Shoulder injury at work or in a car accident: medical supplies a doctor may prescribe for home recovery

Common work injuries to the shoulder

Rotator cuff injuries are common among people who work with their arms raised — electricians, painters, mechanics working under vehicles, stockers reaching high shelves. The tendons can wear over time or tear suddenly with a heavy lift or a fall.

The labrum, a rim of cartilage that helps keep the ball of the shoulder in its socket, can tear when someone falls on an outstretched arm or the shoulder is wrenched — for example, grabbing a railing to stop a fall from a ladder. Dislocations can happen the same way.

In car accidents, the seat belt and the impact can bruise or strain the shoulder, and bracing against the steering wheel can injure the joint. Some injuries settle with therapy; others need surgery.

• Rotator cuff strains and tears from overhead work
• Labrum tears and dislocations from falls
• Sudden injury from heavy lifting
• Seat-belt and impact injuries in car accidents

Devices a doctor may prescribe

After shoulder surgery, cold compression is commonly part of a doctor's home-care plan. Shoulder surgery recovery often involves a sling and limited use of the arm, and a wrap shaped for the shoulder can be easier to manage than ice bags.

During rehabilitation, stimulation and heat devices may be prescribed alongside physical therapy. Your doctor decides which, if any, fit your injury and stage of recovery.

These are the shoulder-related devices in the Prescriptions.plus program, by their program names. Each is prescribed by a doctor and supplied through our medical-supply partner.

Some people move from a cold compression wrap in the early weeks to other devices later in rehabilitation. Ask your surgeon or therapist how the plan is expected to change, so you know when to stop one device and whether another will follow.

• ColdFlow Compression System — wireless, ice-free cold compression with a shoulder wrap
• DualStim TENS/NMES Unit — nerve and muscle stimulation used as your doctor or therapist directs
• PulseWrap PEMF Recovery Wrap — a shoulder garment combining a pulsed electromagnetic field with heat
• LumaHeal Red Light Pad — infrared heat and low-level red light shaped for the shoulder

Questions to ask your doctor

Using a device on your shoulder while your arm is in a sling can be awkward, especially with one hand. Ask your doctor or therapist to show you how to put it on and take it off, or whether someone at home should help.

Sleep is often a struggle after shoulder injuries. Ask whether a device can be used in bed or reclined, and whether it's safe to fall asleep while using it.

If your job involves overhead work, ask what you should avoid and when you can expect to discuss returning to full duties.

• Is cold compression part of my post-surgery plan?
• How long should each session last?
• Can I use the device while wearing my sling?
• When can stimulation or heat start?
• Can I use the device in bed?
• Which work tasks should I avoid?

When to get care right away

Contact your doctor promptly, or seek urgent care, if you notice any of the warning signs below. After shoulder surgery, call your surgeon's office right away about fever or wound changes.

Medical emergency? Call 911.

To request more information about any of the devices above, patients, doctors and clinics, and employers or adjusters can use the form on this page. Whether a claim or policy covers a device is a question for your adjuster or insurer.

• The shoulder looks out of place or you can't move the arm
• Numbness, coldness or colour change in the hand
• Fever, or redness or drainage from an incision
• Chest pain or shortness of breath
• Sudden severe pain after a fall