Anyone experienced dislocations from a seizure?

[Luckylukas]

So as you may be able to guess from the title, iv'e dislocated my shoulder and am now typing this hunched over my keyboard with my right arm in a sling. This is the second time it's happened now, the first been at the gym after just finishing some heavy lifting (lucky...sort of). This second time it was brought on by a little too much to drink the night before, i was taken to the hospital to have my shoulder relocated, but on my way out i had another tonic clonic. This really scared me as iv'e never had two so close together before and was a little freaked out as im not sure why i had them both. I have read up a little about seizures and dislocations and it seems they can be fairly common during a TC, just wondering if anyone has any tips for recovery,advice or measures for possibly avoiding a seizure if feel one coming on.

 

[Nakamova]

Yes, my shoulder dislocated during one seizure, and was further damaged during another. What I didn't realize was that a labrum tear had occurred, and that without strengthening exercises the shoulder would get worse. It started subluxing (popping out) all the time. Eventually I saw an orthopedic surgeon and had the tear fixed. Unfortunately the the fix didn't hold, and I had to have more extensive surgery a few years later that involved slicing off a piece of bone and screwing it to the front of the shoulder socket.

So the moral of the story is... See an orthopedist NOW to assess the damage. If it's not too bad, you might be able to avoid additional damage or surgery by doing physical therapy to strengthen the muscles that hold the shoulder in place.

Be very gentle with your shoulder while it's recovering. The usual things help with inflammation -- heat/cold/ibuprofen. Consuming pineapple and sour cherry juice can also help reduce inflammation. The sling is mostly to remind you to protect the shoulder. Try not to hold the arm folded in to your body for more than absolutely necessary, as that will tend to reinforce the muscles on the front that pull the shoulder out, as opposed to the muscles in the back that hold it in place. If you been given p.t. exercises to do once the shoulder heals, do them! They may protect against future dislocations.

As for avoiding a tonic-clonic -- I can't help you there. I've never had any warning before mine. If you do get a warning, you could try the following: Concentrate on short but deep breaths ("deep" as in from the diaphragm), with longer exhales than inhales.

There are some acupressure techniques that some folks say can help prevent seizures; I don't know if they actually work. One is to press very firmly with the thumb on the area between the upper lip and the nose (called the philtrum). I think the idea is that you're disrupting the cranial nerves that are starting to misfire. The other technique involves having someone tug on your thumbs in a particular way. See: http://www.marysherbs.com/Miscellaneous/AccupressureSeizureP.htm for a picture of it.

You can check out threads at the link below for other ideas/approaches:
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/tags/neurobehavioral therapy.html
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/index.php?p=cognitive-behavioral

 

[Luckylukas]

Cheers nakamova, thankyou very much for the advice. I'm lucky to have a good relationship with my boss who understands my situation and let's me work doing light duties and provides transportation. Will have to try the juices and ibuprofen to reduce inflammation.