Adama Traore's shoulder won't keep him out of Leicester clash, says ex-Wolves physio

The speedy Spaniard had to have it popped back into place after the 2-1 loss to Tottenham at Molineux in December.

And club doctor Matt Perry had to be called upon again in the 0-0 draw with Manchester United last time out.

However, Traore – who initially dislocated his shoulder in the summer of 2018 while a Middlesbrough player – did not have a spell on the shelf after Spurs, nor is he expected to now.

Giving an insight into the injury, ex-Wolves physio Paul Darby – with the club during the 1980s and early 90s – told the Express & Star: “When he first did it, the shoulder and upper arm would have come away from the socket of the shoulder.

“It would have come out forwards. We call that an anterior dislocation.

“My anticipation would be that he had a complete luxation, or a dislocation of that joint, when it first happened.

“The two recurrences which have happened in more recent times are much more likely to be what we call a subluxation, which is a partial dislocation.

“I say that as it was reduced – or put back in, as you might say – on the side of the pitch and he was able to carry on, or at least for some time.

“Most people who have a complete dislocation would not be able to carry on, so it would look like he has had a subluxation, a partial dislocation. Sometimes that can happen quite easily.”

Against Tottenham, Traore could be seen clutching his shoulder in the closing moments but saw the game through.

He did not stay on against United, but only because he had also taken a heavy whack to his calf.

On the process of popping the shoulder back in and the pain Traore would have been in, Darby said: “It’s not difficult if you know what you’re doing.

“If you apply a bit of traction and pull, it will pop back into the socket. It’s helped by all the structures around it.

“I’ve never had it myself but I’ve been on to several players with it, and it’s a very, very painful experience.

“You use your shoulder when running, in every motion, and with the way Adama plays, he wants to hold people off and use his upper-body strength.

“It’s very difficult to play when a shoulder is that sore or painful, after a subluxation.”

Traore is set to feature against Leicester at Molineux tomorrow after travelling with the rest of the squad to Marbella over the winter break.

His shoulder troubles have not affected his performances either.

Since the dislocation against Spurs, he has gone from strength to strength and even won the PFA fans’ player of the month gong for January.

But what can be done to try to prevent his shoulder from coming out of place again?

“The general way forward is that you strengthen around the joint, so the structures hold it in place,” said Darby.

“But the player is a man-mountain and has obviously done a lot of work on his shoulders.

“Wolves will no doubt be looking at this and saying they’ll need to do something at some point.

“Initially, he’ll probably go through some early rehab to try to strengthen around the area, to see if that can give him some stability.

“If it’s come out twice in a month or two, there will be some concern.

“If it reoccurs frequently, it’ll have to be dealt with.

“Every time it subluxates, it creates more of an issue around the joint. If you had a shoulder joint that kept subluxating, surgery would be required.”

He added: “It won’t stop him being fit for Leicester, I would not have thought, and if he does not experience any more problems this season, it’s probably something they will look at in the close season.”