numerous tendons and ligaments in the shoulder. I think you may have torn/sprained one of the ligaments that connect your clavicle to your shoulder. There are a couple of them. Give it more time to rest and you should be fine.
Ouch! I type MRI scan reports for a specialist shoulder clinic in London UK, and often come across ones about similar injuries to yours…..of course I can’t say what you’ve done, but it sounds as if you might have partially torn one of the several tendons that hold the shoulder (ball and socket) joint in place. As suggested, this would not show up on a humble X-ray, but possibly would on an ultrasound, and definitely on an expensive MRI…..You might not necessarily need surgery – physio might help. Ask about different options.
Maybe see how your shoulder feels after a few more days, then go to your doctor (not sure where you live) and ask for a referral to a shoulder specialist. I hope and pray the situation will settle down again without you needing to do that, especially if it would cost you!
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I hope you were playing as a flanker because that is the only scrum position that can make a tackle while still part of the scrum.