FOOSH is short for Falling On an Outstretched Arm and is common in sports like cycling, snowboarding or skateboarding. This type of upper limb injury occurs when breaking a fall with your outstretched hand. This can lead to an injury anywhere from the wrist forearm, elbow and shoulder. With the busy traffic on the roads, it can be easy to lose balance.
Severe injuries can range from a fractured carpal bone in the hand, dislocation of the elbow or rotator cuff tear.
Moderate to minor injuries can include wrist or shoulder strain, whiplash of the neck or elbow pain.
One thing to keep in mind is that a minor fall may not show up signs or symptoms until later on. A FOOSH injury can impact the neck and spine due to the nature of the fall. There is usually a twisting and a compensation occurring to avoid major injury.
Instead of expecting the pain to disappear, it is important to have your posture, spine and muscles checked to see if it is out of alignment. After all, your body is worth more than your bike.
At Kurilpa Chiropractic & Sports Massage, we take a thorough history of the mechanism of your injury and any contributing factors that may be causing the pain and discomfort. Orthopedic testing and muscle strength is performed to find out the nature of the injury. It may be necessary to send out for scans or x-rays prior to treatment, including any reports from other health professionals.
Adele Lorigan, (Chiropractor) is part of Kurilpa Chiropractic & Sports Massage, based inside Cam’s Cycle Coaching.