JDkeystone's shoulder recovery log

[JDkeystone]

As many can probably tell from my sig, my shoulder has become a critical issue for me, and has been for several years now. The problem started back in 2003, when I dislocated my shoulder twice in my sleep in the space of 3 weeks. How I managed to pop my shoulder out while sleeping, I have no idea (I can only surmise it being a result of excessive tossing and turning in bed); but being genetically extremely loose jointed, this caused my already lax ligaments and tendons to become even further stretched out and lose a lot of stability.

After that, my shoulder started dislocating semi-regularly from the most random movements and actions. After about my 8th or 9th dislocation, I finally had an MRI in March of 2008. The first 2 specialists I saw both gave me the same prognosis; that I was just abnormally loose jointed, that my chronic dislocations were not due to any specific "trauma", and that there was "nothing" that could be fixed with surgery. I was told I would just have to "live with it", but given that I'm now up to 33 dislocations (20 alone within the last year), that's obviously not gonna happen.

But I went to a 3rd specialist this past December, who conceded what I had been told by the first 2 doctors was correct; but he agreed my condition was no longer manageable on its own, and that surgery was now my only option. He did say, though, that because of my condition, there was a much greater likelihood of surgery not even being successful, and that I could find myself back to where I am right now within 12-18 months after my operation (at which point I would be looking at another, more complicated operation). I'm really hoping it doesn't get to that point (naturally), so I'm gonna be doing everything I possibly can to ensure my recovery is as successful as possible, and that this problem does not resume in the future.

So I decided to start a journal (coincidentally on my birthday lol) to document my progress in recovering from my upcoming operation. I'm currently scheduled for arthroscopic stabilization surgery on my right shoulder exactly one week from today, March 12. I actually just found out today (at my pre-op appointment this morning) I would be having an arthroscopic procedure rather than the full, "open" surgery (which is what I was originally supposed to have). Most people would probably consider this good news since arthroscopy is supposed to be much less abrasive and have a faster recovery period than regular surgery, but this is something that concerns me very much, as I've also talked to a number of people who've had this same procedure, and eventually had to go back in for surgery again due to their shoulder problems relapsing. Given my medical history, I very much believe this is what I'd be facing down the road as well, so I'll be speaking with my doctor about this first thing next week. But for now, this is what I've been advised is happening.

So yeah, one more week to go. My typing skills will be limited after next Friday (I'm righthanded lol), but I'll try to keep this updated as much as possible. I'm tired of having my life interrupted constantly with a shoulder that pops out at the drop of a hat, so here's to hoping that problem will finally be fixed very soon!

[Coppatop]

As many can probably tell from my sig, my shoulder has become a critical issue for me, and has been for several years now. The problem started back in 2003, when I dislocated my shoulder twice in my sleep in the space of 3 weeks. How I managed to pop my shoulder out while sleeping, I have no idea (I can only surmise it being a result of excessive tossing and turning in bed); but being genetically extremely loose jointed, this caused my already lax ligaments and tendons to become even further stretched out and lose a lot of stability.

After that, my shoulder started dislocating semi-regularly from the most random movements and actions. After about my 8th or 9th dislocation, I finally had an MRI in March of 2008. The first 2 specialists I saw both gave me the same prognosis; that I was just abnormally loose jointed, that my chronic dislocations were not due to any specific "trauma", and that there was "nothing" that could be fixed with surgery. I was told I would just have to "live with it", but given that I'm now up to 33 dislocations (20 alone within the last year), that's obviously not gonna happen.

But I went to a 3rd specialist this past December, who conceded what I had been told by the first 2 doctors was correct; but he agreed my condition was no longer manageable on its own, and that surgery was now my only option. He did say, though, that because of my condition, there was a much greater likelihood of surgery not even being successful, and that I could find myself back to where I am right now within 12-18 months after my operation (at which point I would be looking at another, more complicated operation). I'm really hoping it doesn't get to that point (naturally), so I'm gonna be doing everything I possibly can to ensure my recovery is as successful as possible, and that this problem does not resume in the future.

So I decided to start a journal (coincidentally on my birthday lol) to document my progress in recovering from my upcoming operation. I'm currently scheduled for arthroscopic stabilization surgery on my right shoulder exactly one week from today, March 12. I actually just found out today (at my pre-op appointment this morning) I would be having an arthroscopic procedure rather than the full, "open" surgery (which is what I was originally supposed to have). Most people would probably consider this good news since arthroscopy is supposed to be much less abrasive and have a faster recovery period than regular surgery, but this is something that concerns me very much, as I've also talked to a number of people who've had this same procedure, and eventually had to go back in for surgery again due to their shoulder problems relapsing. Given my medical history, I very much believe this is what I'd be facing down the road as well, so I'll be speaking with my doctor about this first thing next week. But for now, this is what I've been advised is happening.

So yeah, one more week to go. My typing skills will be limited after next Friday (I'm righthanded lol), but I'll try to keep this updated as much as possible. I'm tired of having my life interrupted constantly with a shoulder that pops out at the drop of a hat, so here's to hoping that problem will finally be fixed very soon!

I know the feeling! I tore my labrum last may, and had surgery in september. I wrote this: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?p=370702851#post370702851 right before my surgery. Here is my log: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121750701 .

Here are some recommendations for you based on my experiences:

--KEEP YOUR DIET CLEAN!! I was super depressed after I tore my labrum, and ate a bunch. I gained 30lbs in about 3 months of inactivity (was out of work for almost 3 months and couldn't lift or do much in that time. Just ate like crap and gained a lot of weight.

--Do your PT, LOTS. The first month after surgery is most important for doing PT. You pretty much wont be able to do anything for a while. I sat on my ass all day and watched TV, but while doing so, I Was doing about 3 hours of PT on my own each day for the first month. I think it really, really helped.

Take joint suppliments, like glucosamine, condroiton, and fish oils.

Best of luck with your recovery. Stay strong, mentally and physically!

[JDkeystone]

Thanks for the tips and the words of encouragement:)

I'm actually kinda pissed at myself for waiting to so long to get surgery. Part of the reason it took me over 7 years to get to this point is because I just didn't wanna be "inconvenienced" by however many weeks/months I wouldn't be able to use my right arm in full, post-surgery. Even after the dislocations increased last year to multiple times a month, I was determined to not have surgery and just "deal with it". But my training went to sh*t, and I wasn't able to reach the goals I had set out for myself last year, which was very upsetting. :(

So I'm finally ready to just tough it out and get it over with now. I'll also be tracking my diet very carefully post-surgery (first trying to figure out my maintenance with my new, temporarily sedentary lifestyle). I'm hoping I can at least get back to some light cardio within a few weeks, though (but I know that'll be dependent on how my recovery goes).

Subbed your journal as well, btw:)

[JDkeystone]

I finally spoke to my surgeon today about my concerns with having arthroscopy instead of open surgery. He said he'd reviewed my MRI and X-ray discs (there was 3 altogether), and examined my medical history in greater detail since I'd seen him in December, and decided to go with arthroscopy instead cuz he said he felt confident the chance of failure wasn't great enough to make open surgery any more superior. He said whether I had arthroscopy or open surgery, the success rate was likely to be in the 85-90% range, but I would just be looking at a shorter and less painful recovery with an arthroscopic operation.

We only spoke for a few minutes, but he seemed very sure of what he was saying, so I just accepted his word and let it go. I'll probably pump him for more reassurance when I go in Friday morning, but he did come highly recommended by another person who had an entire shoulder replacement performed by him, so I'm just gonna trust he knows what he's doing.

Today is also my last day of work before surgery (I booked tomorrow off for last minute errands and preparation I still have to do). My colleagues are being great (the good luck card they got me was pretty mushy lol). I think I need to remind some of them this isn't life or death surgery I'm having haha. It's nice to know I'll be missed, though. :)

Two more days.

[JDkeystone]

had my surgery yesterday, bright and early at 8am (which meant getting to the hospital at 6am for prep sonuvaBITCH!@#$%^&*!!!:mad:). the operation was about 2 hours altogether, although they kept me for "observation" til about 4pm. i was beyond sick during that time (even after having not eaten or drunk anything since about 7:30 the night before, i was still throwing up bile for hours yesterday):(

right now my arm is in a sling, with my shoulder fully bandaged. i can't use it at all (other than to hold light objects that have a removeable top or lid, which i take off with my left arm). all of this is being typed with my left hand only (so it now takes me forever to reply to anything lol). the pain has subsided a little since yesterday, but only if i'm sitting up (my shoulder immediately starts to throb as soon as i lie down; hence, sleeping was not fun last night, even after being propped up on 3 pillows):(

i'm taking percocet every 4 hours for the pain (along with an anti-inflammatory with meals) but the difference it makes is minimal. i'm trying to keep wiggling my right hand (as instructed by my doctor) to keep my arm from getting too stiff, but it doesn't seem to be helping much. i hate feeling so helpless, but right now i need assistance to do just about everything. really hoping this improves by tuesday when i can finally remove the bandages.

[mkit8971]

had my surgery yesterday, bright and early at 8am (which meant getting to the hospital at 6am for prep sonuvaBITCH!@#$%^&*!!!:mad:). the operation was about 2 hours altogether, although they kept me for "observation" til about 4pm. i was beyond sick during that time (even after having not eaten or drunk anything since about 7:30 the night before, i was still throwing up bile for hours yesterday):(

right now my arm is in a sling, with my shoulder fully bandaged. i can't use it at all (other than to hold light objects that have a removeable top or lid, which i take off with my left arm). all of this is being typed with my left hand only (so it now takes me forever to reply to anything lol). the pain has subsided a little since yesterday, but only if i'm sitting up (my shoulder immediately starts to throb as soon as i lie down; hence, sleeping was not fun last night, even after being propped up on 3 pillows):(

i'm taking percocet every 4 hours for the pain (along with an anti-inflammatory with meals) but the difference it makes is minimal. i'm trying to keep wiggling my right hand (as instructed by my doctor) to keep my arm from getting too stiff, but it doesn't seem to be helping much. i hate feeling so helpless, but right now i need assistance to do just about everything. really hoping this improves by tuesday when i can finally remove the bandages.


Hang in there! Things will get better, just gotta take it day to day.

[JDkeystone]

Hang in there! Things will get better, just gotta take it day to day.

thanks, i'm only 36 hours post-surgery, but i'm trying lol.

i know i can't remove my bandages til tuesday, but i'm DYING to take off my sling (even just for a little while) just so i can stretch my arm (without actually moving it) and try to get some of the kinks out of my tricep grrr... :mad:

[FLbeach321]

Good luck Pumped4life! I'm headed for surgery April 1st for SLAP and Bankart lesion. I dont think you'll have a problem with future dislocations since you had the surgery. If you saw a specialist, he knows how tight to make it to cure your problem. What exactly did he repair?

[JDkeystone]

Good luck Pumped4life! I'm headed for surgery April 1st for SLAP and Bankart lesion. I dont think you'll have a problem with future dislocations since you had the surgery. If you saw a specialist, he knows how tight to make it to cure your problem. What exactly did he repair?

hey, thanks:)

i didn't actually get the full description of what was being done, surgically, but as i understand it, the arthroscopy i had was just to tighten up the ligaments (which were horribly stretched out), and repair any frayed or damaged tissue. i never did find out if anything more was done beyond the tightening (my surgeon was doing surgeries all day after mine, so i didn't get a chance to ask), but i'll be seeing him in 2 weeks for my first follow-up appointment.

really can't wait to get out of this sling and start physio (the muscles in my arm are screaming for movement lol). good luck with your own surgery, too (and keep us posted on how it goes)!:)

[trance__dreamer]

http://www.mywebpower.com/graphics/comments/cat/comment_greetings/get_well_soon.gif

[FunkDaddy]

Just stick to doctor's orders and don't let it get you down! Hope recovery is good and quick for you.

[Amsterdammerr]

Hey op I have a question

Do we have the same thing?

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=123017031

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=123017031

[JDkeystone]

http://www.mywebpower.com/graphics/comments/cat/comment_greetings/get_well_soon.gif

lol thanks, babe!


Just stick to doctor's orders and don't let it get you down! Hope recovery is good and quick for you.

for sure, i wanna be back in the gym asap (hopefully before summer, if possible), so i'm following all instructions to a 'T'. thanks!:)


Hey op I have a question

Do we have the same thing?

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=123017031

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=123017031

sounds very similar, actually. i don't think any of the doctors i've seen ever labeled my condition as that (i was always just told i suffered from severe multidirectional instability of the rotator cuffs), but pretty much all of what your other thread describes for your shoulder is what i have with mine. i'm genetically very loose jointed, and my first dislocation 7 years ago stretched out the ligaments even more, and it only got worse with each subsequent dislocation going forward. but no one wanted to do surgery on me, cuz they said it wouldn't truly fix anything (cuz having genetically loose joints isn't something that can really be surgically repaired), and the only thing i was told to do was tons of physio to try to "strengthen" the muscles.

well, i did physio for over 2 years, but that honestly did nothing. strength was great (my physiotherapist rated it a 5/5 every week), but that had nothing to do with my actual shoulder stability, which was terrible. and it was just getting worse all the time, cuz my dislocations had increased from once or twice a year to about once or twice a month.

not too sure what kind of surgery your thread was referring to, though (with a 2 year recovery period, it sounds like?), but mine should only be about 6 months altogether before my shoulder is completely healed. there is always a chance i could need surgery down the road again, though (most likely a coracoid transfer process, which has a much longer recovery time). another member on here PM'd me about this procedure a few months ago, and said he had this done for his 3rd surgery, and it was what he needed to finally stabilize his shoulder (he had the exact same problem as me- genetically extremely loose jointed and hyperflexible, but no actual tissue damage). it may be worth looking into, since your situation sounds nearly identical. good luck! :)

[JDkeystone]

ugghh today sucked. i finally came back from my dad's to my apartment last night (i felt i had improved enough to now manage on my own). truthfully, i prolly did ok overall (haven't done any real cooking yet...just had cottage cheese, whey, and all bran when i got up...fed my cat, too); but my shoulder was extra sore today, so i really wasn't able to do much. i've had 2 percocets so far today, which knocked me out cold for a few hours this afternoon (but at least numbed my shoulder somewhat). i've been continuing to "exercise" my right hand, but the wee bit of movement i had with my arm yesterday is gone now.

trying to at least keep my diet somewhat on track (to allow for a faster recovery), but the percocets really do a number on your appetite (not to mention make you too tired to want to do anything besides sleep). cooking (and then cleaning up) one-handed is fcking hard (in case anyone thought otherwise lol). i have some of those portable, microwaveable bowls of soup in my pantry, so i think i'll have one of those for dinner, along with a few tbsps of peanut butter and a protein shake.

bandages come off tomorrow!!:)

[Amsterdammerr]

Nice!
Hows the pain by the way?
No extremely painfull stuff that keeps you up at night? You can ready in my topic of some people who did some similiar surgeries that had some serious **** go down when it came to pain

[JDkeystone]

Nice!
Hows the pain by the way?
No extremely painfull stuff that keeps you up at night? You can ready in my topic of some people who did some similiar surgeries that had some serious **** go down when it came to pain

pain has honestly been kinda up and down. i mean, it was horrible on friday after i left the hospital (even with painkillers, i didn't sleep at all friday night cuz it just hurt way too badly:(), but that's to be expected on the first day. since then, it's subsided a lot but flares up depending on what i'm doing. sitting upright (with my arm perfectly still) seems to be the most comfortable position, whereas lying down is still pretty painful. but as long as i take a painkiller before bed, and sleep in an elevated position, it's bearable (most of the time lol).

you should also check out the "shoulder labrum tear people" thread on here; lots of good stories and advice from other members with the same problem. they helped me a lot when my shoulder was getting to its absolute worst about 6 months ago.:)

[JDkeystone]

took my bandages off today (but the bloody steristrips stayed on). i would post pics, but would prolly get banned for posting "gore" (SRS), so we won't bother with that hahaha.

pain is receding, and got a tiny bit more movement today. starting physio in about 3 weeks. can't wait!:)

[Jummyking]

pain is receding, and got a tiny bit more movement today. starting physio in about 3 weeks. can't wait!:)

Good to hear the pain is receding. Hang in there, You'll get through it soon =)

[JDkeystone]

Good to hear the pain is receding. Hang in there, You'll get through it soon =)

thank you:)

i'm getting really frustrated with how little activity i'm getting, though. i'm gonna try to start going on long walks everyday (pain-permitting). i've barely been on this new, post-surgery routine for a week, and it's old already haha.

[JDkeystone]

OMFG i feel like i'm ready to jump out the window right about now. my shoulder is absolutely KLLING me, and even after taking 2 percocets, it has done nothing for it (other than make me feel like a warm and tingly zombie...everywhere BUT my shoulder).

i'm SO physically exhausted from the lack of sleep i'm getting almost every night now because of this. i can't fcking sleep with my shoulder throbbing (even though i want to sleep sooo badly right now); i just can't physically do it. i don't wanna start becoming a slave to painkillers, but i feel like i can't function at all under these conditions. i'm seriously fcking hating this right now. :( :( :(

/rant

[FLbeach321]

It's going to take time. I know a girl who ha the same kind of work done. She said it was a lot of pain for a while. But she is 100% now. Hang in there :) I'm 11 days away from my labral repair. I have a pain in my delt that I don't know if its an impingement or just some torn delt tissue from the trama of the dislocation.

[JDkeystone]

It's going to take time. I know a girl who ha the same kind of work done. She said it was a lot of pain for a while. But she is 100% now. Hang in there :) I'm 11 days away from my labral repair. I have a pain in my delt that I don't know if its an impingement or just some torn delt tissue from the trama of the dislocation.

thanks. i know it'll be worth it once my shoulder's fully healed, and i'm back in the gym without having to worry about it popping out if the weight is too heavy or my grip is too wide or whatever. right now, it's really just the night-time pain that's slowing me down (it's much more tolerable during the day). i'm wondering if i need to try a different sleeping position or something. i love to sleep (way too much lol), but it's getting to be my least favourite part of the day because of this...

[FLbeach321]

Hey pumped, are you feeling any better today? I made an appointment with surgeon tomorrow to talk more about this pain in my delt. It sure feels like something foreign is in there, maybe a piece of the torn cartaliage? My surgery is about 9 days away. Keep us updated

[JDkeystone]

hey there. yeah, my shoulder was feeling better yesterday than it did over the weekend. it tends to flare up the most at night, with minor spasms during the day (which i guess is good in a way cuz it allows me to get more done during the day, but really disrupts my sleep at night). but i don't go back to work for another 5 weeks (possibly longer), so i'm hopeful this will get sorted out on its own before then.

other minor updates- i was cleared by my doctor to start doing light exercise (meaning no weights or cardio that requires the use of both arms), so i'm now making a point of doing an hour or more of brisk walking a day (started doing this on saturday). even though i still can't move my arm from the elbow up, i've gotten a bit more strength so i'm now able to grip slightly heavier objects (which has now broadened the amount of amount of miscellaneous tasks i can do). i see my doctor for my first post-surgery check up on thursday, so i'll be able to ask him then if the pain i'm getting at night is normal, or if there's anything else i can do for it.

sorry to hear about the pain you're having, though (trust me, i know all about it haha). actually, i imagine the pain you're feeling right now may be different than what i'm getting (or felt prior to surgery), since i never had any actual tears or lesions (thankfully). really hope your surgery goes well, though; i know how debilitating having a bum shoulder can be!:/

[JDkeystone]

just took the remaining steri-strips off my shoulder (i had been planning to leave them on til my appointment tomorrow - didn't wanna remove them before my doctor had seen them - but they were peeling and on the brink of coming off anyway). there's 3 small, surgical incisions (two on the front of my shoulder, one on the back). the back one is extremely small; looks like a large fingernail indent, already fully scabbed. the other two are much bigger, though (but still small overall; maybe a 1/2 inch long, each). one of them has not scabbed much yet, and looks like a very thinly veiled open wound. i'm concerned about leaving it unprotected like this (for irritation/bleeding/infection), but a nurse i just spoke to on the phone said as long as i'm wearing loose clothing and don't rub anything against it, it should be ok.

i'm also a little worried cuz i pulled my arm outta my sling last night (planning to only leave it out for a few minutes, just to stretch the muscles a bit), but i ended up falling asleep and didn't put it back in til i woke up about 4 hours later. so it kinda aches more than usual now; hopefully leaving it out for that long wasn't overly detrimental.

really nice day out today (we've had nothing but rain the last few days); gonna head out for a very long walk right after i eat and shower. :)

[JDkeystone]

well, i just got back from the fracture clinic (appointment was for 9, but of course i didn't get seen til after 10:rolleyes:).

but i had a pretty interesting discussion with my surgeon. contrary to what i had been told by the first two specialists i'd seen (particularly the last one who ordered my MRI two years ago), i had quite a bit of internal damage from all the dislocations. fully torn labrum (despite the MRI showing "nothing", according to the last doctor), shaved bone, small fracture (i forget where specifically), five anchors used in total (he'd originally expected me to only need 2-4), etc. really pisses me off that my case was dismissed so easily by the first two doctors, and that my problem was summed up as nothing more than mere "hyperflexible joints" and "multi-directional instability" (that was the original source of the problem, but it had degenerated to the above findings after living with it for so long).

but i seriously feel like going back to the previous doctor's office to file a complaint, cuz his horrible diagnosis and prognosis basically forced me to endure another 18 months of more than 20 additional dislocations. tons of time and pay lost from my job, constant pain, countless hospital visits (and not to mention having my training completely halted because of this). i normally think very highly of the health care we have here in canada, but i feel really let down from this experience. i also partially blame myself, cuz i shouldn't have waited so long to seek out a 3rd opinion (i only left it for as long as i did cuz the last doctor was so adamant that my condition was untreatable, and that i was gonna be told this no matter where i went). at least i'll know differently next time.

anyways, i'm gonna be starting physio week after next (first appointment booked for friday, april 9 at 11:00). i'll be going back to the same place i was doing physio at for the two years prior to surgery (the therapist i see is fantastic:)). but i've already been given written instructions from the surgeon i have to give my therapist regarding how my therapy should advance. i'm not allowed to even attempt to lift my arm until at least 5 weeks post-surgery, no external rotation exercises until six weeks, and no strength exercises until eight weeks. so i'm curious to see what exercises my therapist will start me out with. i just wanna get the rehab completed asap; i'm dying to get back in the gym lol.

but yeah, that's the latest update. even though pain is still an issue (continuously up and down, but slowly declining), i'm feeling very optimistic now. i'm just gonna remain focused on what's ahead and to where this will ultimately lead. can't wait to see where i'll be in 3-6 months!:D

[FLbeach321]

Sorry about all the extra stress you had to go through. On the bright side...now that you have your labrum reattached, you wont have anymore dislocations!!! let me know how things are going for you. I'm about to get my surgery for labrum repair. I'm actually seeing a different shoulder surgeon tomorrow for second opinion. I know I need the surgery but the first doctor is saying that the unbearable pain im having will go away? I know pain that wont go away, I've had injuries that heal and ones that need surgery. I know it just needs a debriment to clean it up so it stops catching. He acts like he's never heard of a debriment. Anyway, will keep you updated on my situation as well :)

[FLbeach321]

Went to second doctor today for second opinion...WOW was he great! Finally I found a doctor who listens and wants to help. He spent about 30 minutes with me discussing my symptoms and doing a physical exam. He (and I) believe that the pain and "catching" Im getting is from the torn labrum and after the debridement and reattaching the labrum, that problem will be solved. According to the physical exam, there may be a torn rotator but he (and I) think that I failed the rotator exam only because of the pain from the torn labrum. The MRI doesn't show a rotator cuff tear either. He also fit me in on the same day that I was scheduled for surgery with my first doctor, which is April 1. He said in sling 3 weeks. Therapy the day after surgery(mainly pendulum). He said back to normal around 3-4 months. He said I can do Jujitsu around 5-6 months. Well, I guess the count down is on to officially join the shoulder surgery club :)

[JDkeystone]

Went to second doctor today for second opinion...WOW was he great! Finally I found a doctor who listens and wants to help. He spent about 30 minutes with me discussing my symptoms and doing a physical exam. He (and I) believe that the pain and "catching" Im getting is from the torn labrum and after the debridement and reattaching the labrum, that problem will be solved. According to the physical exam, there may be a torn rotator but he (and I) think that I failed the rotator exam only because of the pain from the torn labrum. The MRI doesn't show a rotator cuff tear either. He also fit me in on the same day that I was scheduled for surgery with my first doctor, which is April 1. He said in sling 3 weeks. Therapy the day after surgery(mainly pendulum). He said back to normal around 3-4 months. He said I can do Jujitsu around 5-6 months. Well, I guess the count down is on to officially join the shoulder surgery club :)

lol that's one way to make it sound a lot more glamourous than it actually is haha:p

anyways, that's great! always a relief to get a 2nd opinion that can put your mind at rest. sounds like this new doctor knows his stuff; i'm sure you'll be in good hands with him. :)

and good luck with the sling for the first couple weeks, too (i was ready to toss mine by day 5 lol; that thing is beyond irritating grrr)... :mad:

[Tiffany_P]

Therapy the day after surgery(mainly pendulum).

Good luck with that! Yikes. They gave me a couple exercises to do 24 hours after surgery (stuff like squeezing a stress ball or rotating my wrist) and I nearly threw up from the pain.

[FLbeach321]

...so your telling me to drink plenty of captain morgan before the therapy? lol. How far are you post surgery and what did you have done? only a few more days til mine. I'm actually excited about it so I can start moving forward :)

[Tiffany_P]

...so your telling me to drink plenty of captain morgan before the therapy? lol. How far are you post surgery and what did you have done? only a few more days til mine. I'm actually excited about it so I can start moving forward :)

I know you're joking about the capain morgan, but seriously, I found that the best way to deal with my post-op shoulder pain was one pain killer + half a glass of wine. The pain killers alone didn't work because I had to take so many that they made me naseous. I threw up from the pain meds the day after my surgery. Yeah, that wasn't fun...

I had arthroscopic stabilization surgery. They reattached my labrum and tightened everything up using suture anchors. I had the surgery on Nov. 17th, so I'm 4+ months out. I'm basically back to normal now. I still have minor pain in the area if I try to do a dead hang from a pull up bar, but at this point it is not affecting my life (or my lifts) at all. Best of luck with your surgery!

[JDkeystone]

Good luck with that! Yikes. They gave me a couple exercises to do 24 hours after surgery (stuff like squeezing a stress ball or rotating my wrist) and I nearly threw up from the pain.


...so your telling me to drink plenty of captain morgan before the therapy? lol. How far are you post surgery and what did you have done? only a few more days til mine. I'm actually excited about it so I can start moving forward :)


I know you're joking about the capain morgan, but seriously, I found that the best way to deal with my post-op shoulder pain was one pain killer + half a glass of wine. The pain killers alone didn't work because I had to take so many that they made me naseous. I threw up from the pain meds the day after my surgery. Yeah, that wasn't fun...

yep, the pain meds they put you on post-surgery are brutal (i also threw up after i got home from the hospital, and then the next day, too). couldn't even keep water down the first day (not even the few sips i took just to swallow some more anti-nauseants lol) :(

now that tiffany mentions it, though, that is kinda surprising they would have you do such rigorous exercises so soon after surgery (i was also told to just stick to flexing my fingers and wrist, but to keep my actual arm as still as possible). the first three days are going to be the worst; i'm doubtful you'd be able to attempt any pendulum movement until at least several days after... :eek:

[FLbeach321]

That might be all it is, just wiggling the fingers and wrist. I was guessing pendulum. But hey pumped4life, how about what Tifanny just said? She had the same thing that you had with the stablization and she's 4 months out and pretty much back to normal!! That's gotta be great to hear! Thanks for the update Tifanny :)

[JDkeystone]

lol yep, tiff is one of my top 3 go-to people for all shoulder related questions (she PM'd me awhile ago to offer any advice or tips i might need when she saw i was also having surgery). and i do hope my recovery is as fast as hers!:)

anyhoo...

dunno if this is really update-worthy, but here's a few common tasks/actions i've either been able to start doing again, or am slowly improving on (cuz a lot of this stuff i couldn't do at all a week ago):
-putting on facial jewelry (eyebrow ring, nose stud, earings)
-wearing contacts instead of glasses (on and off; depending how much movement i can get from my arm, or how much pain there is when i try to put them on)
-typing with both hands (in very limited amounts; shoulder starts to ache if i try to type for more than five minutes at a time, so majority is still one-handed typing)
-feeding myself (depending on the food...large, solid pieces that can be stabbed with a fork i can do with my right hand, as long as i bring my head close to the plate to minimize the distance...stuff that requires a spoon, though, i still need my left hand for)
-washing/drying small, light dishes also in limited amounts (ie. cutlery, cups, saucer plates, etc...anything larger i still require help with)
-sleeping on both sides in bed (verrrrry little on my right, though; even if i carefully roll onto my right side, i CANNOT stay there for more than 5-10 minutes, otherwise my shoulder will totally spasm as soon as i change positions)

so yeah, those are the biggest milestones i've had so far (definitely a far cry from where i was two weeks ago haha). i'm also trying to do some pre-physio pendulum exercises, too, but so far the pain i still have is making that pretty difficult (in which case i may just wait til i actually see my therapist on april 9 before doing anything further). but hopefully the above is where i should be (more or less) for progress two weeks out...

[FLbeach321]

That's actually pretty good progress. ANYTHING that you can do now that you couldn't do a week ago is positive. I'm surprised that pendulum hurts more than washing dishes? I would think that it would be easier but I'm not where you are right now so I was just assuming. I think your coming along great with the little daily things that you are doing now. Example:typing for 5 minutes when you couldn't do that a week ago is great. next week 10 then 20 then it gets back to normal where you don't even think about it. I know its very, very hard(and I'm sure I'll need you to remind me when I'm there) but you have to take in every LITTLE progress as a step that you are healing. Keep up the good work. I went shopping for necessities and am getting ready. My surgery is Thursday April 1st ,so only a few days away. Mine should just be SLAP and Bankart repair and no rotators or ligaments.

[JDkeystone]

i think doing pendulums hurts more cuz it involves more movement at the actual joint, whereas all the above tasks i listed are done more so with my arm held close to my body from the elbow up (my ROM for my upper arm is still very little; i'm actually not even supposed to be trying to move it at all til i start physio...according to my surgeon, anyway). stuff like doing the dishes or anything that requires a lot of circular arm movement can be pretty painful, so i have to be very cognisant to not move my arm away from my side, and to not exert too much pressure (for scubbing/rubbing/wiping, etc). the left still does most of the work; the right arm is more to assist in just holding the dishes, while the left actually cleans them;)

but yeah, i am happy with whatever bit of progress i can make; it's just frustrating not being able to speed it up. i'm not used to being this inactive and limited in what i can and can't do. even when my shoulder was popping out on a weekly basis, my ligaments were so stretched out at that point, it got to where i didn't even need any more than just a day before i could go back to all my regular, daily activities (the initial pain i would get after each dislocation only lasted maybe 48 hours). it's really psychologically grating to deal with (more than i was expecting); i'm just trying to keep from falling into a post-surgery slump a lot of people have told me they dealt with after their own procedure. you almost start to feel like you're a prisoner in your own body after awhile. :(

glad you'll be finally getting relief for your own situation in just a few days, though. it'll definitely make for a full 180 after you're done with rehab and fully recovered. :)

[FLbeach321]

After my initial dislocation, I'd hold the plate against the side of the sink so my cleaning hand wouldn't put to much pressure on my bad shoulder while pressing sponge against the plate. Yeah, don't fall in that post surgery rut. Your on your way to a whole new life! I was just talking to my fiance and was telling her that what I'm getting most from the message boards are "DON'T DO TOO MUCH TOO SOON" and "TAKE YOUR THERAPY SERIOUSLY AND FINISH IT"...so make sure you don't do too much :) It's hard for active people like us, but keep your eye on the ball, which is the long run :) Your doing great!

[Tiffany_P]

"DON'T DO TOO MUCH TOO SOON" and "TAKE YOUR THERAPY SERIOUSLY AND FINISH IT"...so make sure you don't do too much :)

I agree with this. My orthopedist wasn't happy that I was abducting my arm to clean my underarm. He really didn't want me to use it AT ALL for the first 4 weeks. Don't compromise your healing! You can use your hand but your arm should be against your body and your shoulder immoblized. I really don't think you should be doing pendulum exercises yet. Take it easy :)

[JDkeystone]

wow, seriously? they came down on you just for trying to stay clean? lol cuz i've been doing the same (though i'm honestly barely moving my arm away from my body when showering; like maybe an inch of space, just enough to wedge my body wash puff in there and scrub for a few seconds):o

anyways, thanks for the tips, guys; i'm just gonna try to keep my arm as restricted as possible (from the elbow up) til my first physio session next week. i really wanna get off the percocets soon, so hopefully if i cut down on what i'm doing right now, the pain i'm still getting at night will decrease.

and good luck with your surgery tomorrow, FL! let us know how it goes!:)

[JDkeystone]

just checking in. now entering the 4th week of my recovery...don't really have a lot to update as of right now (that i haven't already, i mean). i'm using the sling less and less (pain permitting), which is good; i now mainly wear it at night when i go to bed, and whenever i go out. around my apartment, though, i just let my arm hang loose, while being careful to keep it still from the elbow up. i am happy to say that the pain is finally starting to decrease very much. the spasms i used to get during the day are now pretty infrequent, and the only time i truly feel any kind of significant pain is if i accidentally move my arm in a direction that pulls on my shoulder. daily tasks are still kinda tough, but improving; as long as i'm mindful of what i'm doing, i'd say the most uncomfortable time of day is waking up first thing in the morning (as my shoulder is usually quite stiff and achey at that time, but it fades pretty fast once i get up and start moving around). at this point i'm just trying to wean myself off the percocets for good; i'm down to just taking 1-2 before going to bed (the pain is still bad enough to require them at night), but i definitely want to be off them before returning to work in a few weeks.

to be quite honest, can't really complain about the shoulder situation anymore (i think it's as good as it's gonna get before starting therapy). right now, it's just dealing with the day to day boredom and frustration that comes with being on disability from work and not being able to workout lol. i'm VERY eager to start physio this friday; whatever exercises i'm told to do, i'll prolly end up doing triple the amount i'm recommended. i'm determined to recover faster than what my doctor told me would be the expected timeframe.

[JDkeystone]

oh, and another thing i forgot to mention before (good news)- my incision sites are healing really well. as i'd mentioned before, there's three altogether - two larger ones in the front, and a smaller one in the back - but the two bigger ones have gone down in size a LOT since i removed the steri-strips about a week ago. right now they're just tiny little pink scars (with some small scabbing), about the size of a grain of rice each. i'm very hopeful this means they won't be too noticeable once i'm fully healed and ready to start wearing tank tops and spaghetti straps again!:)

[RyanGrob]

Just stopping in - did the first two doctors even perform an MRI or MR Arthrogram (sorry if I missed it - I tried catching up the best I could)? Seems surprising they couldn't even see a fully detached labrum off just a simple MRI. It's unfortunate you did have a fully torn labrum as the healing process is enlongated because of it :/

Did they end up doing a bankart repair? That is the usual procedure for instability issues coupled with a torn labrum as you have experienced.

As a veteran of pain meds, percocets are next to useless when it comes to pain control. I'm surprised your doc didn't prescribe at minimum vicodin for such an extensive repair. As Tiffany mentioned earlier, take some alcohol with your pain meds - it really helps the effect ;)

Good luck on your recovery. Sometimes the emotional toll far exceeds the physical pain from surgery (at least for me it has).

[JDkeystone]

Just stopping in - did the first two doctors even perform an MRI or MR Arthrogram (sorry if I missed it - I tried catching up the best I could)? Seems surprising they couldn't even see a fully detached labrum off just a simple MRI. It's unfortunate you did have a fully torn labrum as the healing process is enlongated because of it :/

Did they end up doing a bankart repair? That is the usual procedure for instability issues coupled with a torn labrum as you have experienced.

As a veteran of pain meds, percocets are next to useless when it comes to pain control. I'm surprised your doc didn't prescribe at minimum vicodin for such an extensive repair. As Tiffany mentioned earlier, take some alcohol with your pain meds - it really helps the effect ;)

Good luck on your recovery. Sometimes the emotional toll far exceeds the physical pain from surgery (at least for me it has).

yeah, i had an MRI (no dye, just a regular one) two years ago in march '08. this was when i was seeing the 2nd specialist, and he finally got back to me in may '08 that the results turned up nothing, and that he was now releasing me from his care. he said there was nothing more he could do to help me, and that i would just have to "learn to live with it" (and refused to do any further testing or explore any other options). now whether my labrum was fully torn at the time of the MRI, i don't actually know; but by the time i went in for surgery, there was definitely a full tear by then, as well as the rest of the damage i mentioned earlier (shaved bone, small fracture, etc). the 3rd specialist who did my surgery says he never goes by what MRIs show, due to how unreliable they are. he also said he was surprised the previous doctor was as unwilling to help me as he was, given how bad my shoulder was getting, despite what the MRI showed. makes me think the 2nd doctor (as well as the 1st) wasn't as great as he claimed to be.:mad:

i'm actually not sure, though, if he did a full bankart repair during my arthroscopy (i've only seen him once since surgery, where he gave me a very brief description of what he found and what he did during the procedure). but based on what he described, and what i've read online for bankart repairs, that sounds like what was done in the end. there was five anchors used in total, and the recovery time will be up to six months before i can go back to weight lifting and such (which looks like the standard recovery time for most bankart procedures).

lol that's funny you should mention about vicodin, though; during the first week when the pain was at its absolute worst, i kept looking up other painkillers online, to see if i could ask for anything stronger than percs (since i knew very little about them prior). and almost every comparison chart i found kept saying that vicodin was either below or the same as percocet in terms of effectiveness. like this one here:
http://i679.photobucket.com/albums/vv154/pumped4life82/painmeds.jpg

they both rate a '7' in this one...maybe pure oxycontin was the way to go heh. still gotta try the alcohol suggestion, though (maybe after i start physio, when the exercise pain will have me through the roof, i'm sure lol);)

[JDkeystone]

SH*t...i fcuked up. my arm was feeling good today, so while cleaning up after dinner, i grabbed my brita water pitcher (about 3/4 filled) with my bad arm, thinking i could handle it; wrong. i immediately dropped it and spilled water everywhere. within a few minutes, my ROM (the very little i had built up so far) decreased to almost nothing, and my shoulder has been throbbing from the slightest movement ever since. it was so bad, i was almost ready to go to a walk-in clinic at one point to ask for an x-ray or something, but i didn't bother.

i'm really worried i did something to it now...i haven't felt this much pain since the first week i was home from the hospital. i can't hold anything in my right hand now (not even in the sling). oh god, i hope this doesn't delay me starting physio on friday or anything else...FCUK, how could i be so stupid!! :'(

[Tiffany_P]

SH*t...i fcuked up. my arm was feeling good today, so while cleaning up after dinner, i grabbed my brita water pitcher (about 3/4 filled) with my bad arm, thinking i could handle it; wrong. i immediately dropped it and spilled water everywhere. within a few minutes, my ROM (the very little i had built up so far) decreased to almost nothing, and my shoulder has been throbbing from the slightest movement ever since. it was so bad, i was almost ready to go to a walk-in clinic at one point to ask for an x-ray or something, but i didn't bother.

i'm really worried i did something to it now...i haven't felt this much pain since the first week i was home from the hospital. i can't hold anything in my right hand now (not even in the sling). oh god, i hope this doesn't delay me starting physio on friday or anything else...FCUK, how could i be so stupid!! :'(

Oh man, sorry to hear that :( Keep it in the sling and try not to use it at all until it heals. I hope you feel better soon.

[RyanGrob]

SH*t...i fcuked up. my arm was feeling good today, so while cleaning up after dinner, i grabbed my brita water pitcher (about 3/4 filled) with my bad arm, thinking i could handle it; wrong. i immediately dropped it and spilled water everywhere. within a few minutes, my ROM (the very little i had built up so far) decreased to almost nothing, and my shoulder has been throbbing from the slightest movement ever since. it was so bad, i was almost ready to go to a walk-in clinic at one point to ask for an x-ray or something, but i didn't bother.

i'm really worried i did something to it now...i haven't felt this much pain since the first week i was home from the hospital. i can't hold anything in my right hand now (not even in the sling). oh god, i hope this doesn't delay me starting physio on friday or anything else...FCUK, how could i be so stupid!! :'(

Wow, that pain med chart is crazy. I've had the Vicodin ES and Percocets and Percs don't even compare to the Vic ES. Oh well, guess I just didn't respond well to Percs.

About 3 weeks after my surgery (still in the sling) I slipped on ice outside and reached out with my BAD arm to brace the fall. My god that was some of the worst pain ever. Chances are you just inflamed the area. Throw some ice on there for a few days and in a couple weeks it should settle down. You might have to cancel your physio appointments for a week or so ( I know I had to ). Try your best to avoid using it to help calm the area. Good luck and sorry to hear about this!

[JDkeystone]

thanks, guys. i iced it all night, so it feels a little better now; still can't move my arm, though (not that i'm actually trying to heh). i called my physiotherapist today, and he said pretty much the same thing- to just ice it for now and keep it in the sling. he said it would prolly be a good idea to hold off starting physio til next week, but he said i could wait til tomorrow to see how i'm feeling, and if it's still too painful, i can just call and reschedule.

i guess for now i'll just take it easy, and see how it feels in the morning. totally kicking myself for doing something so retarded argh.... :mad:

[FLbeach321]

hey pumped4life, sorry to hear about your accident. There are many stories that ive read about people who do things like that and feared they messed up something. But then later posts reveal that it just swelled up a lot but nothing major was hurt. Hang in there. It's most likely that you just reagravated a sensitive area. This far along since your surgery, you shoulder is probably pretty strong to handle something like that(you didn't fall on it). That muscle hasn't felt that weight in a LONG time. In a couple weeks when your feeling good again and doing therapy your going to think..."wow, not that I want to try it again anytime soon, but now I know that my arm was able to take that kind of weight and it didn't injure it again". It's a positive experience :)

[Tiffany_P]

Hey FLbeach! How's it going? I was hoping you'd check in and let us know how your surgery went.

[FLbeach321]

Thanks for your concern :) So far it went really great! Things are moving along "textbook". I started a journal "FLbeach321 Labrum surgery journal" I'm hoping things keep moving in a positive direction and hoping that day doesn't come when i say "oh man, the pain is back". Positive stories is what I live for nowadays, lol

[JDkeystone]

hey pumped4life, sorry to hear about your accident. There are many stories that ive read about people who do things like that and feared they messed up something. But then later posts reveal that it just swelled up a lot but nothing major was hurt. Hang in there. It's most likely that you just reagravated a sensitive area. This far along since your surgery, you shoulder is probably pretty strong to handle something like that(you didn't fall on it). That muscle hasn't felt that weight in a LONG time. In a couple weeks when your feeling good again and doing therapy your going to think..."wow, not that I want to try it again anytime soon, but now I know that my arm was able to take that kind of weight and it didn't injure it again". It's a positive experience :)

thanks, FL, i hope so.:) when i first grabbed the pitcher and felt the searing pain shoot down my arm, the first thing that went through my mind was "OMG I JUST RIPPED OUT AN ANCHOR!!!" lol. but i've had ice on it almost all day, so like you guys said, it's prolly just inflamed from trying to hold too much weight too soon.

i'm also really impressed at how quickly you're improving with your own recovery; doing physio exercises less than 7 days out, nice! i thought we had similar surgeries, but maybe yours was less severe or something, cuz i couldn't even hold a half-empty water bottle (even while in the sling) when i was a week out. both my surgeon and the PT (not mine, but the hospital staffed PT) gave me very explicit instructions at my first post-op appointment two weeks ago to keep my arm as immobile as possible (even though i could still use my hand for small stuff, as long as it didn't move my arm from the elbow up). i sure wish i could be advancing as fast as you hehe!

[FLbeach321]

...Well, so far so good with my recovery...hoping not to jinx myself :) But Yes, we had VERY different surgeries. You had a lot more done than me. I didn't have naturally loose joints. Mine was a huge trauma that popped it out. So all the doc did was reattach my labrum and put me back to my natural anatomical position, so no surgical tightening on me. The physio therapist told me i can only do those two movements because some areas need to be stretched so not to get frozen shoulder but some areas need more time to tighten so I can't do those movements until later(like any external rotations). You had a lot done so you need to stay immobile for a longer time to tighten up your loose shoulder. I was very surprised and told the pt over and over that i didn't think it should be moved this early but then he explained everything to me and it made sense. Anyway, keep updating your progress. Its going to be very important to others who experience the same minor set back. They are going to need to read how this happened and then you iced it for a while and nothing was reinjured from it. just remember that everyday that passes is a day closer to your recovery.

[JDkeystone]

...Well, so far so good with my recovery...hoping not to jinx myself :) But Yes, we had VERY different surgeries. You had a lot more done than me. I didn't have naturally loose joints. Mine was a huge trauma that popped it out. So all the doc did was reattach my labrum and put me back to my natural anatomical position, so no surgical tightening on me. The physio therapist told me i can only do those two movements because some areas need to be stretched so not to get frozen shoulder but some areas need more time to tighten so I can't do those movements until later(like any external rotations). You had a lot done so you need to stay immobile for a longer time to tighten up your loose shoulder. I was very surprised and told the pt over and over that i didn't think it should be moved this early but then he explained everything to me and it made sense. Anyway, keep updating your progress. Its going to be very important to others who experience the same minor set back. They are going to need to read how this happened and then you iced it for a while and nothing was reinjured from it. just remember that everyday that passes is a day closer to your recovery.

very true. well, i'm glad yours is going as smoothly as it is (and yes, hopefully it stays that way, too):)

anyways, physio has been postponed til next week (don't have the exact day picked out; i'll just call my therapist next week and schedule it based on how my shoulder's feeling). it's not quite as sore as it was two nights ago, but even tiny movement is still giving me pain that i wasn't getting prior to grabbing the water pitcher, so i'm just gonna play it safe for now. will update once i have my first session re-booked.

[FLbeach321]

haven't heard from you in a few days. any update? feeling better i hope?

[JDkeystone]

Hey FL, I'm doing well, thanks.:) I iced my shoulder and rested it a lot all weekend, and it feels much better (for the most part as good as it felt prior to the brita pitcher incident).

It also felt good enough to start physio, so I had my first session this afternoon. My therapist, Jason, gave me some basic exercises to start out with; pendulums, and arm raises using a stick or pole (like a baton or broom handle). Kinda hard to explain (and if there's a proper name for these exercises, I don't know it lol), but basically I'm doing front raises, where I grasp the stick/pole in front of me, horizontally with both hands, and raise it up using my left arm only (while keeping my right arm relaxed), as high as I can go until I feel discomfort. Also side raises, where I grasp the bar horizontally with my left hand (palm-down), while holding the very top end of the bar with my right, and then using my left to push the bar up diagonally, extending my right arm to the side as high as I can go, also til I feel slight pain. He wants me to do these (along with the pendulums), 3-4x a day, 20 reps each (though I'm gonna be shooting for much more; I want fast progress, dammit heh).

So far, my ROM appears to be much better for the side raises than the front. Just at physio today alone, I could raise my arm up to just above a 45 degree angle on the side raises, but barely a 25 degree angle on the front before the pain kicked in. The pendulums are much easier; I can do those pretty much pain-free, as long as I don't swing my arm too hard or carelessly. I also have to do a lot of neck-stretching exercises, cuz the muscles on the right side are extremely stiff and tight (which I was already noticing a LOT when waking up every morning, anyway). In addition to loosening my neck and traps, I also got a heating pad today (electrical kind), and am gonna start using it as much as possible.

I think that's pretty much it for updates, though. Next physio session is Thursday; hopefully I'll make some more advancements by then.

[FLbeach321]

Good to hear that you didn't re-injure yourself! I am familar with the "stick raises". In my therapy they use a "t-bar" made out of PVC pipe. At home I started using a broom stick, but what I found works A LOT bettter is an adjustable "squeegy"(sp?) You know, one of those things used to clean car windows. This is because its a stick but has has a "T" end on it which is easier to hold. make sure you get an adjustable one because in the weeks to come you will get more ROM and will need a longer stick. As far as your PT exercises, that is exactly what they have me doing right now, same reps and same number of times per day. I have to warn ya again....DON'T DO MORE THAN THEY SAY...ESPECIALLY AT THIS EARLY STAGE OF YOUR RECOVERY. If anything, just do the same exercises but more times a day...BUT NOTHING MORE :)

[JDkeystone]

Not a bad idea; I hadn't thought of using a squeegie (right now I'm just using a long, detachable feather duster stick - sans feather duster haha). It seems to be working out for the time being, but I'll prolly keep this in mind for when I'm ready for something longer (assuming my PT keeps the stick exercises in my rehab program).

Anyways...well, I've already seen massive progress in the last three days since starting physio. My ROM on the side raises has increased to about 90 degrees, and my front raises (which are still the most painful) are up to about 45 degrees. I'm still doing the pendulums, but those are almost starting to feel kinda useless (I just don't feel like they're doing anything to significantly help my ROM like the stick raises are), but I'll keep doing them as long as my PT says to.

I'm also almost out of my 2nd bottle of percs. I don't think I'll ask for a refill once it's finished, though; I'll just see how bad the pain is at first, and if it's still severe enough to disrupt my sleep, then I may ask for something weaker, like Tylenol 3 or something.

[FLbeach321]

Great to hear your coming along :) I was in a sling for 4 weeks before surgery trying the conservative approach. i remember the first day of PT...I felt soooo much better, so I know how ya feel from PT. My pain is mainly in the front too. PT told me its more so from the proceedure rather than the repair itself(because of the tools going into the muscles and such) Yes keep the pendulums in there. I don't think they do anything for ROM , but I believe they really help the joint itself(staying lubricated, getting used to the new ananomy, etc.) They are very important. Keep us updated.

PS...do you think that your accident last week has healed back to before the accident?

[JDkeystone]

Great to hear your coming along :) I was in a sling for 4 weeks before surgery trying the conservative approach. i remember the first day of PT...I felt soooo much better, so I know how ya feel from PT. My pain is mainly in the front too. PT told me its more so from the proceedure rather than the repair itself(because of the tools going into the muscles and such) Yes keep the pendulums in there. I don't think they do anything for ROM , but I believe they really help the joint itself(staying lubricated, getting used to the new ananomy, etc.) They are very important. Keep us updated.

PS...do you think that your accident last week has healed back to before the accident?

I dunno, to be honest. Yesterday, it was feeling about 80-90% better prior to the incident, but I met with my PT again today, and he was testing my ROM, moving my arm in different directions (stopping as soon as I indicated I was feeling pain), and he moved it in a few positions he hadn't done before. Nothing rough or unsafe (I presume), but my shoulder has been noticeably achier since I got home. Whether that's from last week, or what he did today, I'm not sure; I'm just taking it easy (again), and icing it intermittently.

Still sticking with the same exercises til next week, though (my doctor doesn't want me starting any external rotation stuff til week six post-op).

[RyanGrob]

I dunno, to be honest. Yesterday, it was feeling about 80-90% better prior to the incident, but I met with my PT again today, and he was testing my ROM, moving my arm in different directions (stopping as soon as I indicated I was feeling pain), and he moved it in a few positions he hadn't done before. Nothing rough or unsafe (I presume), but my shoulder has been noticeably achier since I got home. Whether that's from last week, or what he did today, I'm not sure; I'm just taking it easy (again), and icing it intermittently.

Still sticking with the same exercises til next week, though (my doctor doesn't want me starting any external rotation stuff til week six post-op).

The pain experienced in PT was honestly worse overall when compared to just post-op and the time leading up to my first PT appointment. I remember sometimes just coming home from PT, taking some vicodin and just pass out because it was so sore. The ROM stuff wasn't so bad, it was when strength training started. Hopefully it won't be the same for you :)

How's recovery going otherwise?

[JDkeystone]

The pain experienced in PT was honestly worse overall when compared to just post-op and the time leading up to my first PT appointment. I remember sometimes just coming home from PT, taking some vicodin and just pass out because it was so sore. The ROM stuff wasn't so bad, it was when strength training started. Hopefully it won't be the same for you :)

How's recovery going otherwise?

lol God, I hope not. It's painful enough just trying to raise my arm in front of me (side to side not so bad); but if it keeps getting worse, I may end up trading shoulder rehab for drug rehab (for pain killer addiction) after my shoulder's healed haha.

Anyways, it seems to be going alright (or as well as to be expected, anyway). I had hoped the pain would have decreased enough by now that I wouldn't need pain meds anymore, but I still can't get through the night without them. I'm scheduled to return to work a week from this Monday (unless I tell them otherwise), but I have a feeling I might have to ask for it to be extended or return on a modified schedule (meaning I'd only be doing half days, or however many hours I think I can handle). Just typing on my computer at home aggravates my shoulder a lot, and that's only done in small spurts throughout the day; unless my shoulder improves a LOT over the next week, I don't think I'll be able to manage full, 8 hour days of typing. But I'll be calling my doctor's office to let them know either way next week, so we'll see how it goes.

I think I'll also be asking if he can prescribe some Vicodin. I've already gone through two bottles of percs (which I thought only did an "ok" job); curious to see if Vic holds up any better (especially after being recommended by someone who had the same problem heh). ;)

[RyanGrob]

lol God, I hope not. It's painful enough just trying to raise my arm in front of me (side to side not so bad); but if it keeps getting worse, I may end up trading shoulder rehab for drug rehab (for pain killer addiction) after my shoulder's healed haha.

Anyways, it seems to be going alright (or as well as to be expected, anyway). I had hoped the pain would have decreased enough by now that I wouldn't need pain meds anymore, but I still can't get through the night without them. I'm scheduled to return to work a week from this Monday (unless I tell them otherwise), but I have a feeling I might have to ask for it to be extended or return on a modified schedule (meaning I'd only be doing half days, or however many hours I think I can handle). Just typing on my computer at home aggravates my shoulder a lot, and that's only done in small spurts throughout the day; unless my shoulder improves a LOT over the next week, I don't think I'll be able to manage full, 8 hour days of typing. But I'll be calling my doctor's office to let them know either way next week, so we'll see how it goes.

I think I'll also be asking if he can prescribe some Vicodin. I've already gone through two bottles of percs (which I thought only did an "ok" job); curious to see if Vic holds up any better (especially after being recommended by someone who had the same problem heh). ;)

I definitely recommend that when you are able to return to work to ease in with half days. I do IT work so when I returned, there was no way I could make it through an 8 hour day. Hang in there - you had a fairly extensive surgical procedure (fully torn labrum is nuts!) but it should improve over the next few weeks.

I'd try and get the Vicodin ES - they worked rather well for me. Try to stay positive!

[JDkeystone]

Thanks, I hope so.:) One good thing is I do know that whatever accommodations I'll need, my work won't give me a hard time over it (unlike some other places that might). They got to know how bad my shoulder was the full three years I've been there (since I was dislocating it all the time lol) and were very cool with giving me whatever time off I needed. But yeah, definitely need some new pain meds for sure (especially since physio's starting to hurt more and more lol).

Aaaannnyways...so time for updates. Had physio again today, and it turns out I misread my doctor's instructions to my PT; I have another full week of pendulums and bar raises before any external rotation and strength exercises begin grrr (to start next week). Kinda sucks, cuz these exercises are getting boring (actually, they got boring after the first 2-3 days lol), and I just wanna fly through them and progress to the next level asap. But whatevs, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing til I'm allowed to start the next ones.

I am happy to say that my ROM has continued to increase a lot, though. My side raises are up to about the top of my head (so right in between 90 and 180 degrees, I guess), and my front raises are up to just above 90 degrees (I'd say to about throat level). All of this is with the bar, though; without it, I'm not getting nearly the same height (and it's far more painful without the bar, too). Hoping this is normal, though, and that I'm progressing as I should be (being just 5 and a half weeks post-op). That's all for now. :p

[JDkeystone]

It's official- returning to work on Monday, but on a modified, half-day schedule for the first four weeks (at which point I'll be having my next follow up appointment with my surgeon, when he'll be reassessing my shoulder for overall progress and to see if it's improved enough to go back to fulltime status). So for the time being, I'll be working 5-9pm, mon-fri, while going to physio during the day, 3x a week. I also got a new bottle of pain meds today, but not vicodin (unfortunately lol); he instead prescribed me some Tramadol, just to take at night (the only time I need it, anyway). Never heard of this drug before, but he said it's stronger than Tylenol 3 (what I'm taking now), but weaker than Percocet. Since this med is totally new to me, if anyone's already tried it and wants to give me their review, please feel free.;)

Anyways, not much else to report; still doing the same physio exercises for the rest of this week; ROM is about the same since last update (same with pain and stiffness); pendulums are getting bigger, though, and are still the easiest to do of all my exercises right now (obviously lol). I think I need to focus on more neck stretching though, since the right side of my neck and my right trap are getting ridiculously stiff and tight (heating pad helps a little). Oh, and I was actually able to wash my hair with BOTH hands last night! Of course, I had to bend my head down more than usual to minimize the distance (and my left hand had to compensate for what my right hand couldn't reach), but still...both hands were scrubbing my 'fro!:D

Next goal- to be able to start tying my hair in a ponytail again (once and for all)!

[JDkeystone]

Fcuk, physio has officially turned B-R-U-T-A-L.

My PT got me on some new exercises today; simple arm raises (front and side), but with no stick this time. He did give me one more stick exercise, though, which has me keeping my upper arm flat against my side, elbow bent at 90 degrees, and holding the tip of the stick with my right hand while pushing the other end with my left, forcing my right forearm to swing out (while still keeping my upper arm pressed to my body). Don't know if I'm explaining that right, but regardless...holy mother of god, these new exercises fcking HURT!!!:(

A little deflating to see just how little ROM I still have when lifting my arm WITHOUT a stick/pole to support it, but I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised. Right now, my (new) front raises are only up to about 45 degrees, and the side raises are right in between 45 and 90. The new stick exercise (I have no idea what to call it lol) is especially hard; currently I'm barely hitting 25 degrees swinging my forearm out (and even that's quite painful). Needless to say, my shoulder is especially sore now; I'll be on pain meds awhile yet argh.

[FLbeach321]

Hey Pumped. I feel your pain! My PT finally stretched me hard a few days ago and again today. Wow its tough, but soooo worth it. As far as that stick exercise, I believe your trying "external rotation" The just started external rotation with me today. I had to try to get ER range back before surgery when I got out of a sling for 4 weeks. That was the toughest. It did seem to come around all at one time, and that was after maybe a week or so of stretching it that way. So it will come around even though it looks impossible at this point.

[JDkeystone]

LOL damn, I feel like an airhead. I've done external rotation exercises in the past; just not like the new one my PT has me doing now (and he tends to only show me the exercise without actually telling me the name for it). So I was totally drawing a blank for what this one was called, but now that I think about it, yeah, ER would definitely make sense lulz.:o

But yeah, the rehab pain is definitely getting up there. I guess that's a good sign, mind you; but when you've already been dealing with continuous pain everyday since surgery as it is, it's not really a welcome thing to keep adding more.

In other news...kinda OT (well, maybe not), but I'm actually gonna be having a legal consultation sometime this week to see if I have a case in possibly suing the last doctor I was seeing for malpractice (the one who treated me prior to my current doctor who did the surgery). I already made a thread about this in the R/P, but basically, I feel I was subjected to undue suffering and damages because of the shoddy diagnosis and prognosis he gave me two years ago before releasing me from his care. He was the one who ordered the MRI for me in March 2008, and then said it showed "nothing", at which point he more or less told me my shoulder was inoperable as there was no actual damage, that there was nothing further he could do, and that I would just have to "live with it". When he told me this, I was already up to 9 dislocations; after that prognosis, it jumped from 9 to 33 in less than 22 months. I lost a ton of pay from my work from all the time off I needed for all these additional dislocations, and was in CONSTANT pain. But had he actually explored all other options (like, say, giving me an MRI arthrogram instead of the regular kind which doesn't show sh*t), or even agreeing to exploratory surgery just to see if there was any damage the MRI might've missed, I probably could've avoided this horrible period, or at least had it shortened tremendously.:mad:

So a lawyer (from a firm whose services are provided at my work to employees at a huge discount) will be calling me before Friday so I can give them my story, and see what they advise. If they tell me I would have a very poor chance of winning, I'll prolly drop it; but if they think I have a considerable to good shot at winning, then I will be actively looking into pursuing this. Will post updates (in addition to my regular progress) as they come!:)

[jepitt]

Why do you have so many shoulder "dislocations"??? Both shoulders???

[JDkeystone]

Why do you have so many shoulder "dislocations"??? Both shoulders???

Well, I haven't had any since my surgery (my last dislocation was just a few days prior to going in), but I had as many as I did due to being genetically very loose jointed, and because the constant dislocations (initially from lax joints) eventually caused my labrum to tear. I don't know exactly when it tore (it was never found prior to surgery), but a torn labrum almost guarantees further dislocations (more so if you're already loose jointed, as well).

As for the dislocations on my left side...haven't had one in awhile (those are really infrequent, thank god lol), but unless my left labrum is torn as well, those dislocations were just also from hyperflexible joints. Even after my right shoulder fully heals, I'll always have to be mindful of this in all my activities (the surgery repaired my labrum and all the other damage, but not the lax joints, themselves). That's a life-long condition, unfortunately.:(

[jepitt]

oh ok I gotcha thanks.

[jepitt]

So your had 33 dislocations, not subluxations?

[JDkeystone]

No, they were full dislocations (though one on my left might've been a subluxation, cuz it didn't feel quite as bad, and I was able to pop it back in on my own without much trouble). But up until the last few months prior to surgery, I had to go to the hospital every time my right shoulder came out to be sedated so they could put it back in (too painful to do on my own).

[JDkeystone]

Well I'm a little cheesed. It turns out my form has been wrong for my arm raises (the new ones, sans bar), and my ROM is not quite as advanced as I'd originally thought. When doing my side raises, I was pulling my arm up more by also lifting my trap, which I was not supposed to do. Didn't even realize I was doing this at first (I suspect it's been more of an instinctive move for me, since not using my trap causes more pain and limits my movement), so I'm now making a conscious effort to keep my right trap down while doing these exercises. For now, I'm physically pressing down on it (though not hard) with my left hand while raising my right arm, to ensure I'm not engaging my trap more than absolutely necessary. But as a result, my ROM has now decreased to about 45 degrees on my side raises, while just under 90 for the front. Better than nothing I guess.

I also spoke to a lawyer today on the phone, and gave my story about my shoulder and everything that came about after the last doctor's diagnosis. Apparently, I misunderstood the purpose of today's call (it was just an initial phone consultation to ask for whatever legal advice I was seeking within the confines of a short phone call), but either way, based on what I'd described, she said it sounded very likely I might have a case. She advised I should have an in-person consultation with a civil litigation lawyer (free of charge), at which point the lawyer I'd be seeing would advise me whether or not this is something worth pursuing. But should I decide to retain this lawyer's services (not the one I spoke to today, but the civil litigation lawyer she referred me to), I would be getting a large discount on their fees because I was referred to their services through my work's legal assistance program (I was wrong before when I said their services would be completely "free" lol; but the discount is definitely a considerable amount).

So I'll be contacting the lawyer she referred me to in the next week or so to set up a consultation for after my next follow-up appointment with my surgeon (on May 19). This way, I plan to get whatever initial medical records and paperwork I need from my doctor so I'm as prepared as possible (before possibly taking on anyone's legal services for this matter).

[FLbeach321]

Hey, sorry to hear about the ROM thing. It's normal though. I was raising my trap a lot at the beginning. It still raises now but not as much. I think that after some time everything will loosen up in there and get back to normal. Right now its like everything is glued together because its been so long since it all moved. I know when I came out of 4 weeks in sling before surgery I had same problem. Also, I couldn't do a lat spread on that side. After a few weeks of working on it and everything loosing up, I was able to spread that lat and also raise my arm without my trap coming up. For those that know about a lat spread, you have to actually drop your traps to bring out your lats. So it will ease up over time, I promise.

[JDkeystone]

Thanks, I hope so.:) I'm prolly just expecting too much (patience is not one of my strong points lol). And my PT keeps telling me my ROM is progressing really well overall (being less than 2 months post-op), so I guess I'll just take his word for it for now heh.

[FLbeach321]

One of my doctors told me "if you put your good arm in a sling for 4 weeks it would have pain and no ROM when it first comes out of sling"

[JDkeystone]

Well, I'm happy to say, after doing my exercises non-stop with my corrected form for the past few days, I have my ROM back up to just about where it was before; now at just above 90 degrees on the front raises, and pretty much dead on 90 degrees for the sides. The external rotation bar exercise has also improved a bit (hard to give a measurement in terms of degrees, but I can swing my arm out maybe an extra inch than where I had it a few days ago). I've noticed the pain from doing these exercises seems to vary a lot, so I'm incorporating more pendulums in between each one to keep the muscles and ligaments from tightening up between sets. I'm also using a heating pad several times a day to keep my trap from getting too tight (definitely recommend this for others).

[pvdude]

can you better describe this er bar excercise you are talking about? or do you have a link or vid of it?

[JDkeystone]

can you better describe this er bar excercise you are talking about? or do you have a link or vid of it?

lol sorry, I know it's kinda difficult to visualize the way I described it (they're hard to explain if you've never done them before haha). I looked for some videos, and it's closest to this:
K7pLlGpMSH4

main difference is rather than extending my elbow and upper arm, I'm keeping it flat against my side, while using a bar to push out my forearm (similar to a door swinging out). hope that helps. :o

[JDkeystone]

Here's another one:
K_68qZQt8QU

I'm also doing these standing up, not lying down (even though I was told I could do it either way).

[pvdude]

ok i got it. your basically just pushing your arm out with your elbow locked into your side.

[pvdude]

thank you!

[JDkeystone]

ok i got it. your basically just pushing your arm out with your elbow locked into your side.

lol yeah, pretty much...I guess I thought if I made the description that simple, people wouldn't be able to visualize it or something haha.

and you're welcome. :)

[JDkeystone]

Fuuuuuuck...I dunno if I'm over-analyzing, but I think I'm still doing my arm raises improperly. I thought I was progressing ok with the front raises, but I compared what my shoulders look like while doing these on my left and then on my right, and one huge difference I'm seeing is that on my left shoulder, it gets the familiar "indented" look (where the humeral head meets the socket) the higher my arm goes (while my shoulder remains level); however, I don't see this at all on my right shoulder yet. I suspect that's because I'm still unconsciously lifting my trap (and pretty much my entire upper back) which is obviously taking away some of the work the actual shoulder area has to do. I can already tell I'm not doing this nearly as much as I was last week (before I even realized it), but I'm just worried I'm not going to progress correctly if I keep doing this. Even pushing down on my right shoulder with my left hand doesn't seem to be helping much (other than limiting how high my arm can go before I have to stop from the pain).

I know I'm still only 7.5 weeks out, but stuff like this bugs the effing crap outta me. I wanna be able to start lifting again before the end of the summer (I refuse to believe my PT when he says I prolly won't be able to even touch a barbell til the fall). If anyone reading this could maybe give me an idea of where you were at about 2 months after surgery (and let me know if my progress so far is about where it should be or not), I'd really appreciate it. If I'm behind schedule at all on recovery, I wanna know...:(

edit- this is what I mean by the shoulder "indent", too:
http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/a0170-000001g.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=F5B5107058D53DF53F9BE237D9AAA86F83B599D209CB0CF1 293FC8D900669D9DF8E9F9EB4761AEA1

Like I said, I see it fine on my left shoulder (even when only lifted to the same height as my right arm), but I see nothing on my bad shoulder. GOD, it's frustrating argh!!!!

[JDkeystone]

Got some new exercises from my PT today. Despite my concerns that I was doing my previous exercises wrong, he assured me (once again) that I'm doing fine; very well, in fact. He said for the type of surgery I had, my ROM and flexibility is actually above average right now, and the fact that I'm still unconsciously raising my trap a bit is completely normal, and not something to worry about. As he put it, while I'm still building up ROM while doing "passive" exercises (ie. nothing involving actual strength), my trap is just going to instinctively keep trying to supplement what the shoulder, itself, is unable to do (or having great difficulty doing on its own). He said this should improve a lot once strength exercises get underway, though, and that I don't have to worry about raising my arm "incorrectly" til I have full ROM (at which point he said my strength should have increased a lot, removing the need for my trap to keep taking over when lifting my arm higher than 90 degrees). So hearing this put my mind at ease somewhat (for the time being, anyway haha).

As for my new exercises, we're now entering the world of isometrics and strength-building (and two days ahead of schedule, too, since I'm apparently progressing fast enough to start early lol).:) He started me out with four basic isometric exercises using a wall and pillow. With the pillow against the wall, I'm first pushing my arm out sideways (similar to the previous bar exercise), then pushing my elbow out sideways, then gently "punching" the pillow forward, then digging my elbow backwards. Each exercises has to be done in reps of 30, 3 seconds per rep, 3x a day (he said I could still do my other exercises, too, but mainly focus on these ones now). So far, the "punching" exercise and the sideways elbow-pushing exercise are the most painful, but overall they're not too bad. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a video demonstrating what these look like, so hopefully my description is enough to provide a visual lol.

I'm just really relieved to find out I'm still progressing well and even jumping ahead of schedule. Like I said, my goal is to be able to start doing upper body lifting again by August (if not sooner), so hopefully I'm on the right track.

[JDkeystone]

Man, there is no sugar coating it- isometric exercises after surgery are hard; very painful, and very cumbersome on ROM and flexibility. My PT said if the pain doesn't improve soon, to decrease the number of reps I'm doing in half, but for now I'm just grinning and bearing it. I'm still doing my other exercises (pendulums, external rotation, bar raises, etc), but I've found I have to do the isometric stuff after I've done all my exercises (to reduce pain, and so that ROM is not inhibited).

I'm also thinking of looking into getting a portable muscle stimulator (similar to what they use at physio). If you're not familiar with these things, they look like this:
http://zimmermannfitness.com/ZimmermannFitnessForWomen/images/ems.gif

(except when I get hooked up to them, the electrodes are only placed on my shoulder, natch lol).

They're pretty expensive, though (anywhere $300-$1000 from what I saw), so I'll check if anyone's selling a used one online for a cheaper deal. If not, I may just ask to borrow the portable one they have at physio a few times (they do that for certain patients who need it). Looks like this:
http://www.tensmusclestimulator.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/TensMuscleStimulator.com-Tens-Unit-Muscle-Stimulator-1.jpg

Right now, I think it would help a lot while I'm still building up some tolerance for these strengthening exercises.

[FLbeach321]

Hey, Pumped...That seems to be normal. I just started strength training with 2 lbs. Felt great the first day as I only did exercises once. The second day I did them once in morning and once at night because the paper said 1 or 2 times a day. Anyway, I overworked it so I have to back down to once a day. Also, when I did the exercises in the morning, I could have done a lot more reps but decided to stick with not pushing it so I could do them again later that night. My point is that even doing the exercises once, and to the point of being able to do more, my shoulder was still worked HARD. Furthering my point(lol)...our repairs are VERY young and will get overworked easily at this point. We all want to get well faster but I think the sooner we realize that we're going to heal when we are going to heal, our recovery will be much better. Your progressing great :) Read my last post on my journal about how much damage the doc does inside you while fixing you. All that takes time to heal as well as the actual repair. Don't rush it. It's going to heal when its time to heal, and that is months after the surgery. We have to just accept it :)

[JDkeystone]

Hey FL, thanks for the encouragement.:) I'm actually jealous you're already working with weights (I'll be limited to wall isometrics for awhile yet...at least another month or so:(). I don't even know if my PT will be using any light weights in my rehab...I think after the wall exercises, I'll be moving onto resistance bands.

I also did read your last entry; glad to know what I'm experiencing is normal lol. It's also nice to have someone else to relate to on the frustration of not being able to push yourself to the levels you want to go to (I've never been good with being patient haha). I'm just really determined to get back in the gym sooner that what my doctor and PT have predicted (they're saying early fall, but I'm shooting for late summer).

Btw, how are you doing minimizing your trap raises when lifting your arm? I'm still forcibly keeping mine down during my exercises, but when I'm just reaching for normal stuff (toilet paper, a drink from the fridge, flicking a light switch), I can still feel my trap going up if I try to raise my arm higher than 90 degrees. Is yours still doing that? Any idea how long this lasts? Every time I feel it come up, I'm worried that's negating my shoulder from increasing its mobility and ROM. It's pissing me off greatly argh lol...

[FLbeach321]

Yeah, its hard. I'm the same way. I'm trying to figure out what I can do to to speed up the process, lol. Therapy will speed up your healing but only to a certain degree. Our body's won't heal past a certain point until it's had a certain ammount of time to heal, and we cant speed up time, unfortunately LOL. I was really pushing it and I did get further along with my ROM but then I was causing swelling and pain, so I realized that I need to just take it slow and let time pass. You've had a lot more done than me so you'll take another few weeks but sounds like you're doing great. I'm finding that slow and steady does it.

As far as my trap...Yep, I'm in the same boat. I looked lastnight. It's still coming up when above 90 degrees. Like I said before though, I've been through it already and it did come back slowly, so again its just time. Don't sweat it :) Past 90 degrees is going to be the toughest part. But you're in better shape than people that have the surgery but don't work out. Just concentrate on healing right now. Once you heal and you start with the strength training, and when you're able to really stretch it hard and not have to worry about protecting your repair, your trap won't be an issue. I heard the PT the other day talking to someone else and he was saying that it was because of lack of strength. Remember, just follow the protocol and concentrate on all the little gains you have made. This is what I have to keep reminding myself too :) But keep reminding yourself that you are finally on the other side of the fence and on your way to a healthy, painless life.

[JDkeystone]

Yeah, its hard. I'm the same way. I'm trying to figure out what I can do to to speed up the process, lol. Therapy will speed up your healing but only to a certain degree. Our body's won't heal past a certain point until it's had a certain ammount of time to heal, and we cant speed up time, unfortunately LOL. I was really pushing it and I did get further along with my ROM but then I was causing swelling and pain, so I realized that I need to just take it slow and let time pass. You've had a lot more done than me so you'll take another few weeks but sounds like you're doing great. I'm finding that slow and steady does it.

As far as my trap...Yep, I'm in the same boat. I looked lastnight. It's still coming up when above 90 degrees. Like I said before though, I've been through it already and it did come back slowly, so again its just time. Don't sweat it :) Past 90 degrees is going to be the toughest part. But you're in better shape than people that have the surgery but don't work out. Just concentrate on healing right now. Once you heal and you start with the strength training, and when you're able to really stretch it hard and not have to worry about protecting your repair, your trap won't be an issue. I heard the PT the other day talking to someone else and he was saying that it was because of lack of strength. Remember, just follow the protocol and concentrate on all the little gains you have made. This is what I have to keep reminding myself too :) But keep reminding yourself that you are finally on the other side of the fence and on your way to a healthy, painless life.

Yup, very true. I know all too well what that's like, trying to "speed things up" lol. Like, I start to wonder if it would be better to just start pushing beyond the pain and try to raise my arm even higher (to break up the scar tissue even more, with the idea of giving my arm greater ROM). But I've already learned doing that doesn't really help, it just leads to more pain and inflammation. Seriously, waiting for a surgery wound to heal makes hardcore dieting look like a joyful breeze heh. :o

Anyways, keep up the good work and I'll try to do the same. Thanks again for the advice!:)

[FLbeach321]

Hey, I've been meaning to ask ya...a while back you picked up a pitcher of water and had some scary pain. I'm assuming it's like that never happened now? (one day it will be as if neither of our surgeries actually happened,lol)

[JDkeystone]

Hey, I've been meaning to ask ya...a while back you picked up a pitcher of water and had some scary pain. I'm assuming it's like that never happened now? (one day it will be as if neither of our surgeries actually happened,lol)

Yeah, I think whatever aggravation that did is gone now. I mean, I still have general pain, but I'm pretty sure it's the same discomfort you're also still getting, too (the unavoidable pain of being cut open and tinkered around inside with sharp, surgical tools for a few hours lol). Right now my most unpleasant activities are physio and sleeping. I really don't know how quickly ROM is supposed to return, but it feels like I've been stuck at about 50% (or 90 degrees) forever now. Trying to force my arm any higher (followed by wall isometrics) is like my daily torture session. Doesn't help that I'm officially out of pain killers now, too (the OTC stuff doesn't do sh*t)... :(

[FLbeach321]

I agree with Ryan about the ROM will come back as strength comes back. My PT says the same thing. I'm the same way. My ROM is good up to 90degrees, but higher than that and my trap comes up and some pain. They just started me with a new exercise. I DON'T suggest you trying it until your PT says your ready for overhead stuff, but I believe this is how my PT is starting me with strength above 90degrees...I lay flat on a high table on my stomach. My arm hangs off side of table, straight down. I then raise my arm in front of me with my thumb up. To explain it in another way, it would be as if I were standing with my arm to my side and then i would start to do a front arm raise with my thumb up, except with this exercise I'm laying on the table. Laying on the table will take out the effort of lifting from 0-90degrees because as the arm is hanging off table, it's already at 90degrees to the body. So I believe its to stricty work on 90degrees and above. But believe me sister, my trap is still getting in the way, so its normal :) I think this exercise is meant to keep the trap from taking over.

[JDkeystone]

lol good to know the "trap issue" is across the board for all us shoulder post-oppies.

But yeah, I'm definitely not allowed to do anything beyond the exercises I've already been given. Jason, my PT, knows me well (from the physio I did with him for 1.5 years prior to surgery) and how I'll always try to go above and beyond what I'm supposed to do (cuz I think it'll get me further, faster), and he specifically ordered me to not do anything BUT the exercises he gives me. I don't like to think about it, but my shoulder was badly mangled from all the dislocations I had, so I know this time I really do have to follow my rehab instructions to the letter (don't want anymore setbacks than I've already had). :/

Small update, though- I was able to pull my hair into a messy, lopsided ponytail tonight lol. Not presentable to wear out in public or anything, but it fully secured my hair while washing up for bed. Hopefully that means a real ponytail is soon to follow haha.:o

[JDkeystone]

Well, since today marks exactly 2 months post-op, I thought I'd give a recap of the entire recovery process since surgery up until now.

Week #1
-horrible pain (very little sleep as a result)
-limited only to tasks that could be completed with my arm completely immobilized in the sling, hand flat against my stomach (ie. removing lids off of light objects; holding extremely small, light objects; scratching an itch that could be reached without actually having to move my arm, etc)
-extremely dependent on prescription painkillers (percocets 3-4x a day)
-able to dress myself, but could not put my right arm through shirt sleeves (just kept it tucked inside)
-limited to baths the first four days (with someone else washing my hair for me), able to start showering day five and onward
-required assistance for anything beyond the above mentioned tasks

Week #2
-slight decrease in pain, but not much (whether this is standard or not, I can't say, although I suspect the amount of pain I was getting was also a result of having a very badly damaged shoulder)
-bandages off by this point, finally able to get my arm through shirt sleeves, but only if extremely over-sized (could not lift my elbow at all to accommodate)
-against the instructions of my doctor (tsk, tsk), was removing sling periodically to complete other small tasks that couldn't be done otherwise, but while still keeping my arm adjacent to my side (washing my hands; preparing simple meals; washing and drying very small, light dishes; brushing my cat, etc)
-still on prescription pain meds, but taking only about 2x a day (3 if pain got really bad)
-saw doctor for first post-op check up, told me all the damage found during surgery, what was fixed, and that I could start physio in two weeks

Week #3
-pain finally starting to decrease somewhat (mainly during the day), but still bad at night
-removing sling more and more while at home (though always wore it outside and at night)
-continuing to carry out and increase small, daily tasks that could be done without moving my arm away from my body
-taking percocets only at night now

Week #4
-pretty much identical to week #3
-had mishap with shoulder, postponed starting physio til the following week

Week #5
-finally started physio, limited to pendulums and bar/stick raises
-pain still up and down, but slowly decreasing overall (still only taking percs before bed)
-found my ROM increasing quite rapidly with the bar raises
-can now complete tasks like putting in and taking out my contacts daily, typing with both hands (in 10-15 minute spurts before needing a break), changing my body piercings, changing my cat's litter box with both hands (was doing this single-handedly til now)

Week #6
-still doing the same physio exercises as week #5
-ROM (on the bar-raising exercise) around 130 degrees on the side raises, and about 100 degrees on the front raises
-finally able to get my arm high enough to wash my hair with both hands (huge milestone here lol)
-pain still present at night, but ran out of percs (and was not given a refill this time), doctor instead put me on Tramadol (not quite as effective, but not bad)

Week #7
-returned to work this week, doing half-days for now
-given new exercises at physio; now doing front and side raises without a stick/bar to hold onto (much more difficult)
-ROM much lower in comparison (45 degrees front, maybe 70 degrees side)
-also doing a new external rotation bar exercise (video demonstration on page 3)
-realized several days into doing these new exercises my form was off, and I was pulling my right trap up WAY too much when doing the side raises (it's going to come up, regardless, but I soon learned I needed to make a conscious effort to keep it down as much as possible)

Week #8
-started wall isometrics (strength building) exercises
-as usual, these new exercises are also very painful to do (to the point where I had to cut the number of reps from each set in half, and do them after doing my arm raises, to keep from hurting my ROM)
-ROM on my front/side raises (with corrected form) increasing steadily (about 90-100 degrees on each side)
-out of Tramadol at this point, now just using OTC meds (Tylenol 1) before starting work, and before going to bed (can't lie, though, OTC stuff doesn't do much at all)

Week #9 (this week)
-still doing all the above exercises
-pain from the isometrics finally starting to go down a bit (was able to add a few more reps to each set)
-ROM still about the same for the arm raises (my PT says that likely won't change til I build up some more strength)
-as of today, starting to do the arm raises holding a 1lb dumbbell (tried 2lbs, way too painful, so sticking with 1's for now)
-also managed to my pull hair into a very lopsided ponytail (a longtime goal I've been dying to reach for two months now lol)

Hope this is helpful for anyone who may be having surgery anytime in the near future!

[WillB485]

Good luck with recovery!! Just saw this thread and read through it and it must be tough recovering from something like this, but you can do it!

[JDkeystone]

Good luck with recovery!! Just saw this thread and read through it and it must be tough recovering from something like this, but you can do it!

Hi, thanks. :) Yeah, it's not a fun process, that's for sure lol (though once you make it past the first two weeks, it gets easier).

Anyways, physio went surprisingly well today (right now I'm going three days a week; Mon, Wed, Fri). After adding in 1lb weights to my exercises two days ago (for the standing arm raises, and now also external rotation while lying on my side), my ROM and overall strength has seen a huge improvement; currently, I can now get my arm up to about 135 degrees, both front and side with minimal trap movement. Pain has also decreased on doing these as well (my PT said he was really impressed with my mobility today). The wall isometrics have also gotten much easier as a result (back to doing full reps, but still left to the end of all the other exercises). So today was really encouraging; I feel like I'm finally starting to make some headway!

I'll be continuing these exercises throughout the weekend, and then depending on what my pain and ROM is like on Monday, my PT said we may be able to move onto resistance bands (so more pain on the horizon, no doubt haha).

[FLbeach321]

Congratulations! I think from this point forward, every week that passes will be a milestone in your recovery.

[Amsterdammerr]

Just read up on everything, good to see youre doing fine
Just one question thats been bothering me though, if lets say you had no trouble with your shoulder when not doing anything(bb/fitness) would you have still gone through with it?

[JDkeystone]

Congratulations! I think from this point forward, every week that passes will be a milestone in your recovery.

Hope so, thanks!!


Just read up on everything, good to see youre doing fine
Just one question thats been bothering me though, if lets say you had no trouble with your shoulder when not doing anything(bb/fitness) would you have still gone through with it?

So, like, if I'd never had any dislocations or instability over the last 7.5 years, would I have had surgery? No, probably not (I wouldn't have had any need to). Even in the early stages of my dislocations, I was content with just dealing with it and not looking for surgical intervention (I actually wanted to avoid it at all costs). The only reason I finally sought out a 3rd opinion and agreed to have surgery is cuz my shoulder was now popping out about once a week; it was honestly ruining my life.

Btw, how's your shoulder situation doing, as well? Your sig doesn't look too happy... :(

[JDkeystone]

As predicted, got started on resistance band work today. My PT gave me three simple exercises to use with the band, which will now replace the wall isometrics. With the first one, I wrap the band around a sturdy, unmoveable object (railing, doorknob, etc), so that there's equal length on both sides. I grasp each side with both hands, and basically do an imitation "row" (3 sets, 10 reps).

Then I tie the end of the band also around an unmoveable object, and first pull out, away from my body (while keeping my upper arm adjacent to my side, arm bent at 90 degrees), and then on the next one, I pull the same way, but in the opposite direction (so I'm also facing the opposite way of the last one). I'll see if I can find any demonstration videos a little bit later, as I'm sure my description sucks (as usual haha).

Pain wise, these exercises are not too bad. The 2nd exercise causes the most discomfort, so thus far, I have very little range for how far I can pull my arm out. The row exercise is pretty good, though. After not lifting for for almost six months, this felt like I was actually giving some muscles other than my shoulder a bit of a workout. Just gives me more motivation to heal up faster than ever, so I can get back to the gym.

As for overall ROM, my PT said I'm at about 80% passive, and 50% active. I was kinda disappointed on the active ROM, but he again assured me I'm progressing just fine, and that so far he's not at all concerned I'm lagging on anything (so I'll just continue to take his word for now heh).

[JDkeystone]

Found a couple vids on youtube that demonstrate the internal/external resistance band exercises (the row exercise I think is pretty self-explanatory):

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1swCR6xJPy4&NR

Also, another small achievement I made today; I was finally able to start wearing my beloved sports bras again (up until now I could only wear a regular bra that specifically hooks at the front...it was the only thing I could get my arm through). Nothing jaw-dropping, I know, but another small victory, nonetheless lol. :o

[FLbeach321]

the band exercises your describing are internal and external rotation :) Seems like you keep moving forward. Good for you! Also, don't be disappointed with your lack of active ROM. With me for example, they started me with front raises from 0 degrees to 90 degrees. Then started to add 2lb dumbells. This built up my strenght from 0-90degrees but I still couldn't lift my arm starting at 90 to greater degrees. Then when they started me on that exercise where I laid on table on stomach and hung arm off the side of table and then raised it forward, that built up my strengh from 90degrees and greater. Now I'm able to raise arm up a lot higher than 90 degrees. Strength came back within a week. So my point is that it comes back fast once its time to work on that area. It's just muscle weakness, I promise ya :)

[JDkeystone]

That's what I'm clinging to, alright lol. After doing 120 reps of each exercise yesterday, my range has already increased a few inches on the external rotation band exercise (the internal one is much easier). Although they're harder, so far I like these exercises much more than the wall isometrics (feels like the muscles are being activated and worked way more than on the others).

I see my surgeon tomorrow for my 2nd post-op check up. Wanna see if he thinks my progress is as good as what my PT keeps telling me, or if I need to improve on anything. Also gonna see if I can get any paperwork on the results of my surgery (for my legal case, which I'm still pursuing).

[JDkeystone]

Damn, every time I see my surgeon, the more I find out just how bad my shoulder was prior to surgery.

So he showed me the graphic surgery pics today at his office, and finally gave me the specific details of what exactly he found (in addition to the torn labrum). In actuality, I had NO labrum left by the time he went in there, as well as a huge Hill-Sachs lesion/fracture (the photo literally looked like a festering, open wound on top of the humeral head), and there was also extreme disfigurement to the humerus, itself (another result of all the dislocations). I don't know why it took him so long to give me all these details (nice guy, very knowledgable, but kinda tight-lipped at appointments heh). But long story short, my shoulder was in horrible shape by the time I went into the OR.

I almost wish I had asked for copies of the pics (to upload on facebook for the lulz), but anyways, it was a pretty short appointment other than that. Said my ROM and strength was excellent for only two months post-op, and that at this rate, he could see me returning to weight lifting by the end of August (possibly even a little sooner, as long as I start out really light and don't push too hard). But this was right in line with what I was already aiming for for recovery time, so I was more than thrilled to hear this.:D

Had physio later this afternoon, which also went well, but not a whole lot to report there. My PT once again said he was very impressed with my ROM, and that he was seeing significant improvement at every session. Did the same resistance band exercises as before, but with a stronger band (one level up in terms of of resistance). These were harder to do, of course, but even they didn't feel too bad by the end of each set. Will continue to practice those at home til I have them mastered (just like all the others).

[JDkeystone]

More updates. So after working with the 1lb weights for over a week, I've now increased it to 2lbs. Still doing the resistance band exercises on the next hardest level from the first one (the levels are typically identified by colour: yellow/orange = easy, green/blue = moderate, red/purple = hard; right now, I'm using a green band). I'd say out of all the exercises, these ones are the most painful to do (similar to the wall isometrics, but much more so). I always have to reserve the external rotation band exercise for the very end, cuz my shoulder is usually extremely sore by the time they're done. I'll then follow it up with 10-15 minutes under the heating pad, which helps ease it somewhat.

But other than the pain the band exercises bring, my pain overall is now extremely minimal (currently only taking tylenol 1's maybe 2-3x a week at most). My ROM has also improved a lot; currently up to about 150 degrees on front raises, holding nothing, and 135 with the 2lbs; and about 135 degrees on the side raises (again with nothing), and about 120 degrees with the weights. My trap is still coming up a bit on the side raises, but according to my PT yesterday, he said it's going down more and more at every session.

Also hit another small victory today (although this one was huge for me); I was FINALLY able to pull my hair into a straight, normal looking ponytail. It's sitting a little on the low side (I couldn't get it any higher without too much pain), but either way, it's a goal I'm very happy to have finally met lol. As silly as it may sound, it really is hitting tiny, personal achievements like these that give me the drive to keep on going. :o

[Phat Daddy]

More updates. So after working with the 1lb weights for over a week, I've now increased it to 2lbs. Still doing the resistance band exercises on the next hardest level from the first one (the levels are typically identified by colour: yellow/orange = easy, green/blue = moderate, red/purple = hard; right now, I'm using a green band). I'd say out of all the exercises, these ones are the most painful to do (similar to the wall isometrics, but much more so). I always have to reserve the external rotation band exercise for the very end, cuz my shoulder is usually extremely sore by the time they're done. I'll then follow it up with 10-15 minutes under the heating pad, which helps ease it somewhat.

But other than the pain the band exercises bring, my pain overall is now extremely minimal (currently only taking tylenol 1's maybe 2-3x a week at most). My ROM has also improved a lot; currently up to about 150 degrees on front raises, holding nothing, and 135 with the 2lbs; and about 135 degrees on the side raises (again with nothing), and about 120 degrees with the weights. My trap is still coming up a bit on the side raises, but according to my PT yesterday, he said it's going down more and more at every session.

Also hit another small victory today (although this one was huge for me); I was FINALLY able to pull my hair into a straight, normal looking ponytail. It's sitting a little on the low side (I couldn't get it any higher without too much pain), but either way, it's a goal I'm very happy to have finally met lol. As silly as it may sound, it really is hitting tiny, personal achievements like these that give me the drive to keep on going. :o

YES!!

It's gonna get a lot funner, you'll see! ;)

Are you taking any proteolytic enzymes, to reduce potential scar tissue occlusion?

[JDkeystone]

YES!!

It's gonna get a lot funner, you'll see! ;)

Are you taking any proteolytic enzymes, to reduce potential scar tissue occlusion?

LOL seeing progress is great, but nothing what I could call "fun(ner)";)

And no, I haven't been taking anything to reduce scar tissue (never even thought about it, actually). I'll ask my PT when I see him tomorrow, and see if it's something worth looking into.

Anyhoo, not much new to report. Only doing physio twice this week, since yesterday was a holiday here in Canada. Still doing the same exercises (front and side raises with the bar and 2lb weights, resistance bands, etc). I've gone back to alternating between the orange and green band, though, since working solely with the green (aka intermediate) band was starting to really aggravate my shoulder beyond what was tolerable. That's one thing my PT is constantly stressing to me; to never keep doing any exercises to the point of actual pain. Even though I may think I can handle it and that I just gotta "tough it out", I've already learned more than once during this process that doing this will set you back if you keep going. So yeah, better safe than sorry.

[JDkeystone]

Today marks 11 weeks post-op, or Day 77. Got a few new exercises at physio this week; in addition to the usual stick/dumbbell raises, and resistance band work, I'm now doing wall push-ups, and this new exercise also using a 3-5lb dumbbell. With this one, I'm lying on my back and raise my right arm straight in the air holding the weight (so it would look like I'm holding my arm out in front of me at 90 degrees, standing up). I then push my arm forward even more, thus raising my right upper back off the bed a few inches; hold for three seconds, then lower my back down on the bed, but with my arm still raised. This exercise is relatively easy compared to the others, so moving up to 5lbs was no problem. My PT said this is to strengthen my upper back, which should assist in further minimizing my trap movement when doing my arm raises.

I'll continue to work on all of these over the weekend, but I think I'm gonna take the rest of the day off. I kinda overdid it with the exercises the last two days (especially the wall pushups), and now my shoulder is feeling extra sore as a result. ROM is still the same, maybe a little higher (it tends to vary depending how sore my shoulder is when I start the exercises). Overall, progress is still good, but I think I need to tone down the amount I'm doing, cuz the pain is starting to noticeably increase.

[FLbeach321]

They started me with that exercise around week 4ish. They also have me in the same position doing figure 8's. That's great that you are doing wall pushups! My doc told me none of that movement yet. Definitely don't over do it. I think the big thing with our surgeries are the bicep tendon will get inflamed easily. If I didn't have this bicep tendonitits I'd be about 80% already. I back way down on what I was doing and iced, iced, iced. That seemed to have gotten the swelling to go down quite a bit. What I have learned is the importance of ice!

[JDkeystone]

They started me with that exercise around week 4ish. They also have me in the same position doing figure 8's. That's great that you are doing wall pushups! My doc told me none of that movement yet. Definitely don't over do it. I think the big thing with our surgeries are the bicep tendon will get inflamed easily. If I didn't have this bicep tendonitits I'd be about 80% already. I back way down on what I was doing and iced, iced, iced. That seemed to have gotten the swelling to go down quite a bit. What I have learned is the importance of ice!

Yeah, even my PT was commenting today on how stiff my shoulder was (and how much pain I was showing) while he was stretching it out. I told him I was doing 5-6 sets of each exercise everyday, and he advised me to drop them to 3 sets each. He did say my trap was lifting even less than 2 days ago, so I was happy about that, at least.

I was stoked about getting to start the wall pushups, though.:) Almost embarrassed to admit this, but after not doing any upper body lifting for almost 6 months so far, doing these actually gave me some minor DOMS lulz. Thank god for muscle memory!

[JDkeystone]

Took some pics of my lovely scars (in case anyone wonders what they look like).

Front:
http://i679.photobucket.com/albums/vv154/pumped4life82/scars2.jpg

Back:
http://i679.photobucket.com/albums/vv154/pumped4life82/scars3.jpg

Like I mentioned awhile ago, the one in the back is very tiny (used for the arthroscopic camera); the two in the front are much bigger in comparison.

I do find it kinda interesting to see so many other recent shoulder surgery people talking about having 4 and 5 holes in their shoulders, whereas mine only had 3 (despite all the work that was done). Ironic much? lol

[JDkeystone]

Don't really have much of an update since the last entry; just feeling really frustrated right now and feel like venting. Today at physio, my PT was so impressed with my wall pushups, he said I could prolly "upgrade" them to table pushups. Exciting at first, but as soon as I attempted them, I failed miserably; couldn't even make it through 5 full reps. My shoulder was also still extremely stiff while he was stretching it out and testing my ROM, and I could feel my trap going up every which way he moved it. Lifting the 2lb dumbbell was a struggle (didn't get nearly the same height as I did last week), and as I was leaving, I tried to pull the door open with my bad arm, and once again had to also use my left to get the job done.

Sounds like trivial sh*t to be bitching about, I know, but it's stuff like this that is so mentally hard to deal with, and makes me feel like I'm barely progressing at all. More than anything, I think it's the concept of knowing that, for once, I have absolutely NO control over something that concerns my body. It's such an infuriating feeling of powerlessness, and one that I absolutely cannot change, no matter how badly I may want to.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.......!!!!!!!!

/rant

[FLbeach321]

Just a reminder...You're doing great. We have to push, which aggrevates shoulder, then we back off, then we push again for another cycle, then we push again and it doesn't bother the shoulder, so then we move to the next level. Remember the day you picked up that pitcher of water? bet you thought you'd never be doing a push up, let alone almost 5 pushups! It's mentally tough but you're right on track :)

[JDkeystone]

The thing is...even though I know my ROM and strength has improved since starting physio, the stiffness just isn't going away. Only after I do several rounds of stretching and dumbbell raises does the stiff feeling ease up temporarily. But after a few hours, it just goes right back to how it felt prior to the last round of exercises. Even as my strength goes up and my ROM increases, the pain and stiffness is ALWAYS there, inhibiting everything I do. I still can't workout because of this, and my body is looking like sh*t as a result. It's so indescribably upsetting, it almost makes me wish I hadn't had surgery at all. :(

[Tleaf44]

Did you start physio right away or did they have you wait a few weeks post op?

I know I felt the same way at times after my surgery especially in the first 12 weeks or so. I remember really breaking through after that though.

From the sound of things you are doing well. One thing to remember is that the pain and stiffness will go away. And the end result will be that you stop dislocating that shoulder.

Before you know it those table push ups will be cake and you will move on to a balance board or a bosu.

[JDkeystone]

Did you start physio right away or did they have you wait a few weeks post op?

I know I felt the same way at times after my surgery especially in the first 12 weeks or so. I remember really breaking through after that though.

From the sound of things you are doing well. One thing to remember is that the pain and stiffness will go away. And the end result will be that you stop dislocating that shoulder.

Before you know it those table push ups will be cake and you will move on to a balance board or a bosu.

I had to wait a little over four weeks before starting physio (and even then, the first two weeks were just really light, basic stuff; pendulums and raising my arm while holding onto a stick or bar, to get ROM going).

My PT keeps telling me I'm progressing "really well" (even said I've done much better than he originally expected), but I'm still not convinced I'm not doing as well as I could be. It's weird; it's like my shoulder does really well some days, and then way worse on others. I know it's a long, gradual process, but I'm gonna be exactly 12 weeks post-op a week from this Friday, and based on what I keep reading from other people who've had similar surgeries, I'm starting to think I should be a little further ahead than I actually am.

Bottom line, I just wanna be able to start lifting again before the end of August. That's my final goal, and I really don't wanna have to extend it beyond that (I may go nuts if that happens lol). =/

[Tleaf44]

I had to wait a little over four weeks before starting physio (and even then, the first two weeks were just really light, basic stuff; pendulums and raising my arm while holding onto a stick or bar, to get ROM going).

My PT keeps telling me I'm progressing "really well" (even said I've done much better than he originally expected), but I'm still not convinced I'm not doing as well as I could be. It's weird; it's like my shoulder does really well some days, and then way worse on others. I know it's a long, gradual process, but I'm gonna be exactly 12 weeks post-op a week from this Friday, and based on what I keep reading from other people who've had similar surgeries, I'm starting to think I should be a little further ahead than I actually am.

Bottom line, I just wanna be able to start lifting again before the end of August. That's my final goal, and I really don't wanna have to extend it beyond that (I may go nuts if that happens lol). =/

Slow and steady. The best thing someone told me while I was going through this was that it would be a year before I felt totally back to normal. I started lifting again I think after 16 weeks. So, 12 weeks of PT.

To give a timeline I had my surgery on June 8th 08 and was lifting again in September. Slightly different than I did before but it felt good to be back at the gym anyway.

[JDkeystone]

Slow and steady. The best thing someone told me while I was going through this was that it would be a year before I felt totally back to normal. I started lifting again I think after 16 weeks. So, 12 weeks of PT.

To give a timeline I had my surgery on June 8th 08 and was lifting again in September. Slightly different than I did before but it felt good to be back at the gym anyway.

Wow, lifting just after four months?! That's awesome...teach me!!! (j/k lol)

But outta curiousity, what kind of work did you have done during surgery? Four months seems extremely fast, but I'm sure that's also dependent on the recovery time needed based on the type of repair job had. :confused:

[JDkeystone]

Well, I'm happy to say my spirits have been raised a wee bit since my last spaz attack. My shoulder was still super-stiff today (especially this morning; either I'm sleeping in a totally whack position, or I gotta get a better pillow), but at physio I was actually able to go up to the 3lb dumbbell, doing 10 reps for both front and side. Table pushups I still did horribly at (really gotta work on those), but I was able to do 20, one-armed wall pushups instead. My PT was flat-out shocked I was able to do these, so that made me feel pretty good lol.

Despite the ever-present stiffness, ROM is still increasing as well. Passively, I'm at about 90% (according to my PT), while actively it ranges from about 60-75%. This fluxuation is hugely dependent on how stiff my shoulder is at the time of movement, of course, but it's comforting to know that, even at its stiffest, my shoulder has finally broken past the 50% mark for active ROM.

This gives me hope I'm still on track for my recovery timeline goal. But knowing myself as I do, I'll prolly still be freaking out a number of times yet as rehab continues haha.

[FLbeach321]

Remember you had A LOT done to that shoulder. Pumped, that stiffness will go away. It may take a little while longer but it does go away. Your body is just protecting itself. Your pain is coming from the stiffness and the swelling, which again, will both go away. Keep you eye on the long term goal. Are you icing the H out of it? That's what really helped me. I took 5 days off and iced the H out of it. Every hour or 2 for 20 minutes. You just had a major surgery girl, slow and steady

[JDkeystone]

Remember you had A LOT done to that shoulder. Pumped, that stiffness will go away. It may take a little while longer but it does go away. Your body is just protecting itself. Your pain is coming from the stiffness and the swelling, which again, will both go away. Keep you eye on the long term goal. Are you icing the H out of it? That's what really helped me. I took 5 days off and iced the H out of it. Every hour or 2 for 20 minutes. You just had a major surgery girl, slow and steady

I haven't been doing much icing, hate to say. Not to sound like I'm making excuses, but now that I'm back to fulltime hours at work, I'm back to the old rushing around, always on the go, always pressed for time routine I was on before surgery (I don't drive, so my days are even more bogged down with getting around by public transit). Gonna try to make a point of icing on the weekends, at least.

Your words of wisdom are pretty much identical to what my PT keeps telling me, though heh. What bothers me more than anything is actually accepting the "it's gonna take time" mantra. There's some things I'm good at, but patience just isn't one of them. It's barely been three months, and I feel like I've been stuck in this painful routine forever. I can't help but feel envious whenever I read your or Ryan's journals, cuz it seems like you guys are progressing so much faster than me.:(

Anyhoo, before I bring myself down again, moving on...

Due to the calender year for my medical benefits resetting as of June 1st, starting next week I'll only be attending physio twice a week instead of three (simply cuz I'm limited to a certain coverage amount each year, and I don't wanna max it out before I'm actually done with physio altogether). Not a big deal, though, since my PT said I've improved enough to not require coming in 3x a week now, anyway.

As for today's session, it went well. Still using the 3lb dumbbell, and was able to bump it up to 20 reps, front and side each. I wanted to get a metre of the purple (aka hardest level) resistance band to take home, but they didn't have enough left so I'll have to keep using the green band for now. I'll just double it up to increase the resistance, though, which will provide about the same level of difficulty til they get a new shipment from their thera-band supplier. Also got a new exercise (one that I recall doing when I did physio two years ago). With this one, you hold a ball against a wall (arm completely outstretched at 90 degrees) and "write" the alphabet with the ball itself. This is mainly to work the upper back (though it works the shoulder, too); fairly boring, but effective if done properly. I personally don't care for this particular exercise, but whatever helps with progress.

As for pain itself, it's gotten pretty manageable at this point. It's really more just the early morning stiffness (which, unfortunately, is accompanied by pain); but unless I'm actively trying to perform an exercise or task that puts too much strain on my shoulder, I'm relatively pain-free now (this wasn't the case for the longest time). Nights, which used to be the worst time of day for pain, have gotten way better, and I sleep pretty easily now for the most part. Waking up is prolly the most uncomfortable part of the day now, but the pain and stiffness eases up once I do some basic stretches.

[nick1990]

Argh!!!!
I finally found this thread lmfao
Was looking for like an hour

Anyway, i just had SLAP tear and bankhart lesion surgery wednesday and was hoping you guys could help me out with a few concerns i have?
Dont want to hijack thread or anything, but i would think you guys would be the best to ask.

1. My doc allowed me to take off bandages, get out of sling and do pendulums one day out!
Is this normal/advisable?

2. When i am in the sling, my elbow feels like its cramping, and that pain is almost worse than the shoulder.
Is this normal lol?

3. What is the pain feel like to you guys?
Sharp?
Throbbing?
Dull?
Im very afraid im doing something wrong and am screwing up the repair....

4. When doing arm pendulums, how fast and far should you swing your arm?
I can only move it about a foot in either direction before i feel a pulling sensation.
Im afraid to go any further, but should i?

5. how often did you ice, what area exactly and with what?
I really wanted a cryocuff or whatever, but my insurance doesnt cover it :(
Im trying to get a 20-25 min session in every hour, but not sure idf im doing it right

Damn.....A little longer than i expected haha, but these were really bothering me
Hopefully you guys have the time to answer
Thanks in advance

(Oh, and the above took me like 30 mins to type lulz)

[FLbeach321]

morning is the worst for me too. 2 points i want to make...1, you had way more done than I did and you're still doing about the same weight as me. 2. Girl you have to ice! I wasn't getting the results i wanted and even made appointment with surgeon to talk to him about the pain, that's how bad it was. All I did was take a few days off of nothing but stretching and ice, ice, ice. The swelling went down which made the pain go down, which got me more ROM, and with more ROM the pain goes down even more. I know it sounds like im repeating myself alot about the rest and ice but at week 8 i felt as if i was at week 4. I iced and week 9 felt like i was at week 12. That's how important icing is. I truely believe if you take a little rest and just ice, ice, ice, ice, you will see leaps and bounds of progress. Even if its just ice and no rest, but i did both just to make sure. The pain hasn't come back to me yet as i have swelling under control

[nick1990]

oh and sorry but one more question;

when could you start exercising?

I want to start walking, but not sure if i should?
What about bike, elliptical or rowing?
Running?

thanks

[JDkeystone]

morning is the worst for me too. 2 points i want to make...1, you had way more done than I did and you're still doing about the same weight as me. 2. Girl you have to ice! I wasn't getting the results i wanted and even made appointment with surgeon to talk to him about the pain, that's how bad it was. All I did was take a few days off of nothing but stretching and ice, ice, ice. The swelling went down which made the pain go down, which got me more ROM, and with more ROM the pain goes down even more. I know it sounds like im repeating myself alot about the rest and ice but at week 8 i felt as if i was at week 4. I iced and week 9 felt like i was at week 12. That's how important icing is. I truely believe if you take a little rest and just ice, ice, ice, ice, you will see leaps and bounds of progress. Even if its just ice and no rest, but i did both just to make sure. The pain hasn't come back to me yet as i have swelling under control

Yeah, you're right. I actually went out today and got one of those cold/hot compress gel packs (the kind you can either heat up in the microwave, or stick in the freezer). It comes with a pouch/wrap sorta thing, that you insert the pack into after heating/freezing, then wrap around whatever bodypart needs it. I just tossed mine in the freezer about 20 minutes ago, so it should be ready after I do a few more rounds of exercises. We'll see how well it does. :)


Argh!!!!
I finally found this thread lmfao
Was looking for like an hour

Anyway, i just had SLAP tear and bankhart lesion surgery wednesday and was hoping you guys could help me out with a few concerns i have?
Dont want to hijack thread or anything, but i would think you guys would be the best to ask.

1. My doc allowed me to take off bandages, get out of sling and do pendulums one day out!
Is this normal/advisable?

2. When i am in the sling, my elbow feels like its cramping, and that pain is almost worse than the shoulder.
Is this normal lol?

3. What is the pain feel like to you guys?
Sharp?
Throbbing?
Dull?
Im very afraid im doing something wrong and am screwing up the repair....

4. When doing arm pendulums, how fast and far should you swing your arm?
I can only move it about a foot in either direction before i feel a pulling sensation.
Im afraid to go any further, but should i?

5. how often did you ice, what area exactly and with what?
I really wanted a cryocuff or whatever, but my insurance doesnt cover it :(
Im trying to get a 20-25 min session in every hour, but not sure idf im doing it right

Damn.....A little longer than i expected haha, but these were really bothering me
Hopefully you guys have the time to answer
Thanks in advance

(Oh, and the above took me like 30 mins to type lulz)


oh and sorry but one more question;

when could you start exercising?

I want to start walking, but not sure if i should?
What about bike, elliptical or rowing?
Running?

thanks

Another shoulder surgery post-oppie joins the clan, I see lol; welcome aboard, nick1990. Now begins your initiation- either 10 cartwheels, 1 minute hand-stand, or bench press half your bodyweight for 5 reps.

...I keed, I keed. :)

For your questions:

-How quickly each person is allowed to remove their sling and start any kind of movement is dependent on how much work was done during surgery. Personally, I wasn't allowed to remove my sling or attempt any kind of therapeutic exercises til after the first four weeks, but other people who also just had recent surgeries (ie. FLbeach321, RyanGrob, etc) were allowed to start doing pendulums almost immediately. If your doctor has cleared you for them, then it should be fine.

-Yep, your arm and elbow will cramp horribly while you're in the sling; during the first month, I couldn't even decide which was worse- the pain in my shoulder, or the pain in my arm from ALWAYS being in that fcking sling!

-The pain right after surgery (for me, anyway) was almost unbearable at times (especially night); like a very dull but strong, throbbing ache. The only kind of position that was even remotely tolerable was sitting upright, with my arm perfectly still in the sling. I barely slept the first two weeks, though, cuz lying down (even in an elevated position) amplified the throbbing pain about 100x worse.

-Whether you're doing pendulums or any kind of rehab exercise, NEVER push yourself to the point of actual pain. My doctor and PT have drilled this into my head relentlessly, and it's very true. Do the exercise only to the point of slight discomfort, but that's it.

-I personally didn't do as much icing as I should have the first four weeks (really wish I had:(), but when I did ice, I would just wrap a large baggie of icecubes in a towel, and drape it over my shoulder for about 15-20 minutes. On the days that I did this, I did it maybe 3x a day. I'm actually gonna be making a bigger effort now to ice a lot more, cuz I really wanna get underway with my rehab progress.

-I was cleared for light exercise only by week two. By light, I mean just brisk walking outside. If you've already been cleared to start pendulums, then I'm sure walking would be fine for you as well. I would wait a little while longer before using any cardio machines, though, cuz that will prolly engage your arms beyond what's safe at this point. The only one I think might be ok for now is the recumbant bike; but definitely no rowing.

Hope that helps. Don't worry about hi-jacking this thread, either; there's a lot of knowledgable people in this section, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask them here, too. Good luck with recovery! :)

[nick1990]

Another shoulder surgery post-oppie joins the clan, I see lol; welcome aboard, nick1990. Now begins your initiation- either 10 cartwheels, 1 minute hand-stand, or bench press half your bodyweight for 5 reps.

...I keed, I keed. :)

For your questions:

-How quickly each person is allowed to remove their sling and start any kind of movement is dependent on how much work was done during surgery. Personally, I wasn't allowed to remove my sling or attempt any kind of therapeutic exercises til after the first four weeks, but other people who also just had recent surgeries (ie. FLbeach321, RyanGrob, etc) were allowed to start doing pendulums almost immediately. If your doctor has cleared you for them, then it should be fine.

-Yep, your arm and elbow will cramp horribly while you're in the sling; during the first month, I couldn't even decide which was worse- the pain in my shoulder, or the pain in my arm from ALWAYS being in that fcking sling!

-The pain right after surgery (for me, anyway) was almost unbearable at times (especially night); like a very dull but strong, throbbing ache. The only kind of position that was even remotely tolerable was sitting upright, with my arm perfectly still in the sling. I barely slept the first two weeks, though, cuz lying down (even in an elevated position) amplified the throbbing pain about 100x worse.

-Whether you're doing pendulums or any kind of rehab exercise, NEVER push yourself to the point of actual pain. My doctor and PT have drilled this into my head relentlessly, and it's very true. Do the exercise only to the point of slight discomfort, but that's it.

-I personally didn't do as much icing as I should have the first four weeks (really wish I had:(), but when I did ice, I would just wrap a large baggie of icecubes in a towel, and drape it over my shoulder for about 15-20 minutes. On the days that I did this, I did it maybe 3x a day. I'm actually gonna be making a bigger effort now to ice a lot more, cuz I really wanna get underway with my rehab progress.

-I was cleared for light exercise only by week two. By light, I mean just brisk walking outside. If you've already been cleared to start pendulums, then I'm sure walking would be fine for you as well. I would wait a little while longer before using any cardio machines, though, cuz that will prolly engage your arms beyond what's safe at this point. The only one I think might be ok for now is the recumbant bike; but definitely no rowing.

Hope that helps. Don't worry about hi-jacking this thread, either; there's a lot of knowledgable people in this section, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask them here, too. Good luck with recovery! :)

lol, cartwheel might be pushing it but the bench press will be done soon enough :)

well, you pretty much answered everything i needed haha.

Although i did just happen to come across this on slaptears.com, and was wondering what you guys thought about using it:

http://www.buyaircast.com/cryo-cuff-shoulder.htm

Ive heard this thing is a godsend for icing injuries, but not sure if i should get it

What do you guys think?

[FLbeach321]

Hey Nick, "welcome to Pumped4life's shoulder recovery thread. we understand that you do have a choice when flying and we here at pumped4life's shoulder revovery thread thank you for your business. However, it will be a LONG flight with lots of turbulence!" lol

To answer your questions,

I was doing pendulums and PT was stretching me day after surgery. So that's normal. But like pumped said, doctors have different protocols.

My elbow felt worse than my shoulder when in the sling. I removed the sling and sat on couch with pillow under elbow with arm in same position as if it were in sling. The sling was still on when sitting but the strap was undone so it was like it wasnt on and if i needed to get up i could just strap it. as long as you're sitting with no stress on your shoulder, you're fine. no reason to make the elbow give you pain too. JUST NO STRESS ON SHOULDER WHEN OUT OF SLING if you decide to do what i did.


Yes, I had sharp, throbbing, dull pain. That's very normal. ice, ice, ice, ice

pendulums...don't move your arm fast at all! i actually think a foot is to far. it should proabably be about 6 inches. Also, you aren't supposed to use your shoulder muscle to move the arm while doing pendulums. You're supposed to let your arm hang lose and move your body to create momentum so your arm swings a bit with no shoulder muscle involved. this movement is only to keep you from getting frozen shoulder and to break up a little scar tissue, NOT FOR STRENGTH. you need to protect the repair for first 3 weeks. that's very important.


as far as icing, you should ice every hour or two for 20 minutes at a time, no longer. ice will be your best friend in healing. it seems that everyone's suffers post op from bicep tendon because the tendon is attached right where they do a slap repair. so keep it iced and take your anti inflammatories.

ive seen people take walks not too long after surgery. i can not. it bounces my shoulder around too much and creates swelling so you'll have to decide for yourself on that one.

[JDkeystone]

lol, cartwheel might be pushing it but the bench press will be done soon enough :)

well, you pretty much answered everything i needed haha.

Although i did just happen to come across this on slaptears.com, and was wondering what you guys thought about using it:

http://www.buyaircast.com/cryo-cuff-shoulder.htm

Ive heard this thing is a godsend for icing injuries, but not sure if i should get it

What do you guys think?

Wow, that actually looks pretty good. Though, tbh, I think I would only get it for myself if I was expected to be in a sling for several months, not just a few weeks. Right now I've got an ice cold gel pack over my shoulder, which pretty much does the same thing as the Cyro/Cuff, but which I only paid $5 for at Walmart lol. ;) $59 just seems a little pricey for something I wouldn't be using for very long in the interim, but if it's worth it to you, by all means try it out.

edit: woah, scratch the $59; didn't notice at first it's actually $140...definitely not worth it in my book... =/

[nick1990]

Wow, that actually looks pretty good. Though, tbh, I think I would only get it for myself if I was expected to be in a sling for several months, not just a few weeks. Right now I've got an ice cold gel pack over my shoulder, which pretty much does the same thing as the Cyro/Cuff, but which I only paid $5 for at Walmart lol. ;) $59 just seems a little pricey for something I wouldn't be using for very long in the interim, but if it's worth it to you, by all means try it out.

eh, think you may be right

what is the best icing technique you guys have found?
Right now im just using large baggies and ice cubes

Works well, but i hate the melting

[JDkeystone]

Just get something like this:

http://www.tradenote.net/images/users/000/362/676/products_images/717796.jpg

Wayyy easier and cleaner to apply and remove. I got the Walmart Equate brand for $4.97, and it feels great (much nicer than a bag of melting ice cubes lol).

[nick1990]

Really hate to be hijacking the thread, but i just woke up right now in a good deal of pain

feels like my shoulder isn't "lined up" correctly?
Very hard to explain
Everytime I let my shoulder drop I get this weird feeling like it is almost dislocated and it hurts pretty bad
Also when I standup straight and try to let shoulder realx, I feel a sort of pulling and then pai
The pain is in the mid delt, or actually like right below it
Sort of under the "groove" of the muscle
Don't really know what to do or what I did
Very nervous that something may be wrong

any help would be appreciated

[FLbeach321]

Sounds like you're doing the same thing we all did...You're trying too much. Don't let your shoulder drop. you just had surgery. protect it for 3 weeks or you'll be sorry. Don't test it.

I know when I did pendulums it felt like it was coming out and they told me its from muscle fatique and also could be scar tissue. Expect up and down emotions for a long time. I'm just over 9 weeks and most of my emotional stuff has gone away but i still get it. You're pain is very very normal. this is a major surgery that takes a long time to heal...but it does heal so there is some positive in this whole mess :)

[nick1990]

Sounds like you're doing the same thing we all did...You're trying too much. Don't let your shoulder drop. you just had surgery. protect it for 3 weeks or you'll be sorry. Don't test it.

I know when I did pendulums it felt like it was coming out and they told me its from muscle fatique and also could be scar tissue. Expect up and down emotions for a long time. I'm just over 9 weeks and most of my emotional stuff has gone away but i still get it. You're pain is very very normal. this is a major surgery that takes a long time to heal...but it does heal so there is some positive in this whole mess :)

oh okay good lol
Very scared for a bit haha
Doesnt hurt as bad now, but still more than yesterday
I do pendulums 6 or more times day, do you think thats pushing it?

I think its my damn sling
Feels like its too big
Cant really get my arm to just set in there without holding it.

[JDkeystone]

I think its my damn sling
Feels like its too big
Cant really get my arm to just set in there without holding it.

I was actually about to ask this...

You definitely shouldn't have to "hold" your arm up while it's in the sling; the sling is supposed to support the entire weight of your arm, so that your shoulder doesn't have to.

I thought in your previous question you were referring to pain you were feeling while outside of the sling, doing your pendulums or whatever. But if you're feeling this while in the sling, then you need to have it adjusted (it should fit your arm perfectly).

[nick1990]

I was actually about to ask this...

You definitely shouldn't have to "hold" your arm up while it's in the sling; the sling is supposed to support the entire weight of your arm, so that your shoulder doesn't have to.

I thought in your previous question you were referring to pain you were feeling while outside of the sling, doing your pendulums or whatever. But if you're feeling this while in the sling, then you need to have it adjusted (it should fit your arm perfectly).

damn....thats what i thought.

I have post op on tuesday
Do you think i should ask for a new one?
Ive tried tightening this thing in a million different ways, but no luck
i just hope my insurance would cover it.....

[Lyght13]

damn....thats what i thought.

I have post op on tuesday
Do you think i should ask for a new one?
Ive tried tightening this thing in a million different ways, but no luck
i just hope my insurance would cover it.....

Have them readjust it and put it where it should be.

It may seem like you are holding it up, but it may just be due to lack of 'experience' in a sling aka not being use to it always being in the postion that it is in a sling. It is going to be uncomfortable, you are in a position which you are not use to being in, plus, you just had surgery.

If they cant adjust it where they feel it should be at, then ask for a new one. My bet is if they cant put it where they feel it should be at, they will just give you a new one or recommend it.

I wasnt use to being in a sling, what worked for me was realizing to just let the sling do its work. Many times it felt like I was holding up my arm just because I wasnt use to being in a sling. When that happened, I just focused on letting my arm just relax in there and all was good.

[JDkeystone]

damn....thats what i thought.

I have post op on tuesday
Do you think i should ask for a new one?
Ive tried tightening this thing in a million different ways, but no luck
i just hope my insurance would cover it.....

That's weird...what kind of sling/immobilizer are you wearing? You should be able to tighten it on your own, but it might depend on what they gave you to wear. This is the kind of immobilizer I was wearing right after surgery:

http://www.bracefusion.com/product_images/c/immobilizer_zoom__69237.gif

As you can see, the straps went through the rings attached to the actual canvass that my arm would lay in, and the straps themselves would have velcro on the ends, so I could just make them as tight or as loose as I needed by re-attaching the velcro tips. Is yours anything like that? :confused:

[JDkeystone]

Have them readjust it and put it where it should be.

It may seem like you are holding it up, but it may just be due to lack of 'experience' in a sling aka not being use to it always being in the postion that it is in a sling. It is going to be uncomfortable, you are in a position which you are not use to being in, plus, you just had surgery.

If they cant adjust it where they feel it should be at, then ask for a new one. My bet is if they cant put it where they feel it should be at, they will just give you a new one or recommend it.

I wasnt use to being in a sling, what worked for me was realizing to just let the sling do its work. Many times it felt like I was holding up my arm just because I wasnt use to being in a sling. When that happened, I just focused on letting my arm just relax in there and all was good.

Not to derail, but let's get you in the green already. ;)

[nick1990]

Have them readjust it and put it where it should be.

It may seem like you are holding it up, but it may just be due to lack of 'experience' in a sling aka not being use to it always being in the postion that it is in a sling. It is going to be uncomfortable, you are in a position which you are not use to being in, plus, you just had surgery.

If they cant adjust it where they feel it should be at, then ask for a new one. My bet is if they cant put it where they feel it should be at, they will just give you a new one or recommend it.

I wasnt use to being in a sling, what worked for me was realizing to just let the sling do its work. Many times it felt like I was holding up my arm just because I wasnt use to being in a sling. When that happened, I just focused on letting my arm just relax in there and all was good.

That is partially it i believe, but even when i consciously "let go", my arm has like no support until it gets to a spot where there is pain
It goes so far down that it feels like im pulling on something and the back of my delt really hurts

That's weird...what kind of sling/immobilizer are you wearing? You should be able to tighten it on your own, but it might depend on what they gave you to wear. This is the kind of immobilizer I was wearing right after surgery:

[img]http://www.bracefusion.com/product_images/c/immobilizer_zoom__69237.gif[img]

As you can see, the straps went through the rings attached to the actual canvass that my arm would lay in, and the straps themselves would have velcro on the ends, so I could just make them as tight or as loose as I needed, by just re-attaching the velcro tips. Is yours anything like that? :confused:

no i have this:

http://www.colonialmedical.com/files/images/detailed/d_9432.jpg

only difference is that mine is made by townsend

I have the velcro straps and what not on the shoulder, but they are literally overlapping i have tightened them so much

Killing me right now

[JDkeystone]

I have the velcro straps and what not on the shoulder, but they are literally overlapping i have tightened them so much

Killing me right now

Oh sh*t...yeah, if it's fully overlapping, then you need a smaller one altogether. I know at my hospital they charge $30 for an immobilizer, but 90% of that price is covered under my medical benefits at work.

Is there anyone at home who can maybe modify the straps on your sling for the time being? Like, double them up in a loose knot or shorten them with some large safety pins or something? You really shouldn't be leaving your arm completely unsupported like that so soon after surgery... =/

[nick1990]

Oh sh*t...yeah, if it's fully overlapping, then you need a smaller one altogether. I know at my hospital they charge $30 for an immobilizer, but 90% of that price is covered under my medical benefits at work.

Is there anyone at home who can maybe modify the straps on your sling for the time being? Like, double them up in a loose knot or shorten them with some large safety pins or something? You really shouldn't be leaving your arm completely unsupported like that so soon after surgery... =/

well my mom was saying she would cut it or something and then use a safety pin or sew it back together

Right now im just using my knee to support my arm lulz

[nick1990]

oh and when you guys get back to work and cant ice as much, do you use stuff like biofreeze or tiger balm?

[JDkeystone]

oh and when you guys get back to work and cant ice as much, do you use stuff like biofreeze or tiger balm?

Not myself; I was off work for 6 weeks, but when I finally did go back, I brought my heating pad with me the first week (in case the pain started up again) but I didn't end up using it all that much. My work's been giving me a lot of extra breaks throughout the day, though, which I use to rest my arm or do some physio exercises at my desk, so this has helped with any lingering pain I still get.




So I went out today and bought a couple of 5lb dumbbells; even though they haven't started me on these at physio yet, I feel like I'm ready to start increasing the weight at home. I'll start out with low reps, though (6-8), and just work my way up from there.

I'm also really liking the gel pack compress I got yesterday; works so much nicer than using actual ice. I can already feel a bit of an improvement in the constant stiffness... gonna follow in FL's footsteps and make this a regular thing. :)

[FLbeach321]

I can already feel a bit of an improvement in the constant stiffness... gonna follow in FL's footsteps and make this a regular thing. :)[/QUOTE]

I'd bet my life that in 5 days you're going to feel a huge difference. I'm still feeling good as far as my tendon pain from swelling. I know I'm still not out of the water yet as I need to keep the swelling under control to break the cycle. My belief is that the swelling is wanting to come back because there's still trauma there and also because it's used to being there. so....ice, ice, ice to reprogram my inflammation hormones to slow down and stay slowed down in secreting imflammation. By taking a 3 steps back and resting 5 days, ice ice ice and starting back real slow with no weights and slowly adding them back has put me ahead 6 steps.

Tomorrow I'm going to see if I can start some low table pushups because wall pushups are too easy now. My fingers are crossed!!

[JDkeystone]

Hey, read your update in your journal; awesome work, congrats! I'm still working my way up to table pushups, but right now my shoulder just isn't strong enough for them yet. I'm just gonna stick to one-armed wall pushups for now, and test it out again in a few days.

Don't really have much of an update today (I'll be attending physio on Tuesdays and Fridays now); just a bit of a happy announcement- today mark's exactly 3 months since my shoulder last dislocated. In fact, when I woke up this morning, I rolled over in a frequent position for me that, prior to surgery, my shoulder use to constantly dislocate from. But this time...it remained fully intact; not even the slightest bit of looseness or instability. It was such a relief, and a totally amazing feeling (one I haven't felt in a LONG time)!

So even though surgery blows and recovery is a drag...this really made my day. Finally starting to believe this awful problem is truly a thing of the past. *knock on wood*

[nick1990]

Hey, read your update in your journal; awesome work, congrats! I'm still working my way up to table pushups, but right now my shoulder just isn't strong enough for them yet. I'm just gonna stick to one-armed wall pushups for now, and test it out again in a few days.

Don't really have much of an update today (I'll be attending physio on Tuesdays and Fridays now); just a bit of a happy announcement- today mark's exactly 3 months since my shoulder last dislocated. In fact, when I woke up this morning, I rolled over in a frequent position for me that, prior to surgery, my shoulder use to constantly dislocate from. But this time...it remained fully intact; not even the slightest bit of looseness or instability. It was such a relief, and a totally amazing feeling (one I haven't felt in a LONG time)!

So even though surgery blows and recovery is a drag...this really made my day. Finally starting to believe this awful problem is truly a thing of the past. *knock on wood*

congrats!!!!
Cant wait to get that "not worrying" feeling

Hey did your guys non-injured arms get sore while your other arm was in a sling?
Feels really tight....

[JDkeystone]

congrats!!!!
Cant wait to get that "not worrying" feeling

Hey did your guys non-injured arms get sore while your other arm was in a sling?
Feels really tight....

lol Thanks, and tell me about it; people were literally afraid to shake my hand in the last few months before surgery, cuz even that was enough to make it pop out. Did you have a lot of dislocations, too, or something?

I don't recall my left arm hurting all that much right after surgery, though. I think, at most, the left side of my neck and my left trap got a little achey from the awkward sleeping positions I had to sleep in the first few weeks, but other than that, it wasn't bad.

Actually, if anything, the left side of my neck has started aching even more lately, but that has less to do with my shoulder, and more to do with just sleeping in really awkward angles and using an old, deflated pillow that really needs replacing haha.

[nick1990]

lol Thanks, and tell me about it; people were literally afraid to shake my hand in the last few months before surgery, cuz even that was enough to make it pop out. Did you have a lot of dislocations, too, or something?

I don't recall my left arm hurting all that much right after surgery, though. I think, at most, the left side of my neck and my left trap got a little achey from the awkward sleeping positions I had to sleep in the first few weeks, but other than that, it wasn't bad.

Actually, if anything, the left side of my neck has started aching even more lately, but that has less to do with my shoulder, and more to do with just sleeping in really awkward angles and using an old, deflated pillow that really needs replacing haha.

only 3 dislocations, but i had a TON of hesitation to do any physical activity

I hate it
Just want to be able to play bball at full force

Left shoulder is prob just not used to all te activity lol

[RyanGrob]

Great journal! Keep up with your recovery progress :D

[JDkeystone]

Thanks, Ryan, same to you! :)

Great session at physio today. I thought I was in for a bad day when it started out with me having overslept cuz my alarm didn't go off (I woke up only 20 minutes before my physio session this morning, so I had to reschedule for this afternoon). But when I got there and my PT started with the usual stretches and testing for ROM, he said I was at nearly 100% for passive and about 75-80% active! In fact, it was so good, when we started doing some of the other exercises in the little mini-gym they have, he said I didn't even need to bother with the bar-raising exercises anymore, cuz I had pretty much maxed out my ROM on them and they were now "too easy" for me lol.

I also surprised him and the other two physiotherapists that work there when I did 12 reps of the front and side raises with the 5lb dumbbell alongside the 3lber; only real difference between the two is I couldn't get quite as high with the 5lber (that, and I had to take longer breaks between sets), but regardless, they were all very impressed with the progress I've made at home. He said, in terms of average progress for a person who had the type of surgery I did, I'm about a month ahead of what it usually takes most of their patients to build up to.

And to top off today's session, I once again gave the table pushups another try...and this time made it to 18 reps! Depth wasn't huge or anything (a lot more practice needed for that), but it was such a turnaround from last week, I felt like I was on top of the world by the time I left. Best part was when my PT said if I keep this up, I could be returning to weight lifting by early to mid August!

[nick1990]

i know im making this into a q and a thread lol, but im very, very, very worried that i messed something up

Im 6 days post op and today, for god knows why, i went on a 6 mile walk.
:l

When i finally dragged my body through my door my arm was soooooo sore

Im just wondering if the jostling from walking so much could have messed me up?
Could i have torn out the anchors?
Re-injured it somehow?

God im so dumb.....

[JDkeystone]

i know im making this into a q and a thread lol, but im very, very, very worried that i messed something up

Im 6 days post op and today, for god knows why, i went on a 6 mile walk.
:l

When i finally dragged my body through my door my arm was soooooo sore

Im just wondering if the jostling from walking so much could have messed me up?
Could i have torn out the anchors?
Re-injured it somehow?

God im so dumb.....

lol You're just like me; the first two weeks after surgery I was always worried I had "ripped out" an anchor, or that I was going to from the smallest actions. But I learned quickly they're not gonna just tear out that easily. They're drilled tight into the bone; it would take a LOT more than just walking to pull one out. ;)

In all likelihood, since walking causes your shoulders to bounce slightly, the constant movement prolly just jostled the area a little too much, which may have caused a little extra inflammation. Were you wearing your sling while walking (and did you get it adjusted, btw)? Six miles is a bit much for less than a week post-op, but as long as you're wearing your fitted sling and (like I said before) not doing any kind of activity to the point of overt pain, it should be fine. I would just do some extra icing, and take it easy at home.

How many anchors did they put in you, anyway? And how many incision holes in your shoulder?

[FLbeach321]

Wow, I don't think I've even walked a TOTAL of 6 miles since my surgery. Walking like that won't tear out an anchor as long as you're in you fitted sling. But it will make your recovery longer by over working your body and creating more swelling and pain. That's why your shoulder is so sore. It's tough and we all went through it, but eventually at some point we all just accept that this is a long sucky healing process. whether we realize it at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 10 weeks, etc. We all eventually realize it. Once we do accept it though, the down time becomes easier because our mindset has changed to allow us to accept that only time and rest can make us heal, and nothing else. Get a lot of movies, learn a new language, etc. just to pass time.

[JDkeystone]

Wow, I don't think I've even walked a TOTAL of 6 miles since my surgery. Walking like that won't tear out an anchor as long as you're in you fitted sling. But it will make your recovery longer by over working your body and creating more swelling and pain. That's why your shoulder is so sore. It's tough and we all went through it, but eventually at some point we all just accept that this is a long sucky healing process. whether we realize it at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 10 weeks, etc. We all eventually realize it. Once we do accept it though, the down time becomes easier because our mindset has changed to allow us to accept that only time and rest can make us heal, and nothing else. Get a lot of movies, learn a new language, etc. just to pass time.

Good advice; I just wonder, though, if it also varies from person to person on how much walking they can do immediately following surgery without any negative repercussions. Like I said before, my doctor said I was ok to start doing brisk walking a week after surgery, and from then on I made a point of walking anywhere from 60-90 minutes a day, and I never noticed any extra pain as a result. However, I was not allowed to jog or run, as that would bounce my shoulder too much and delay the healing. But as long as I just walking at a steady pace, and wore my sling the whole time, it seemed to work ok for me (which I was very thankful for, too). :)

[nick1990]

lol You're just like me; the first two weeks after surgery I was always worried I had "ripped out" an anchor, or that I was going to from the smallest actions. But I learned quickly they're not gonna just tear out that easily. They're drilled tight into the bone; it would take a LOT more than just walking to pull one out. ;)

In all likelihood, since walking causes your shoulders to bounce slightly, the constant movement prolly just jostled the area a little too much, which may have caused a little extra inflammation. Were you wearing your sling while walking (and did you get it adjusted, btw)? Six miles is a bit much for less than a week post-op, but as long as you're wearing your fitted sling and (like I said before) not doing any kind of activity to the point of overt pain, it should be fine. I would just do some extra icing, and take it easy at home.

How many anchors did they put in you, anyway? And how many incision holes in your shoulder?

lol, my doc tells me it takes like a fall down a flight of stairs to rip anchors, but im still nervous haha
I had my arm in my sling, which was adjusted, but the pain was really bad and i had to stop walking at times because of the pain.
I had 4 anchors put in and 3 incisions.
So you dont think this is a cause for concern?
Thanks for advice btw

Wow, I don't think I've even walked a TOTAL of 6 miles since my surgery. Walking like that won't tear out an anchor as long as you're in you fitted sling. But it will make your recovery longer by over working your body and creating more swelling and pain. That's why your shoulder is so sore. It's tough and we all went through it, but eventually at some point we all just accept that this is a long sucky healing process. whether we realize it at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 10 weeks, etc. We all eventually realize it. Once we do accept it though, the down time becomes easier because our mindset has changed to allow us to accept that only time and rest can make us heal, and nothing else. Get a lot of movies, learn a new language, etc. just to pass time.

Thanks bro
Really easing my mind here

EDIT: Wait, so what for you guys do for exercise?
Nothing?

[JDkeystone]

lol, my doc tells me it takes like a fall down a flight of stairs to rip anchors, but im still nervous haha
I had my arm in my sling, which was adjusted, but the pain was really bad and i had to stop walking at times because of the pain.
I had 4 anchors put in and 3 incisions.
So you dont think this is a cause for concern?
Thanks for advice btw

EDIT: Wait, so what for you guys do for exercise?
Nothing?

If walking like that is causing noticeable pain, I think that's a clear sign you need to either decrease the amount, or just lay off altogether for a few days. You don't have to specifically re-injure your shoulder for it to hurt; technically, your shoulder is "injured" already from having been cut open and messed around with inside from the surgical tools. It's gonna hurt to a certain degree, regardless, so if walking is making it hurt even more, then you gotta just listen to your body and rest.

As already mentioned, I was able to start walking regularly after the first week, but only cause it didn't seem to bother my shoulder much to do this. But it obviously varies for different people, cuz FL says he wasn't able to walk like that without it flaring up for him.

[FLbeach321]

Pumped, Yeah I'm sure it's different for all of us. That's great that you were able to walk that soon after surgery. I had so many friends asking me to go to the park and go for some long walks (great scenery here in Florida all year) but I just couldn't. Looking back I think it was more because my bicep tendon was so inflammed not really because of the pain in the joint where the holes were drilled, etc. So walking really irritated the tendon. My doctor told me I could ride my motorcycle at 6 weeks but when 6 weeks came I had to listen to my body and couldn't do it until 9.5 weeks. As far as running, I heard doctors not allowing that until 3 months, but I'm 2 weeks away from 3 months and can't picture myself jogging. I can now picture myself taking cardio walks but I'm not going to chance it as I'll just start using the crosstrainer without using the arms.

Rick, "

EDIT: Wait, so what for you guys do for exercise?
Nothing?"

You're adorable! :) but seriously, get that word "exercise" out of your head my friend. You have to replace it with "protect the repair". Just like Pumped said, you are fixed from your previous injury, but you have a brand new injury that needs to heal and that's the trauma from the procedure. That's some major trauma. And as far as worrying about damaging something or things not healing right...You'll go through that phase for at least 8 weeks. From what I've seen, everyone goes through it, so it's normal. But try to keep in mind that you are ok, you just need to heal from the surgery trauma. You'll feel different pains and tweaks, etc., and you'll get depressed and question your repair. You're ok, just take a breath and remember that you have a long time for full recovery and pains are normal, but you're ok :)

[nick1990]

If walking like that is causing noticeable pain, I think that's a clear sign you need to either decrease the amount, or just lay off altogether for a few days. You don't have to specifically re-injure your shoulder for it to hurt; technically, your shoulder is "injured" already from having been cut open and messed around with inside from the surgical tools. It's gonna hurt to a certain degree, regardless, so if walking is making it hurt even more, then you gotta just listen to your body and rest.

As already mentioned, I was able to start walking regularly after the first week, but only cause it didn't seem to bother my shoulder much to do this. But it obviously varies for different people, cuz FL says he wasn't able to walk like that without it flaring up for him.

gotcha
thanks for the advice guys

Flbeach321 you are on slaptear.com right?

Last night i was researching if walking could cause a re-injury, and saw that someone by your same user name posted in a thread pretty much identical to my question

lol, you gave the same advice to me as you did to him

wow, thats weird lmao

[JDkeystone]

Oh god...all this talk of pulling out anchors and whatnot has me worried now. I just went to the bathroom at work, and when I was locking the bathroom stall door with my right arm, I was basically moving my arm in the same external rotation motion I use for the E.R. resistance band exercise. And while I was sliding the bolt into the lock, I suddenly felt (and heard) a very noticeable pop. I thought I dislocated my shoulder for a second, but when I tried to move my arm, it was still in place...only with some to pain to go with it. I'm back at my desk now (obviously lol) and my arm seems to feel ok, but I seriously have no idea what I just did. It didn't feel like the usual clicking/popping sensation I've had since surgery (or it did, but amplified about 100x worse), so I'm kinda worried I either loosened or twisted something that could've caused such a huge pop.

brb googling symptoms for loosened anchors (semi-srs lol)...

[nick1990]

Oh god...all this talk of pulling out anchors and whatnot has me worried now. I just went to the bathroom at work, and when I was locking the bathroom stall door with my right arm, I was basically moving my arm in the same external rotation motion I use for the E.R. resistance band exercise. And while I was sliding the bolt into the lock, I suddenly felt (and heard) a very noticeable pop. I thought I dislocated my shoulder for a second, but when I tried to move my arm, it was still in place...only with some to pain to go with it. I'm back at my desk now (obviously lol) and my arm seems to feel ok, but I seriously have no idea what I just did. It didn't feel like the usual clicking/popping sensation I've had since surgery (or it did, but amplified about 100x worse), so I'm kinda worried I either loosened or twisted something that could've caused such a huge pop.

brb googling symptoms for loosened anchors (semi-srs lol)...

gah, that sux!

but from more research i read that a loosened anchor causes a good deal of continuous pain

i will now be the voice of reason (lol) and say that im sure youre fine

[JDkeystone]

gah, that sux!

but from more research i read that a loosened anchor causes a good deal of continuous pain

i will now be the voice of reason (lol) and say that im sure youre fine

lol As Bart Simpson would say, "the ironing is delicious!" :p

But yeah, it feels ok now (minus the usual stiffness I always have anyway), so I shant worry til my next micro-spaz (which are a pretty regular occurrence for me, too haha). Thanks for the tip!

[FLbeach321]

Hey, nick. Yes, I'm on SLAPtear.com I usually copy and paste my updates on there. "WaterPolo" has a great journal. I believe its "back to waterpolo" or something like that.

Pumped, just saw your concerned post. I was going to say what Nick told you...As long as there isn't continous pain then you're fine. As a matter of fact, you may have broken up some scar tissue. Or could just have been bad positioning with your arm plus weak muscles and the bones rubbed or something. You said you're feeling normal now so I believe you're good

[nick1990]

Hey, nick. Yes, I'm on SLAPtear.com I usually copy and paste my updates on there. "WaterPolo" has a great journal. I believe its "back to waterpolo" or something like that.

Pumped, just saw your concerned post. I was going to say what Nick told you...As long as there isn't continous pain then you're fine. As a matter of fact, you may have broken up some scar tissue. Or could just have been bad positioning with your arm plus weak muscles and the bones rubbed or something. You said you're feeling normal now so I believe you're good

lol, i knew it was you!!!
Weird...

Hey, what effect does breaking up scar tissue have on the shoulder?

On every other injury i have had that has always been good/goal

This sounds bad though, am i right?

Oh and what sport did you used to play? (odd topic, but saw a post of yours over there haha)

[JDkeystone]

Pumped, just saw your concerned post. I was going to say what Nick told you...As long as there isn't continous pain then you're fine. As a matter of fact, you may have broken up some scar tissue. Or could just have been bad positioning with your arm plus weak muscles and the bones rubbed or something. You said you're feeling normal now so I believe you're good

Cool, good to know. The pop itself freaked me out a bit (cuz I hadn't felt it pop like that since prior to surgery), but if it's nothing to worry about based on what I felt right after, then I'll relax and carry on lol.


Hey, what effect does breaking up scar tissue have on the shoulder?

On every other injury i have had that has always been good/goal

It's the same for shoulders, as well. My PT always starts our sessions by stretching my arm to test ROM as well as (gently) break up some more scar tissue. So, yeah, it's a good thing for sure. Not necessarily a fun process lol, but it increases mobility every time more is broken up. :)

[FLbeach321]

Pumped, how are you today?

[JDkeystone]

Meh, about the same (usual stiffness, same ROM, etc). Wish I had something new and exciting to report everyday, but as we've all come to know, this is a painfully slow process (literally haha), so much of what I update is usually me just repeating what's already been posted. :p

I've definitely noticed an improvement since starting to ice it everyday, though.:) Still getting the early-morning stiffness and pain (PT says that'll prolly be the last thing to go), but it eases up much faster now, and I don't have quite as much pain after doing my exercises.

Physio again tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have something new to update (other than the same old, same old lol). I also see you've now been officially released from physio; good stuff. Wish I could say the same, but I won't be outta that place for at least another 8-10 weeks (possibly longer grrr). We'll see how it goes...

[nick1990]

Hey guys, this may sound very dumb, but should I be trying to stop/educe inflammation?
I only ask because my doc says inflammation is the bodys natural response to injury and helps heal
makes sense, but ge told me to avoid avoid anti inflammatories around surgery, but I don't know if I should be taking them now
what do you guys think?

Also, how often do you guys ice a day?
I try to I've at least 4 times a day, 20 mins at a time
Too little?

Do you guys use heat?

Thanks

edit: I'm still really feeling it in my lower and mid delt from that walk the other day.
Kinda worried
doesn't really hurt near the incisions at all
feels better when I massage it
Other than exploratory surgery, is there a way to see if something is wrong?

[nick1990]

Hey do you guys still take supps?
I was thinking cissus and fish oil?

[FLbeach321]

As far as inflamation...I had a discussion on SLAPTEAR.com about this. Someone said the same thing as you about his doc said no anti inflammatories. I thought this was way off the mark. But then others said they heard the same thing. Different docs have different opinions. I'll never be swayed to believe I shouldn't take anti inflammatories. Even taking them, your shoulder will still get swelled. Heck, if you cut your self your body's natural reaction is to bleed, but you don't let it bleed, you stop the bleeding. I'm really big on consistancy. For a doctor to say "no anti inflammatories because you need inflammation" then how can that same doctor tell you to Ice?

My opinion from my experience...get rid of the inflammation so your body can get blood supply and ROM so you can start healing.

As far as your deltoid from walking...If you're anything like me it is your bicep tendon inflammed frmo the walk. ice and give it a nice rest. You're fine. You didn't do any major damage to the repair. You just aggrevated it cause you tried to much too soon. Boredom will do that to all of us, lol

[JDkeystone]

I pretty much agree with FL on the inflammation question. I was prescribed anti-inflammatories right after surgery (3x a day for 10 days), and my surgeon never once told me to just let it remain inflamed or not try to reduce it, simply cuz it's the body's "natural response" to dealing with an injury. Same can be said for having a fever when you're sick; it's the body's natural way of trying to kill an infection, but let it go untreated, and that same fever could eventually kill you.

But yeah, I have been taking supps this whole time- whey, fish oil, and a multi (my usual supps when not cutting heh). Actually, I think Ryan mentioned in his journal the other day that he's been taking something like nine fish oil caps a day since his surgery, which I believe he said he gives part credit for how he's been progressing so quickly (though it's definitely not the primary reason lol). I just take my standard three caps a day.

Now for updates; I am now exactly 3 months post-surgery, and I feel like I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the recovery tunnel. While at work yesterday, I was joking around with some of my colleagues when I reached up with both hands to tighten my ponytail...and it didn't hurt this time! Til now, putting my hair in a ponytail has been a grimacing task (including tightening it throughout the day) so this was a total shock.

I then did some stretching and movements similar to what my PT does when testing my ROM, and I was amazed to find myself able to raise my right arm above my head almost as high as my left (like, literally, it was maybe 2-3 inches difference in range). I tried moving my arm in the old "dangerous" positions that always made it dislocate (the "up and back" movement, similar to the position used on a reverse pectoral fly machine), and it felt somewhat tight with very mild pain, but that was it. I honestly don't know what happened or what changed, but yesterday my shoulder was feeling as close to perfect as it's felt since my dislocations started seven years ago.

Still feeling good today, but I haven't done any exercises yet, so the usual stiffness is back, but I'll see how it feels after I've done some rigorous stretching and resistance band stuff.

[nick1990]

As far as inflamation...I had a discussion on SLAPTEAR.com about this. Someone said the same thing as you about his doc said no anti inflammatories. I thought this was way off the mark. But then others said they heard the same thing. Different docs have different opinions. I'll never be swayed to believe I shouldn't take anti inflammatories. Even taking them, your shoulder will still get swelled. Heck, if you cut your self your body's natural reaction is to bleed, but you don't let it bleed, you stop the bleeding. I'm really big on consistancy. For a doctor to say "no anti inflammatories because you need inflammation" then how can that same doctor tell you to Ice?

My opinion from my experience...get rid of the inflammation so your body can get blood supply and ROM so you can start healing.

As far as your deltoid from walking...If you're anything like me it is your bicep tendon inflammed frmo the walk. ice and give it a nice rest. You're fine. You didn't do any major damage to the repair. You just aggrevated it cause you tried to much too soon. Boredom will do that to all of us, lol

that's what i was thinking
I mean, it made some sense, but then I thought why ice?
I have no anti inflammatories other than advil, is that enough?
Also I have DMSO. Should I use it?

And yes I have had bicep work done!!!
ThAt's gotta be it!

I'm trying to sign up at slaptear, but they are having probs with registration
I have tried like 5 times lol

thanks for all the help bro


I pretty much agree with FL on the inflammation question. I was prescribed anti-inflammatories right after surgery (3x a day for 10 days), and my surgeon never once told me to just let it remain inflamed or not try to reduce it, simply cuz it's the body's "natural response" to dealing with an injury. Same can be said for having a fever when you're sick; it's the body's natural way of trying to kill an infection, but let it go untreated, and that same fever could eventually kill you.

But yeah, I have been taking supps this whole time- whey, fish oil, and a multi (my usual supps when not cutting heh). Actually, I think Ryan mentioned in his journal the other day that he's been taking something like nine fish oil caps a day since his surgery, which I believe he said he gives part credit for how he's been progressing so quickly (though it's definitely not the primary reason lol). I just take my standard three caps a day.

Now for updates; I am now exactly 3 months post-surgery, and I feel like I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the recovery tunnel. While at work yesterday, I was joking around with some of my colleagues when I reached up with both hands to tighten my ponytail...and it didn't hurt this time! Til now, putting my hair in a ponytail has been a grimacing task (including tightening it throughout the day) so this was a total shock.

I then did some stretching and movements similar to what my PT does when testing my ROM, and I was amazed to find myself able to raise my right arm above my head almost as high as my left (like, literally, it was maybe 2-3 inches difference in range). I tried moving my arm in the old "dangerous" positions that always made it dislocate (the "up and back" movement, similar to the position used on a reverse pectoral fly machine), and it felt somewhat tight with very mild pain, but that was it. I honestly don't know what happened or what changed, but yesterday my shoulder was feeling as close to perfect as it's felt since my dislocations started seven years ago.

Still feeling good today, but I haven't done any exercises yet, so the usual stiffness is back, but I'll see how it feels after I've done some rigorous stretching and resistance band stuff.

hey glad to hear youre feeling better!!
Can't wait till I can say the same haha

I think you guys are right about the inflammation
gonna pop some asprin soon

And as far as supps, I would imagine they could only help right?

Hey how often do you ice?
Do you use heat?

Hey thanks for answering all my questions and not minding I do so n your thread lol
reallly appreciate it

[JDkeystone]

hey glad to hear youre feeling better!!
Can't wait till I can say the same haha

I think you guys are right about the inflammation
gonna pop some asprin soon

And as far as supps, I would imagine they could only help right?

Hey how often do you ice?
Do you use heat?

Hey thanks for answering all my questions and not minding I do so n your thread lol
reallly appreciate it

Thanks, me too! Just hang in there; we all know what you're going through right now, and it will get better. :)

Taking supps while recovering I'm sure wouldn't have any kind of bad effects on your progress, but how much they'll actually help, I really don't know. But since your body is trying desperately to repair itself, giving it an extra boost through nutritional supplements probably couldn't hurt.

Right now I'm making a point of icing with that gel compress pack 3x a day, for 20-30 minutes each. I've definitely noticed an improvement in the pain and stiffness since doing this, so I'll be continuing it for sure. I don't really use my heating pad much anymore (that was more for in the earlier stages of physio, when my shoulder was super-tight and ROM extremely limited).

No worries about posting questions in here; glad to help anyone who's going through the same thing I'm just coming out of right now. I had tons of questions too right before my surgery, and I know how grateful I was to get answers from people who'd already been through the same process.

Anyhoo, I gotta jet now before the mall closes (groceries and random, household sh*t to buy). Also gotta get my ingredients together for the proatmeal contest on the Nutrition board lulz. BBL! :D

[FLbeach321]

Hey Pumped, it's very possible that its the extra icing that you are doing. That bicep tendon pain that ran a bit down to my lower deltoid still hasn't come back since starting to ice like crazy. Now you've notice a big difference and that seems to be the only ingredient you've changed. I'm amazed at what it did for me.

Nick, asprin will help with pain but you need 800mgs of Ibuprofen a couple times a day for swelling. you can also take alieve at 500mgs twice a day (and no more than 1000mgs of alieve per day). I don't think you should be putting heat on your shoulder at this point. It's too early. But if you do need it to losen up I think that ice right after it would be best. But I still haven't done heat. Sometimes I will take a hot shower for shoulder or hot tub but not very often and that probably wasn't until week 8 or so. You need ice and anti inflammatories and REST.

[JDkeystone]

I think you're right, FL. I started doing the daily icing last weekend, when I got that freezable gel pack/wrap, and ever since I started wearing it multiple times a day, my shoulder has improved significantly. That, and I think also combined with my more aggressive physio exercises; at this rate, I'm starting to think I might be ready to return to lifting by early August (instead of late Aug/early Sept, my originally expected return date).

[nick1990]

hwy guys, these baggies full of ice just arent cutting it lol
I need something else

i was thinking something like these:

ice bag
$11
http://ucanhealth.com/graph/m619-5110-0021.jpg

cryo cuff
Normally hundreds of dollars, but i see them on ebay for no more than $30
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41A5ZJ9ws6L._AA300_.jpg

ice wrap
About $50
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-25234472886561_2107_119325855

Money isnt that much of an issue
I just want something that will give me the best bang for the buck

Im really leaning towards the ice bag because i have heard the cryo cuff doesnt get cold enough

what do you guys think?

[JDkeystone]

How would the ice bag be used? Like, you just sit it on your shoulder and hold very still for 20 minutes so it doesn't fall off? Or does it have a strap or something so that it can be tied around your shoulder, too?

Out of those three, I guess I would say the ice wrap looks to be the highest quality for ease and comfort, but I again recommend what I'm using:
http://i679.photobucket.com/albums/vv154/pumped4life82/icewrap2.jpg

Cheap, easy to wear, and very effective. But if you really want one of the other ones, by all means, go for it. ;)

[JDkeystone]

Day 95 (zomg almost triple digits).

Finally got my new, PURPLE thera-band today at physio, and already I'm feeling the difference in my shoulder for the amount of work being exerted. My PT also gave me another exercise to work on, very similar to a side dumbbell raise, except this one is gripping the dumbbell with my thumb pointing down the whole time. May not sound like a big difference, but trust me, it IS; I actually cried out in pain a few times trying this (which simply meant I was trying to go too high too quickly, thinking I could do this exercise as easily as I do the other ones I've been doing for weeks).

Jason also started me on Low Intensity Laser Therapy today as another treatment method for the stiffness and pain I'm still experiencing. I can't say it's made a noticeable difference (given that it was my first time trying it), but at this point I'll take anything that can contribute towards speeding up my healing. The ROM is great; but even with icing everyday now, the stiffness and pain is still an ever-present problem. So I guess we'll try this out for the time being (in addition to the usual physio exercises) and see what it does.

[nick1990]

Day 95 (zomg almost triple digits).

Finally got my new, PURPLE thera-band today at physio, and already I'm feeling the difference in my shoulder for the amount of work being exerted. My PT also gave me another exercise to work on, very similar to a side dumbbell raise, except this one is gripping the dumbbell with my thumb pointing down the whole time. May not sound like a big difference, but trust me, it IS; I actually cried out in pain a few times trying this (which simply meant I was trying to go too high too quickly, thinking I could do this exercise as easily as I do the other ones I've been doing for weeks).

Jason also started me on Low Intensity Laser Therapy today as another treatment method for the stiffness and pain I'm still experiencing. I can't say it's made a noticeable difference (given that it was my first time trying it), but at this point I'll take anything that can contribute towards speeding up my healing. The ROM is great; but even with icing everyday now, the stiffness and pain is still an ever-present problem. So I guess we'll try this out for the time being (in addition to the usual physio exercises) and see what it does.

Christ
the way you guys describe pt is making me nervous lmao
sounds like torture

when and how often do you ice btw?

[FLbeach321]

Pumped, the exercise you described is nicknamed "the empty cup" because it mimicks pouring out a cup or liquid. It targets the supraspinatus(sp?) muscle of the rotator cuff

[JDkeystone]

Christ
the way you guys describe pt is making me nervous lmao
sounds like torture

when and how often do you ice btw?

lol Not gonna lie; if your recovery is anything like mine, it's gonna feel like torture for the first couple weeks. It's not so bad now, but what I dislike the most about physio is when my PT starts off each session by stretching my arm, testing my ROM. He deliberately moves it into awkward, uncomfortable positions, bending and twisting it as far as he can go til it's too painful to go any further.

About icing...I'm actually gonna be home all day today, doing exactly that. I had a painful fall last night when I got up to go to the bathroom, and tripped over my cat (she was weaving in and out of my legs, and I didn't have the light or my contacts on, so I couldn't see). My shoulder hurts so much right now, I might even have to cancel my next physio session for Friday. Just gonna ice for now and hope it clears up. :(

Normally, though, I usually ice about 2-3x a day, 20-30 min each. Don't really have specific times for when I do them, but on average, it's usually early afternoon, early evening, then right before bed.


Pumped, the exercise you described is nicknamed "the empty cup" because it mimicks pouring out a cup or liquid. It targets the supraspinatus(sp?) muscle of the rotator cuff

lol Thanks, FL; I'll have to get my PT to start giving me the actual names of these exercises (rather than his usual "ok, next exercise we're gonna try: *demonstration only*"), so that you don't have to keep providing all the missing details like these from my updates heh. :p

[JDkeystone]

As predicted, I ended up cancelling my physio session for today (next scheduled for Monday afternoon). Since my fall on Wednesday, I've just been icing profusely and taking it easy, and even cancelled my plans for tonight so I could continue to ice at home. While I've noticed some improvement (ie. I can painfully tie my hair in a ponytail again, and open moderately resistant doors with just my right arm), my shoulder still doesn't feel up to par. There were several times today in between icing where it would just start to ache all of a sudden out of nowhere (when I wouldn't be doing anything strenuous at the time). What was discouraging about this is it's extremely similar to how my shoulder felt in the first month after surgery; intermittent spasms and aches all throughout the day, regardless of activity.

My PT doesn't think I've done any major damage (just banged up an obviously still-sensitive area that needs time to settle down now), but he did advise I just keep icing and not do any exercises til our next session.

[nick1990]

As predicted, I ended up cancelling my physio session for today (next scheduled for Monday afternoon). Since my fall on Wednesday, I've just been icing profusely and taking it easy, and even cancelled my plans for tonight so I could continue to ice at home. While I've noticed some improvement (ie. I can painfully tie my hair in a ponytail again, and open moderately resistant doors with just my right arm), my shoulder still doesn't feel up to par. There were several times today in between icing where it would just start to ache all of a sudden out of nowhere (when I wouldn't be doing anything strenuous at the time). What was discouraging about this is it's extremely similar to how my shoulder felt in the first month after surgery; intermittent spasms and aches all throughout the day, regardless of activity.

My PT doesn't think I've done any major damage (just banged up an obviously still-sensitive area that needs time to settle down now), but he did advise I just keep icing and not do any exercises til our next session.

wow....just read your last post about your fall :(

Hope things are going well.

Were you almost pain free before the fall?
Were you past morning pain/stiffness, or does that never go away?

[JDkeystone]

wow....just read your last post about your fall :(

Hope things are going well.

Were you almost pain free before the fall?
Were you past morning pain/stiffness, or does that never go away?

Before my fall, yeah, other than the morning stiffness and my newest physio exercises, I had almost no pain to speak of. Passive ROM was almost perfect, active ROM was like 80%, and tasks/actions that used to be painful or difficult were now painless and easy.

But since two days ago, my ROM has gone down quite a bit (maybe 10-15% less for both). I can't lift the same heavier objects I was picking up before, and sleeping has gotten kinda painful again, too. Overall, it is starting to feel better with all the icing I've been doing, but I know I'm gonna be stressing about this til it feels the same as it did prior to me stupidly tripping and falling.

According to my PT, he says the stiffness I get waking up will eventually go; he just said it would be one of the last things to clear up. I'm always telling him how it worries me it doesn't seem to be going away, but he said the fact that my ROM and strength are constantly improving is all I need to focus on (cuz once they're totally 100%, the stiffness will follow). If they weren't getting any better, that'd be a different matter; luckily, I haven't had that problem yet, though. :)

[JDkeystone]

Well, after five days of nothing but non-stop icing, my shoulder feels significantly better. My progress does appear to have dropped a notch as a result of my late-night tumble last week, but overall it doesn't seem to be drastically reduced or anything. Did the same exercises at physio today, and the only noticeable difference since my last session was that my shoulder was quite a bit stiffer when my PT was moving my arm through the usual stretching exercises at the start. So I'm just gonna keep doing the same group of exercises I was already doing, only I'll be going back to the 3lb weights and just work my way back up from there.

He did say, though, that it was a good thing I had this fall as late post-op as I did, cuz if it had happened any sooner (say, within the first 6-10 weeks), it could've been a lot worse than it was. Good to know, but I'm definitely gonna start keeping a small light on in the hallway (or a nightlight in the bathroom) so this doesn't happen again.

I also asked him about Active Release Therapy (the same treatment FL's getting right now), but my PT once again said he didn't think I needed it. He said I could give it a try if I really wanted to, but given that my ROM is as good as it is, he didn't think it was necessary in my case. I dunno if I fully agree with him on that, but I'll hold off on it a little longer before I seriously start looking into it.

[Lyght13]

Lol, FL's account with ART is quite motivational to get it. I didnt even know what it was and I am interested in it now even though Im farther ahead of him.

[JDkeystone]

Lol, FL's account with ART is quite motivational to get it. I didnt even know what it was and I am interested in it now even though Im farther ahead of him.

How much further ahead are you? My surgery was about three weeks before his, but we've been pretty much neck and neck for progress. Actually, for the most part FL has been advancing a little faster than me (he's moved on to exercises I can't attempt yet), but that's mainly due to me having more work done, and thus a slower recovery.

[Lyght13]

How much further ahead are you? My surgery was about three weeks before his, but we've been pretty much neck and neck for progress. Actually, for the most part FL has been advancing a little faster than me (he's moved on to exercises I can't attempt yet), but that's mainly due to me having more work done, and thus a slower recovery.

3-4 weeks farther than FL, my surgery was March 4

[JDkeystone]

No physio today (next session on Thursday), but I was disappointed to find my shoulder bothering me more than usual today. Not like major pain or anything; but achey enough here and there for me to have to modify tasks and activities to accommodate the pain (ie. having to switch my handbag from my right shoulder to my left, having to open doors with my left arm cuz it was too difficult for my right, having to reach for stuff with my left hand cuz it hurt too much to reach with my right, etc).

Kinda discouraging, given how good my shoulder was feeling prior to my fall last week. So even though I'm still fairly happy with my physio results thus far, I've decided I'm gonna also give active release therapy a try. FL raves about it, and another member on here who also had shoulder surgery around the same time as me (coincidentally from my hometown) highly recommends it as well. So I'm gonna shop around for an AR-therapist tomorrow, and hopefully book an appointment for sometime this week. Will post updates as they come.

[JDkeystone]

Quick update- I found an ART clinic in my area that actually charges pretty decent fees (compared to some other places I've looked at) and I'm now scheduled for my first session Friday morning. I don't expect to be having a lot of sessions overall (I'm told I should see results within 3-4 visits), but I'm super excited to give this a try! Very curious to see how it compares to the standard physio exercises I've become so accustomed to these last few months heh. More to come! :)

[FLbeach321]

Glad to hear you're giving ART a try. Its still working for me. For me the first visit was amazing. After that, I'm still getting results but not as much as the jump I got from the first one. That's not to put it down because I'm getting way more results than if I weren't getting ART. I suggest trying one that is 'Ironman Certified" From what I understand, thats the highest certification you can get for ART. Before you go, try to figure out what actual movements bother you and where, so you can tell doctor and he can have you do that movement while performing ART. I'm anxious to hear your results!

[JDkeystone]

Glad to hear you're giving ART a try. Its still working for me. For me the first visit was amazing. After that, I'm still getting results but not as much as the jump I got from the first one. That's not to put it down because I'm getting way more results than if I weren't getting ART. I suggest trying one that is 'Ironman Certified" From what I understand, thats the highest certification you can get for ART. Before you go, try to figure out what actual movements bother you and where, so you can tell doctor and he can have you do that movement while performing ART. I'm anxious to hear your results!

Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it, too! Been doing some reading about it the past few days, and I've everything I've seen looks very promising. If this can get me past the "hump" I can't seem to break through (or haven't yet) with physio, I think that'll be the key I need to be back in the gym by the goal date I originally set. :)

[nick1990]

when do you consider beginning ART?

Or i guess i should say, at what stage of recovery?

[FLbeach321]

I would think you'd want to wait at least 6-8weeks until the labrum is attached enough (not all the way but attached but pretty decent). There's a guy on SLAPtear.com who got it at 6 weeks and that was a week ago. He hasn't posted back yet to say how it went. You definitely want a doctor who understands what you had done so he won't mess up the repair if you get ART that early.

[JDkeystone]

I agree with FL; I don't have any experience yet with ART myself, of course, but it sounds like something you wouldn't wanna start too early so as to protect the repair job.

Another good person to ask might be the other member I mentioned who also had recent surgery (had it in March shortly after mine) and is doing ART as well. He actually told me that's all he's doing for his "physio" (he's doing regular physio exercises too, but he's not seeing an actual PT for them). If you wanna shoot him any questions, check out his profile here (he's been really helpful for me):

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/golden_H/

[FLbeach321]

I can totally believe that he doesn't go to PT. PT is to get your ROM back by stretching and breaking up scar tissue. From my 4 visits (so far) that's exactly what ART does. However, I wouldn't recommend not going to PT though because the PT will know exactly how hard or NOT how hard to push yourself and not mess up the repair. Maybe just not seeing a PT as often.

[JDkeystone]

I can totally believe that he doesn't go to PT. PT is to get your ROM back by stretching and breaking up scar tissue. From my 4 visits (so far) that's exactly what ART does. However, I wouldn't recommend not going to PT though because the PT will know exactly how hard or NOT how hard to push yourself and not mess up the repair. Maybe just not seeing a PT as often.

What he told me he's doing is, in addition to ART (which is his main form of physio), he's also doing standard physiotherapy exercises, which he said are being put together by both his surgeon and trainer. Didn't really go into explicit detail on his whole routine, but it sounds like it's working well for him, cuz he's making good progress (this was his 2nd surgery, and pretty severe, too; nine anchors total). Too bad he doesn't post on this board lol... :(

[nick1990]

What he told me he's doing is, in addition to ART (which is his main form of physio), he's also doing standard physiotherapy exercises, which he said are being put together by both his surgeon and trainer. Didn't really go into explicit detail on his whole routine, but it sounds like it's working well for him, cuz he's making good progress (this was his 2nd surgery, and pretty severe, too; nine anchors total). Too bad he doesn't post on this board lol... :(

motherofgod.jpg

9 anchors!!!!!!

Was his arm ripped off his body?

lmao

I might try ART, but my insurance has to cover it or i cant do it :(

[JDkeystone]

motherofgod.jpg

9 anchors!!!!!!

Was his arm ripped off his body?

lmao

I might try ART, but my insurance has to cover it or i cant do it :(

lol sounded like it. he was originally supposed to have "open" surgery, but the doc changed it at the last minute to arthroscopy (cuz there was apparently a bit of labrum left to work with) and just went drill-happy with the anchors (j/k about "drill-happy" lulz).

If your insurance covers chiropractic treatment, you should be good for ART, though.

[nick1990]

lol sounded like it. he was originally supposed to have "open" surgery, but the doc changed it at the last minute to arthroscopy (cuz there was apparently a bit of labrum left to work with) and just went drill-happy with the anchors (j/k about "drill-happy" lulz).

If your insurance covers chiropractic treatment, you should be good for ART, though.

Well, it does cover chiro work, but does ART fall under the same field?

Should prob just call insurance lol

thanks guys

EDIT: hey guys, do you still get inflamed?
Im 3 weeks out and it seems that my arm still gets inflamed when i walk.
I try to walk as little as i can, but i have to get to work somehow lol.
Its thankfully just a 1 mile walk, but by the time i get there or back, my arm is aching at the biceps tendon.
Im just hoping this isnt ruining my progress.
Any advice?

[JDkeystone]

Had my first ART session this morning. It was good, but prolly not exactly what I was expecting. They started off by hooking me up to the same muscle stimulating machine I get at physio to relax and loosen the muscles. That went for about 15 minutes, then the doctor came back in and did a few simple movements with my arm to get a feel for the biggest problem areas. He said I had excellent ROM for being only a little over 3 months post-op, but that my shoulder was still pretty tight which needed some work. He put some kind of gel on my shoulder and then did some really deep massaging with his fingertips. Definitely felt some pain there, but honestly, it wasn't anything unbearable or that I haven't felt before.

He then had me do a couple exercises, where he was grasping my shoulder with 2-3 fingers (felt like two, but I didn't actually see), pinching it firmly in a particular spot. While he was doing this, I had to first raise my arm to the side, thumb pointing up, and lift as high as possible while his fingers were continuously digging. Very noticeable pain in doing this, but again nothing intolerable. Did this about 7-8x, with the pain steadily increasing on every rep. But by the time it was finished, my shoulder was MUCH looser and more mobile; I was able to raise it several inches higher than I had prior to the exercise. With the next one, same kinda thing; gripping my shoulder in the same spot with 2-3 fingers, I had to reach my arm out and to the left, as if I was reaching to grab something to the left of me but with my right hand. The further I reached, the more pain I felt from his fingers digging into my shoulder, and it got more and more difficult with every try. I was really wincing to get through this (wherever he was digging in was really hitting the "trouble spot" hard), but once we were done, I again noticed a large improvement in my ROM and overall mobility.

Surprisingly, though, he did say I didn't appear to have very much scar tissue at all; in fact, he said it was minimal at worst (same as what my PT's been saying all along). I still had obvious stiffness and limitation in ROM, but he said that was more from the muscles and ligaments and overall joint still healing from surgery, which would continue to improve over time with continuous physio exercises and strengthening. He said I could still benefit from a few sessions of ART to further loosen up my shoulder and increase my range beyond what I've been able to get from only physio thus far. So I'll be going back again a week from this Monday, on July 5 (schedule was too jammed to fit anything in next week).

Good experience overall, though (and seems pretty similar to FL's); looking forward to see where it goes. :)

[FLbeach321]

Hey, that sounds very much like mine. I think maybe I was a little more locked up than you at first. I was told I have a lot of scar tissue. But also, my supraspinatus is very tight as well as my bicep tendon, teres major and im sure much more (just like you and everyone else that's been injured/immobile) Even if there isn't much scar tissue, he'll still get your ROM back faster which will start the process of the annoying stiffness going away. Our joint is so locked up by tight muscles that the shoulder seems to work as one unit instead of indiviual muscles (ie, our trap raising when lifting arm). I also showed a friend how it hurts in the joint when I wash good side under arm with bad arm. She said that she could see that with my bad side my whole shoulder is moving where as when I mimmick the movement with my good arm, it doesnt do that. So I beleive that ART will help (in addition to PT) with loosening all those muscles up and that will stop the pain inside over time. Make sure you keep arm moving. Doctor told me "every hour". This will keep the adhesions from sticking again, because that's what they want to do. You might even start aching more because of all the movement you'll be doing, but Im thinking its short term until everything works normal again.

My mom flew in last night to visit. She has a bone spur in shoulder that may need surgery, as well as ankle problems and a toe problem. She got relief and more movement in shoulder, ankles and toe don't hurt anymore since visit. Her shoulder is also starting to get looser as the day is going on.

Keep us posted tomorrow on if it gets better or stays the same.

[JDkeystone]

Yeah, that all sounds about right. Actually, one thing I think I've failed to mention in some of my more recent updates is my trap movement has made a huge improvement lately (ever since I moved up to table/bed pushups, and starting working with the 5lb dumbbells). Right now when I raise both arms up while facing a mirror, I'm now seeing very little trap movement (it looks like a difference of maybe a centimetre or two in height). With the exception of my fall from last week , tying my hair in a ponytail has also gotten much easier because of this, and my arm no longer feels like it's about to be ripped outta the socket when I lift my arms up that high for that long lol.

I hear ya on the pain in washing your good underarm with your bad arm, though; I still get the same thing (as well as if I try to reach across with my right arm to scratch an itch anywhere on the left side of my body:(). I actually forgot to mention that to the doc during our session, but I'll bring it up next time.

Sorry to hear about your mom, though; glad she's feeling somewhat better since arriving, but hopefully she'll be able to get all those issues taken care of, as well!

[JDkeystone]

Two days since my first try at ART; can't say I've really noticed a huge difference in that time, but I'll prolly have to go through at least a few sessions before I can give a better assessment. My shoulder felt really good on Friday for the rest of the day, stiffened up a bit yesterday, and a little more today. Frustrating, but at this point I've almost resigned myself to it, so I'm not even gonna waste space complaining about it.

My strength has gone up, though; I'm now alternating between 5lb and 8lb dumbbells for arm raises, and 3lbs for the "empty cup" raise (I'm now borrowing my brother's dumbbells to use at home). In terms of height and overall ROM with weights, I'd hazzard a guess I'm up to about 150-160 degrees on the front raises, and 135-140 degrees on the sides.

Don't wanna get too far ahead of myself, but I'm almost hoping this means I could return to the gym and start some light lifting sometime in July. I'd obviously have to be extremely careful and avoid certain lifts, but other than the tight feeling I still get in the morning, I'm really starting to feel like I'm ready for it. My next follow up appointment with my surgeon isn't til August 25 (he had wanted me to wait til then before resuming any serious weight training), but I'll ask my PT next week and see what he thinks.

[nick1990]

hey guys, do you still get inflamed?
Im 3 weeks out and it seems that my arm still gets inflamed when i walk.
I try to walk as little as i can, but i have to get to work somehow lol.
Its thankfully just a 1 mile walk, but by the time i get there or back, my arm is aching at the biceps tendon.
Im just hoping this isnt ruining my progress.
Any advice?

Oh and how often, if at all, do you guys use NSAIDs?
I take about 800mg a day of advil.

The pain isnt horrible, but in the morning and before bed i try to take some because my arm is a little sore.

Am i overdoing it?
Should i even need these anymore?

thanks

[JDkeystone]

hey guys, do you still get inflamed?
Im 3 weeks out and it seems that my arm still gets inflamed when i walk.
I try to walk as little as i can, but i have to get to work somehow lol.
Its thankfully just a 1 mile walk, but by the time i get there or back, my arm is aching at the biceps tendon.
Im just hoping this isnt ruining my progress.
Any advice?

Oh and how often, if at all, do you guys use NSAIDs?
I take about 800mg a day of advil.

The pain isnt horrible, but in the morning and before bed i try to take some because my arm is a little sore.

Am i overdoing it?
Should i even need these anymore?

thanks

Sorry, I just saw your edit from you previous reply now.

The only real inflammation I've had recently was from my fall almost two weeks ago. But like I mentioned earlier, I had no trouble walking within a week after surgery. It varies from person to person, though, cuz FL has already said he wasn't able to start walking for awhile cuz it aggravated his shoulder to much.

I was still on percs by week 3, cuz the pain at night was still really bad. I only just recently stopped taking any pain meds (OTC and otherwise) altogether, though, so the fact that you're still on them isn't all that unusual.

What do you do for work, that you had to go back so soon? I was off work for six weeks, and even after I went back, I was only doing half days for the first four weeks. If walking to work is bothering your shoulder that much, you'll have to cut that out for now, even if it means taking time off from work (hopefully that's an option for ya). Right now you need to be doing everything possible to avoid pain and go as easy on your shoulder as possible while it's in the healing phase (which is most important in the first four weeks). Take care of yourself... =/

[FLbeach321]

My bicep tendon/shoulder was very inflamed up until about week 8. That's when I took 5 days off and took icing seriously. The major part of my swelling went away after that rest and hasn't come back. However, I'm doing aggressive (not reckless) therapy now, so I'm taking half oxycodone 1-2 times a day. Some days I don't take any but I need a little sometimes from the aggressive PT. So, yes. You may be on Nsad's for a while longer. 800-1600mg/day is fine. Mornings and night are the worst, so that's normal.

[nick1990]

Sorry, I just saw your edit from you previous reply now.

The only real inflammation I've had recently was from my fall almost two weeks ago. But like I mentioned earlier, I had no trouble walking within a week after surgery. It varies from person to person, though, cuz FL has already said he wasn't able to start walking for awhile cuz it aggravated his shoulder to much.

I was still on percs by week 3, cuz the pain at night was still really bad. I only just recently stopped taking any pain meds (OTC and otherwise) altogether, though, so the fact that you're still on them isn't all that unusual.

What do you do for work, that you had to go back so soon? I was off work for six weeks, and even after I went back, I was only doing half days for the first four weeks. If walking to work is bothering your shoulder that much, you'll have to cut that out for now, even if it means taking time off from work (hopefully that's an option for ya). Right now you need to be doing everything possible to avoid pain and go as easy on your shoulder as possible while it's in the healing phase (which is most important in the first four weeks). Take care of yourself... =/

well, its a part time gig at the local gym, but my manager was annoyed that i took 2 weeks off to recover already, so any more time might cause some sort of punishment.
Really blows
Honestly, the pain isnt very bad at all when im just laying around at home.
Only when i wake up (aside from walking), but after icing and some nsaids im great.
Even sleeping isnt bad at all

I really think i screwed up by walking that long distance so soon :(

My bicep tendon/shoulder was very inflamed up until about week 8. That's when I took 5 days off and took icing seriously. The major part of my swelling went away after that rest and hasn't come back. However, I'm doing aggressive (not reckless) therapy now, so I'm taking half oxycodone 1-2 times a day. Some days I don't take any but I need a little sometimes from the aggressive PT. So, yes. You may be on Nsad's for a while longer. 800-1600mg/day is fine. Mornings and night are the worst, so that's normal.

Well, i ice at least 3 times a day
I also use DMSO a few times a day.

Like i mentioned above, the shoulder is great most of the time.
Im just wondering if im causing a ton of damage by walking?
Other than that, i just mope around my house like a bum

[JDkeystone]

well, its a part time gig at the local gym, but my manager was annoyed that i took 2 weeks off to recover already, so any more time might cause some sort of punishment.

Eh...I stopped reading right about there. Seriously, that is total bullsh*t; you're gonna be "punished" for taking the time off needed to recover from fcking SURGERY?! Granted, I haven't worked part-time in years, but what kind of benefits do you get as a part-timer at your work? Do you get any paid sick days, or are they unpaid?

Either way, as long as you provide a doctor's note saying you need to be off for this period of time so you can properly recover, I don't see how your boss can give you a hard time (unless you're still within your 3-month probationary period or something; then I guess you could just be let go without cause, cuz they wouldn't really have to give you one).

But either way, if going to work is hurting your shoulder, you need to stay off. Even if it means sacrificing this job; it's not worth potentially slowing down or messing up your recovery just so you can keep management happy that they don't have to fill your position while you heal.

[JDkeystone]

Got my measurements taken at physio this morning for active ROM; currently at about 160 degrees for both front and side. Although my PT says I'll definitely still be able to improve on that, my passive ROM is apparently about as good as it's gonna get (and it's pretty close to 100% in terms of overall mobility). The only thing that's preventing my arm from being able to make the full 180 degrees is the last lingering bit of pain and shoulder tension (which I'm also still getting in the mornings, too).

But honestly, I'm not even worried about it anymore. I'm still seeing improvement everyday, for both strength and ROM, and my PT even said he thinks I'll be ready to start some light lifting at the gym within the next 4-6 weeks (which is almost a full month ahead of where I'd originally estimated I'd be at for resuming weight training). Talk about excitement lol. :D

[JDkeystone]

Today was ART session #2.

In all honesty, it was pretty much identical to the first visit. They hooked my shoulder up to the muscle stimulating machine for about 15 minutes, then the chiropractor came in and rubbed some of that special cream on my shoulder (actually, it was more like he was messaging it in extremely hard and vigorously). He then grasped my shoulder in the same manner as last time (pinching it very firmly with about three fingers), while I had to raise my arm up, first to the side, thumb facing up, and then reach across my chest, as if trying to grab something on the opposite side of the room. A few times he'd be digging in SO hard, my entire face would be twisting in pain, but as soon as he finished, my shoulder felt noticeably looser and more agile, with greater flexibility and movement.

In total, I was there for barely half an hour. I dunno how long the average ART session is supposed to go, but the amount of time I'm spending with the actual ART therapist is starting to make me think it's not worth it (at least, not for me). He once again said my ROM and overall mobility was very impressive, and highly above normal (he said most shoulder surgery patients he sees usually have half the ROM and strength that I have right now). It almost seemed like he was suggesting it wasn't all that necessary for me to keep seeing him at all, but he showed me a few different ways to modify my current physio program to increase results, and asked me to try not to book appointments any further than a week apart (to keep progress from stalling). So I'll stick it out for at least another few weeks before I decide if I wanna drop ART or not.

Other than that, shoulder's still feeling good. Still getting the early morning stiffness, but honestly, it's getting milder and milder as the days go by, and I don't struggle nearly as much in doing the various overhead tasks that gave me so much difficulty before. I'm still aiming to be back in the gym by the end of July or early August, but I'll continue to monitor my progress at home for now and just play it by ear. Either way, I'm pretty sure at this point I don't have too much longer to go.

[FLbeach321]

The ART sounds identical to mine. The "across the chest" movement is one of a few that he does to me. I get hooked up to the E-stim. Then he is with me for about 10 minutes. I get results everytime I go to him and they don't come back. I'm sometimes hitting it 3 days in a row because of my results. If you're noticably looser and have more range, wouldn't that be a reason to keep going? Also, I was told by all of the ART doctors that I talked to that you should go at least twice a week to keep the adhesions from forming back.

Glad to see you're progressing well :)

[JDkeystone]

The ART sounds identical to mine. The "across the chest" movement is one of a few that he does to me. I get hooked up to the E-stim. Then he is with me for about 10 minutes. I get results everytime I go to him and they don't come back. I'm sometimes hitting it 3 days in a row because of my results. If you're noticably looser and have more range, wouldn't that be a reason to keep going? Also, I was told by all of the ART doctors that I talked to that you should go at least twice a week to keep the adhesions from forming back.

Glad to see you're progressing well :)

Hmm, well he said once a week was fine for me (possibly because of where I'm already at progress-wise, but I really don't know; didn't ask). Don't forget, I'm also still attending physio twice a week, which helps a lot, too. My PT isn't certified in ART, but he does stuff kinda similar to ART at each session. Has me lie on my left side, and then he does some kind of deep massage of my shoulder, trap, and neck; and I do mean "deep", as in me-flinching-and-gritting-my-teeth-in-pain deep lol. He does it to try to loosen the muscles and relieve some of the tension I still get in there, and it seems to help to an extent. Not quite the same as ART, but similar in concept.

Anyways, I'm not gonna drop ART just yet; gonna prolly try it out for a full month, and see where I'm at after. Actually, from what the ART therapist said, it sounds like I wouldn't need it any longer than that, anyway. Looking forward to charting results in a few weeks. :)

[JDkeystone]

Man, I know I'm literally itching to get back in the gym asap, but I've really gotta start reminding myself that I am NOT completely healed yet, or ready to fully get back into lifting just yet. This morning my shoulder was feeling good (great, actually), so I decided to do a set of dumbbell presses with the 8lb weights (just 12 reps), immediately followed by a set of "girly" pushups on the floor, perched on my knees. And honestly, doing them felt great at the time (the D.B. presses I struggled with near the end), but my shoulder has been really sore all afternoon as a result (durr I wonder why?).

Yeah, clearly a dumb move, but at this point, I think I'm just looking for more and more ways to test my limits and see just how far I can go before reaching the invisible "red line" that dictates when I need to stop. Needless to say, I'm sure, I am so sick of waiting! This has been, without a doubt, the longest four months of my life. I am just SO ready to be done with this whole "recovery" process, it's not even close to funny argh!!!

[ChristinaT96]

I'm glad to hear everyone here is making progress on recovering.

I've had 2 surgeries on my left shoulder and am facing a distinct possibility of needing one on the right. I had the first surgery on 8/28/2008. When I was going into this surgery I really thought I would be out of the gym 4 to 6 weeks as no major damage was indicated by the MRI. When I woke up I got the news that I was tore up, literally. I completely snapped my bicep tendon, tore my rotator cuff, and had a good amount of bursitis cleaned out. It was explained to me that my injury was so old he had to remove part of the bicep tendon before putting in back together. Because of this I may need another surgery.

Therapy was grueling, hard, and most of the time hurt like an SoB! I was still in a fare amount of pain and hit a plateau on my PT 15 weeks post op. At that time my therapist recommended I see my ortho again and consider getting another surgery done. I had the second surgery on 12/16/2008. Here he made about an inch long incision on the upper part of my arm and tied that bicep tendon into my pectoral muscles. I was outta my sling in two weeks and only needed another four weeks of PT.

All this because my ADD took over one day and I decided to see if I could balance on my medicine ball! I was told that one day I might fall on my azs doing that, they were right. The good news is here I am a year and a half later and I am stronger and lifting more than I ever have. Every now and then it bothers me but nothing a little advil can't take care of! Bad news is somewhere along the way I've managed to damage my right rotator cuff.

I made an appointment with my doc after after I had a couple of days of unbearable pain. He gave me a steroid injection, cut me off from doing any upper body weight lifting, and sent me to therapy. Now the therapy exercises have made my strength decrease and it pops everytime I move my arm. It really does not hurt much but I can tell the joint is significantly weaker. I have an appointment on Monday and hopefully an MRI next week to see what the damage is. I'm really thinking way to much about this before we know for sure. I hate to go through another surgery but I really would prefer to get back to unrestricted and pain free training ASAP!

I did not do any cardio last time and man I packed it on! How soon did you all get back to some kind of cardio. I've already scaled down my diet since I'm not working out as much as normal. I've also been doing more cardio and I've lost 6 pounds. Some of that was leaning out but I'm sure some muscle is gone also.

[JDkeystone]

I'm glad to hear everyone here is making progress on recovering.

I've had 2 surgeries on my left shoulder and am facing a distinct possibility of needing one on the right. I had the first surgery on 8/28/2008. When I was going into this surgery I really thought I would be out of the gym 4 to 6 weeks as no major damage was indicated by the MRI. When I woke up I got the news that I was tore up, literally. I completely snapped my bicep tendon, tore my rotator cuff, and had a good amount of bursitis cleaned out. It was explained to me that my injury was so old he had to remove part of the bicep tendon before putting in back together. Because of this I may need another surgery.

Therapy was grueling, hard, and most of the time hurt like an SoB! I was still in a fare amount of pain and hit a plateau on my PT 15 weeks post op. At that time my therapist recommended I see my ortho again and consider getting another surgery done. I had the second surgery on 12/16/2008. Here he made about an inch long incision on the upper part of my arm and tied that bicep tendon into my pectoral muscles. I was outta my sling in two weeks and only needed another four weeks of PT.

All this because my ADD took over one day and I decided to see if I could balance on my medicine ball! I was told that one day I might fall on my azs doing that, they were right. The good news is here I am a year and a half later and I am stronger and lifting more than I ever have. Every now and then it bothers me but nothing a little advil can't take care of! Bad news is somewhere along the way I've managed to damage my right rotator cuff.

I made an appointment with my doc after after I had a couple of days of unbearable pain. He gave me a steroid injection, cut me off from doing any upper body weight lifting, and sent me to therapy. Now the therapy exercises have made my strength decrease and it pops everytime I move my arm. It really does not hurt much but I can tell the joint is significantly weaker. I have an appointment on Monday and hopefully an MRI next week to see what the damage is. I'm really thinking way to much about this before we know for sure. I hate to go through another surgery but I really would prefer to get back to unrestricted and pain free training ASAP!

I did not do any cardio last time and man I packed it on! How soon did you all get back to some kind of cardio. I've already scaled down my diet since I'm not working out as much as normal. I've also been doing more cardio and I've lost 6 pounds. Some of that was leaning out but I'm sure some muscle is gone also.

Damn, the description of your first surgery literally made my shoulder twitch just to read it lol. :eek:

I, personally, was able to start doing brisk walking within a week after surgery, but a number of other people in this section had to wait much longer than that before their shoulders could withstand it. I have no doubt I've lost some muscle, as I had to stop all weight lifting around Christmas, and I've also put on some fat as well since surgery, so I'm not happy at all with my current body composition. I'm hoping very much to be back in the gym no later than mid-August.

That first surgery sounds insane, though. What exactly happened to incur so much damage??

Good luck with your MRI next week, too, btw! :)

[ChristinaT96]

That first surgery sounds insane, though. What exactly happened to incur so much damage??



I have a medicine ball that I was using to do crunches at home that pretty much stayed somewhere in my living room. I got the bright idea one day that I could stand on it to prove my balance skills. The one day I was not successful we had a house full of our friends waiting to go to a concert when I fell. I heard the snap and shortly thereafter I could not feel anything from my shoulder down to my fingertips. The feeling started to come back so I decided to go to the concert and "walk it off." MISTAKE! At the club I did alot of dancing and by the end of the night I was sore but not enough to go see a doctor. A few months later I decided to start working out with a trainer. When I had difficulty doing squats because I could not grab the bar behind my head he wanted me to get it looked at.

My trainer moved outta the country before I was ready to get back into the gym. So I got paired with a new trainer that was very timid about letting me do anything. That was prolly for the best because she put me on a DB routine using only 5's and 7.5's for two months. She increased the reps every week or so, depending on how I was feeling, and really watched my form and technique.

How are you feeling today after those DB presses? I always hurt worse the second day!

[JDkeystone]

I have a medicine ball that I was using to do crunches at home that pretty much stayed somewhere in my living room. I got the bright idea one day that I could stand on it to prove my balance skills. The one day I was not successful we had a house full of our friends waiting to go to a concert when I fell. I heard the snap and shortly thereafter I could not feel anything from my shoulder down to my fingertips. The feeling started to come back so I decided to go to the concert and "walk it off." MISTAKE! At the club I did alot of dancing and by the end of the night I was sore but not enough to go see a doctor. A few months later I decided to start working out with a trainer. When I had difficulty doing squats because I could not grab the bar behind my head he wanted me to get it looked at.

My trainer moved outta the country before I was ready to get back into the gym. So I got paired with a new trainer that was very timid about letting me do anything. That was prolly for the best because she put me on a DB routine using only 5's and 7.5's for two months. She increased the reps every week or so, depending on how I was feeling, and really watched my form and technique.

How are you feeling today after those DB presses? I always hurt worse the second day!

Meh, the achiness/stiffness is honestly on and off. I have to do a lot of stretching and other simple physio exercises throughout the day at work to keep my shoulder from tightening up too much, but the overall lingering surgery pain is still there, unfortunately. It's nowhere near as bad as it was like two months ago, but it's still very tender and easy to set off if I try to do too much (got a real bad habit of overshooting my capabilities, which often ends in more unnecessary pain).

I really wasn't supposed to be doing any D.B. presses at all; this was just me, once again, letting my impatience take over, and common sense take a backseat. Still gotta work on that one lol. :o

[nick1990]

What does your guys' PT appts look like?

Ive heard a lot of good things about mine, but when i go it doesnt feel like much.
(yesterday was just my second visit)

First i get this massage sort of thing on my shoulder, which last for 25-30 mins.
I admit this feels amazing and gets my ROM wayyyy better

But then he had me do like 5 exercises in total.
There was some body weight scap rows
Then weighted scap rows.
Then some pulley work

Didnt feel like much

He also gave me a home routine he wants me doing 4 times week aside from my PT session (3x a week)

For the home he wants me doing 3x a day:
Cane exercises
pendulums
Body weight bicep curls
A bunch of isometric stuff

I actually like the home stuff more

So is your guys' day similar?

[FLbeach321]

Hey Nick, I don't remember how far along you are. under 6 weeks you really don't need to do too much but concentrate on ROM, swelling and then around week 4 you might add a bit of strength with a pound or 2lbs. Remember, there's no way to speed up the healing. Keep that ice on there, buddy.

[nick1990]

Hey Nick, I don't remember how far along you are. under 6 weeks you really don't need to do too much but concentrate on ROM, swelling and then around week 4 you might add a bit of strength with a pound or 2lbs. Remember, there's no way to speed up the healing. Keep that ice on there, buddy.

thanks man

How often do you ice?
I try 3 times a day

[JDkeystone]

What does your guys' PT appts look like?

Ive heard a lot of good things about mine, but when i go it doesnt feel like much.
(yesterday was just my second visit)

First i get this massage sort of thing on my shoulder, which last for 25-30 mins.
I admit this feels amazing and gets my ROM wayyyy better

But then he had me do like 5 exercises in total.
There was some body weight scap rows
Then weighted scap rows.
Then some pulley work

Didnt feel like much

He also gave me a home routine he wants me doing 4 times week aside from my PT session (3x a week)

For the home he wants me doing 3x a day:
Cane exercises
pendulums
Body weight bicep curls
A bunch of isometric stuff

I actually like the home stuff more

So is your guys' day similar?

Yeah, sounds pretty similar to mine; the only thing that wasn't added to my routine was the bicep curls. I'm assuming you're doing the bodyweight scap rows with a resistance band? Actually, they're starting you on a LOT more stuff than I was given when I first started physio (I was just doing pendulums and the stick/cane raises for the first two weeks). But if they think your shoulder's progressed enough to handle that much so soon, that's awesome.

I was given a new, much more difficult exercise at physio today. Kinda similar to the external rotation, theraband exercise, but instead of holding my arm at my side (elbow bent at 90 degrees), I'm now holding my arm straight out in front of me (still at 90 degrees straight), and then pull the theraband out to the side and then back, for 10-15 reps. Much more difficult than the basic E.R. moves; I actually felt like my entire shoulder blade and upper back had gotten a real workout lol. Looking forward to practicing those at home over the weekend.

[JDkeystone]

Late-night confession before I go to bed; even though I'm trying to keep a positive attitude about everything, and just focus on the "bright side" of my recovery, I'm finding myself struggling more and more to not sink into a depression over how much having surgery has set me back on my training and fitness goals. It might sound like I'm over-reacting or just being melodramatic, but for me (especially with my history), dealing with this whole thing has been indescribably difficult; physically, but mentally more than anything else.

I joined this site almost two years ago, in the midst of transforming my body, with such crystal clear goals in place. And I came very close to reaching them (and was thrilled with every step I took), but I never quite got there; my still-present issues with food, as well as my rapidly deteriorating shoulder prevented me from making it to the end. And even though the shoulder issue is now fixed (hopefully for good), and the food issues have improved a lot during my time off, this entire process has made me feel like I'm now starting back at square one...only I can't even START at sq1 yet, period, because my shoulder STILL isn't ready!

Any other time in the past where I'd be faced with a situation where an injury or health issue needed to take precedence over everything else, I would just ignore doctor's orders and keep doing what I wanted to do, regardless. This is the first time I haven't been able to do that, though. I've already tried "cheating" a few times with the weights at home, doing more than I knew I was supposed to, and it's backfired each and every time.

My number one goal is still making a full recovery and getting back full use of my shoulder, pain-free; but the sacrifices I've been having to make to do this have been plaguing me for months now. I'm almost at 4 months post-op, but every time I still wake up with pain and stiffness, and every time I still feel pain from doing certain exercises, or when my PT stretches my arm in a certain position, it makes me feel like, in actuality, I'm not nearly as close to the end as I keep wanting to believe I am. I honestly I don't know how much longer I can keep this up (for the sake of my sanity, if nothing else).

That's all. Night... :(

[nick1990]

Late-night confession before I go to bed; even though I'm trying to keep a positive attitude about everything, and just focus on the "bright side" of my recovery, I'm finding myself struggling more and more to not sink into a depression over how much having surgery has set me back on my training and fitness goals. It might sound like I'm over-reacting or just being melodramatic, but for me (especially with my history), dealing with this whole thing has been indescribably difficult; physically, but mentally more than anything else.

I joined this site almost two years ago, in the midst of transforming my body, with such crystal clear goals in place. And I came very close to reaching them (and was thrilled with every step I took), but I never quite got there; my still-present issues with food, as well as my rapidly deteriorating shoulder prevented me from making it to the end. And even though the shoulder issue is now fixed (hopefully for good), and the food issues have improved a lot during my time off, this entire process has made me feel like I'm now starting back at square one...only I can't even START at sq1 yet, period, because my shoulder STILL isn't ready!

Any other time in the past where I'd be faced with a situation where an injury or health issue needed to take precedence over everything else, I would just ignore doctor's orders and keep doing what I wanted to do, regardless. This is the first time I haven't been able to do that, though. I've already tried "cheating" a few times with the weights at home, doing more than I knew I was supposed to, and it's backfired each and every time.

My number one goal is still making a full recovery and getting back full use of my shoulder, pain-free; but the sacrifices I've been having to make to do this have been plaguing me for months now. I'm almost at 4 months post-op, but every time I still wake up with pain and stiffness, and every time I still feel pain from doing certain exercises, or when my PT stretches my arm in a certain position, it makes me feel like, in actuality, I'm not nearly as close to the end as I keep wanting to believe I am. I honestly I don't know how much longer I can keep this up (for the sake of my sanity, if nothing else).

That's all. Night... :(

:(
I know exactly what you mean
Im still recovering from my ED, well actually my mind is.
Its been about a year since I decided to make a change, but i cant help but almost FEAR food. Sounds funny to say lol, but it really is difficult to deal with.
Constant worry of a growing waistline is hard to fight.
Ive only been at this recovery thing a few months, so i cant imagine how hard it has been for you and the others recovering.
Just remember these two words: Muscle Memory :)

[JDkeystone]

:(
I know exactly what you mean
Im still recovering from my ED, well actually my mind is.
Its been about a year since I decided to make a change, but i cant help but almost FEAR food. Sounds funny to say lol, but it really is difficult to deal with.
Constant worry of a growing waistline is hard to fight.
Ive only been at this recovery thing a few months, so i cant imagine how hard it has been for you and the others recovering.
Just remember these two words: Muscle Memory :)

Thanks, nick. I'm sure everyone who's been through (or is currently going through) what we're going through can relate to this mental beatdown, too. Even though it doesn't do anything to actually speed up the process, it's nice to at least have others to relate to from firsthand experience.

I almost find it surprising it's hitting me this hard so late into my recovery. If anything, I thought for sure the dreaded post-surgery slump would kick in a lot sooner. Guess it's good it didn't, though heh.

Just don't let any of my less than cheerful posts drag you down, too; I'm sure you'll be seeing fast progress now that you've officially started physio. Keep us posted on how it goes. :)

[JDkeystone]

ART again today, and I think I'm starting to see a noticeable improvement from the sessions. Again the same routine as the last 2 session (muscle stimulator for 15 minutes, then ART exercises with the chiropractor). All I can say is he really knows where to dig with his fingers to hit the bad spots, and very aggressively, too. The difference it makes before and after is usually me being able to raise my arm several degrees higher, and with less strain in doing so. Though he did say, once again, that my current range is great as it is; doing ART would really just be for "fine-tuning" everything, rather than completely "correcting" it (which is usually what most patients need it for). I'm therefore gonna take that to mean I won't be needing ART for much longer. I'm thinking I'll prolly only go for the remainder of July, and then just stick with regular physio til my next follow up appointment with the surgeon (now scheduled for Sept 1).

[ChristinaT96]

Late-night confession before I go to bed; even though I'm trying to keep a positive attitude about everything, and just focus on the "bright side" of my recovery, I'm finding myself struggling more and more to not sink into a depression over how much having surgery has set me back on my training and fitness goals. It might sound like I'm over-reacting or just being melodramatic, but for me (especially with my history), dealing with this whole thing has been indescribably difficult; physically, but mentally more than anything else.



:(
I know exactly what you mean
Im still recovering from my ED, well actually my mind is.
Its been about a year since I decided to make a change, but i cant help but almost FEAR food. Sounds funny to say lol, but it really is difficult to deal with.
Constant worry of a growing waistline is hard to fight.
Ive only been at this recovery thing a few months, so i cant imagine how hard it has been for you and the others recovering.
Just remember these two words: Muscle Memory :)

I know exactly what you both are talking about. It's very difficult to make those awesome muscle and strength gains to be set back. I can't tell you how pleased I am with the way my left shoulder has turned out. I'm stronger now and am pushing more weight then I ever was! ...until a few weeks ago when my right shoulder started acting up.

I saw my doc yesterday and he thinks I need to get this shoulder scoped out also. As of now I'm hoping it is just an impingement but am going for an MRI today. This is one of the things that he fixed on my other side last time. Basically he will shave down part of the bone to provide more room for the tendons to move around.

One thing I did not do last time was get up to the gym and ride the bike. The first day I am not on pain meds, I will be at the gym trying to do some type of cardio. Even if it is a low intensity something is better then nothing! In general I always feel more depressed if I'm not active and it was alot worse when I was trying to rehab.

MRI today, YIKES! Last time that SoB doc at the MRI place missed and had to stick me twice for the dye. That hurt worse then the surgery. I'm absolutely terrified to go today.

Stay positive, I know from experience it does get better!

[JDkeystone]

I know exactly what you both are talking about. It's very difficult to make those awesome muscle and strength gains to be set back. I can't tell you how pleased I am with the way my left shoulder has turned out. I'm stronger now and am pushing more weight then I ever was! ...until a few weeks ago when my right shoulder started acting up.

I saw my doc yesterday and he thinks I need to get this shoulder scoped out also. As of now I'm hoping it is just an impingement but am going for an MRI today. This is one of the things that he fixed on my other side last time. Basically he will shave down part of the bone to provide more room for the tendons to move around.

One thing I did not do last time was get up to the gym and ride the bike. The first day I am not on pain meds, I will be at the gym trying to do some type of cardio. Even if it is a low intensity something is better then nothing! In general I always feel more depressed if I'm not active and it was alot worse when I was trying to rehab.

MRI today, YIKES! Last time that SoB doc at the MRI place missed and had to stick me twice for the dye. That hurt worse then the surgery. I'm absolutely terrified to go today.

Stay positive, I know from experience it does get better!

Hey Christina, thanks for the update. :)

So you had an MRI with contrast? Any idea how much more effective it was (and is) compared to regular MRIs without contrast (like, did your doctor ever discuss it with you or anything)? I just had the standard MRI back in March 2008 (back when I knew nothing about MRIs, arthrograms, or any of those techy procedures), but I only found out recently that I should have had an arthrogram instead, as there was a greater chance it could've picked up what the regular MRI missed. Mind you, I've heard varying opinions on just how much more effective it is, but I'm told it's the preferrable method, regardless.

But please let us know how today's MRI goes; I'm eager to find out what they tell you. Good luck, chicky! :)

Also, exciting announcement- I'm returning to the gym ahead of schedule, and am going back this weekend!! My PT says he wants me to start out very light, but that he thinks I've progressed enough to now be able to start supervised lifting again. So I'm gonna also be signing up with a trainer (possibly my old one, or maybe new one; haven't decided yet) to get some help in designing a routine specially made to suit to my needs. Normally I'd be footing the bill for a trainer (I was planning to do that anyway once I went back), but because this would also be for specific medical needs, my benefits will actually be covering part of the trainer fees, so that's just an added bonus lol.

Can't wait to start living up to my screenname again!! :D

[ChristinaT96]

Hey Christina, thanks for the update. :)

So you had an MRI with contrast? Any idea how much more effective it was (and is) compared to regular MRIs without contrast (like, did your doctor ever discuss it with you or anything)? I just had the standard MRI back in March 2008 (back when I knew nothing about MRIs, arthrograms, or any of those techy procedures), but I only found out recently that I should have had an arthrogram instead, as there was a greater chance it could've picked up what the regular MRI missed. Mind you, I've heard varying opinions on just how much more effective it is, but I'm told it's the preferrable method, regardless.

But please let us know how today's MRI goes; I'm eager to find out what they tell you. Good luck, chicky! :)

Also, exciting announcement- I'm returning to the gym ahead of schedule, and am going back this weekend!! My PT says he wants me to start out very light, but that he thinks I've progressed enough to now be able to start supervised lifting again. So I'm gonna also be signing up with a trainer (possibly my old one, or maybe new one; haven't decided yet) to get some help in designing a routine specially made to suit to my needs. Normally I'd be footing the bill for a trainer (I was planning to do that anyway once I went back), but because this would also be for specific medical needs, my benefits will actually be covering part of the trainer fees, so that's just an added bonus lol.

Can't wait to start living up to my screenname again!! :D

That's AWESOME!!! Congrats on your return to the gym! ...just don't push it. And trust me, those 5 lb DB's will kick your butt!

MRI is done. I think they might have given me extra on the numbing meds because my shoulder is still numb and I feel pretty tired. So I get there and completely forget about having to take out my belly button ring. I could not get the ball off and got to leave it in! Who knew, I've always heard body jewelery and MRI's did not play nice with one another. They were sending the films to my doc today but he can't see me again till Wed., a week from tomorrow. I'm not sure what the difference is or why an anthrogram might be preferred over just an MRI. If somebody else on here knows, feel free to chime in!

When I go for the follow up I will be meeting a new doc. The doctor that did my other surgeries told me yesterday he would not be doing this surgery. I knew he was moving but was hoping he would be doing this surgery also. This new guy has been the other ortho in the practice. I should ask the new doc about the types of MRI's, give me something to start talking to him about. I just hope I like him as much as I do my old doc. Well my old doc was really not that "old" and very easy on the eyes! ; )

How did you figure out your insurance will pay for a trainer? I need to look into that!!!
I am hoping I'm not sore tomorrow so I can get in some cardio to work out my soreness. My trainer kicked my a** quite literally yesterday. He is determined I'm going to have some amazing legs by the time this is over with.

Good luck with getting a new trainer. Keep me posted!

[JDkeystone]

That's AWESOME!!! Congrats on your return to the gym! ...just don't push it. And trust me, those 5 lb DB's will kick your butt!

MRI is done. I think they might have given me extra on the numbing meds because my shoulder is still numb and I feel pretty tired. So I get there and completely forget about having to take out my belly button ring. I could not get the ball off and got to leave it in! Who knew, I've always heard body jewelery and MRI's did not play nice with one another. They were sending the films to my doc today but he can't see me again till Wed., a week from tomorrow. I'm not sure what the difference is or why an anthrogram might be preferred over just an MRI. If somebody else on here knows, feel free to chime in!

When I go for the follow up I will be meeting a new doc. The doctor that did my other surgeries told me yesterday he would not be doing this surgery. I knew he was moving but was hoping he would be doing this surgery also. This new guy has been the other ortho in the practice. I should ask the new doc about the types of MRI's, give me something to start talking to him about. I just hope I like him as much as I do my old doc. Well my old doc was really not that "old" and very easy on the eyes! ; )

How did you figure out your insurance will pay for a trainer? I need to look into that!!!
I am hoping I'm not sore tomorrow so I can get in some cardio to work out my soreness. My trainer kicked my a** quite literally yesterday. He is determined I'm going to have some amazing legs by the time this is over with.

Good luck with getting a new trainer. Keep me posted!

The routine I'll be doing at the gym is still gonna incorporate rehab work, so my PT and my doctor are gonna be providing me a letter of recommendation to my benefits provider saying a personal trainer is "required" as part of my recovery program. I'll still be attending physio, but that's getting reduced to once a week starting next week (when I should really still be attending twice a week), so the other "physio" session will now be replaced by me working with a trainer at my gym. This way I'll have access to a lot more equipment, so my physio exercises won't be as limited in terms of what I can and can't do (simply due to equipment and facility availability, or lack thereof lol).

But yeah, check with your benefits/insurance company for sure. It may not be something everyone's provider covers, but good to at least ask and find out. Hopefully they'll do the same for you, too! Can't wait to hear your MRI results after next week! :)

[FLbeach321]

Pumped, that's great news. You'll have to keep that ice on there with the extra lifting

Chrisina...Pumped is in Canada. Don't think you'll get that in Texas

[JDkeystone]

lol Thanks, FL; no plans on going crazy when I go back, but yeah, I'm sure I'll still be getting a lot more pain than usual for the first month or so. Either way, can't wait!

Anyhoo, had physio again today (this being the last week that I have double sessions before I start going just once a week). During the initial stretching/ROM testing at the start, my PT actually told me he's guininely surprised I've healed not only as fast as I have, but as much as I have. He said when I first returned to their clinic for physio in April (after having stopped going last September) and he saw how much work had been done on my shoulder, he didn't expect me to gain back any more than 75-80% ROM and strength. So the fact that I've made the kind of progress that I have he said is a definite indicator of not only the work I've been putting in, but of also a very successful surgery done by a very skilled doctor. And after worrying for the longest time that I would never get back full use of my shoulder even after completing physio, this was awesome to hear. It's been a grueling experience, but if this ordeal will allow me to finally reach my bodybuilding goals without being stopped by a horrendous shoulder condition time and again...then it was well worth it. :)

So as it stands now, back to the gym tomorrow (I'll be signing up with a trainer as well, prolly to start next week), ART again Monday, and physio next Wednesday (still doing the same exercises til then). Have a great weekend, peeps!

[JDkeystone]

Just got home, but wanted to give a quick brief for today. I got my gym membership reinstated (it'd been suspended since surgery), and then I also booked a session with one of the gym's trainers, who's also a registered kinesiologist. I'm meeting him Monday at 3 (already booked Mon off from work), and the first session is free, so I can see how I like him before buying any sessions.

I then had my first real workout since my surgery. Didn't have a lot of time to make it very long, but I warmed up on the treadmill, then did legs and some light upper body work; seated row (3 x 12 x 50lbs), skull crushers (3 x 10 x 10lbs), barbell curls (3 x 12 x 20lbs), and single-grip tricep extensions (2 x 10 x 5lbs, and 1 x 8 x 7.5lbs). Then finished up with 30 minutes on the stairmaster, level 9. Hoping I didn't do too much and that I don't find myself regretting it tomorrow, but it felt great while I was actually doing it. Eager to go back again tomorrow. :)

[FLbeach321]

wow, 20lb barbell curls? that's a lot of weight. I'm not even thinking about using a bar at this point. good job!

[ChristinaT96]

Congrats on the workout! How are you feeling today?

[JDkeystone]

wow, 20lb barbell curls? that's a lot of weight. I'm not even thinking about using a bar at this point. good job!


Congrats on the workout! How are you feeling today?

Thanks, guys!:) Felt pretty good today; I had a little more stiffness waking up today than usual, as well as some fullbody DOMS, but felt fine overall (which was very encouraging)!

Went back again today, but just did strictly cardio (since I'm doing weights with the trainer I'm meeting tomorrow). Will be providing a full report for that at the end of the day. :D

[Amsterdammerr]

Late-night confession before I go to bed; even though I'm trying to keep a positive attitude about everything, and just focus on the "bright side" of my recovery, I'm finding myself struggling more and more to not sink into a depression over how much having surgery has set me back on my training and fitness goals. It might sound like I'm over-reacting or just being melodramatic, but for me (especially with my history), dealing with this whole thing has been indescribably difficult; physically, but mentally more than anything else.

I joined this site almost two years ago, in the midst of transforming my body, with such crystal clear goals in place. And I came very close to reaching them (and was thrilled with every step I took), but I never quite got there; my still-present issues with food, as well as my rapidly deteriorating shoulder prevented me from making it to the end. And even though the shoulder issue is now fixed (hopefully for good), and the food issues have improved a lot during my time off, this entire process has made me feel like I'm now starting back at square one...only I can't even START at sq1 yet, period, because my shoulder STILL isn't ready!

Any other time in the past where I'd be faced with a situation where an injury or health issue needed to take precedence over everything else, I would just ignore doctor's orders and keep doing what I wanted to do, regardless. This is the first time I haven't been able to do that, though. I've already tried "cheating" a few times with the weights at home, doing more than I knew I was supposed to, and it's backfired each and every time.

My number one goal is still making a full recovery and getting back full use of my shoulder, pain-free; but the sacrifices I've been having to make to do this have been plaguing me for months now. I'm almost at 4 months post-op, but every time I still wake up with pain and stiffness, and every time I still feel pain from doing certain exercises, or when my PT stretches my arm in a certain position, it makes me feel like, in actuality, I'm not nearly as close to the end as I keep wanting to believe I am. I honestly I don't know how much longer I can keep this up (for the sake of my sanity, if nothing else).

That's all. Night... :(
Welcome to the mind of a shoulder patient, we all have this(srs)

And because this is outside of the misc, its safe to say: You will pull through this, just watch :) (no wk)

You are getting strong by the month I see by your post.

I have set off my plans to get surgery btw, because my shoulder is improving.
I have found workable roms and movements, and as long as I avoid bench presses and keep it strictly decline bench press I should be fine.

To enhance my shoulder/scapula strength I am going to run a cycle in march, with some ..goods that are supposedly good for you joints/anti inflammatory and will help me build strong shoulders and RC.

I am not a idiot, so I wont go any higher then 10-15% of what I already lift, just increase sets/re[s. This way I can still get a decent amount of mass(way more then a natty) and help build stronger shoulders.

[JDkeystone]

Welcome to the mind of a shoulder patient, we all have this(srs)

And because this is outside of the misc, its safe to say: You will pull through this, just watch :) (no wk)

You are getting strong by the month I see by your post.

I have set off my plans to get surgery btw, because my shoulder is improving.
I have found workable roms and movements, and as long as I avoid bench presses and keep it strictly decline bench press I should be fine.

To enhance my shoulder/scapula strength I am going to run a cycle in march, with some ..goods that are supposedly good for you joints/anti inflammatory and will help me build strong shoulders and RC.

I am not a idiot, so I wont go any higher then 10-15% of what I already lift, just increase sets/re[s. This way I can still get a decent amount of mass(way more then a natty) and help build stronger shoulders.

Thanks, A.D., I appreciate that (no pink knight lol). :)

It was also good to talk to someone who had/has the same condition as me while I was going through this whole sh*tty recovery process (being able to relate to someone else who suffers from the same impairment and trade advice is always comforting).

If you can make it without surgery, though, that's awesome. It's what I had wanted for myself for the longest time, but once my shoulder was dislocating weekly in my sleep, surgery just became a must at that point. I'm glad I had it, though; I think this is what will allow me to finally achieve my bodybuilding goals that I couldn't before.

Anyways, good luck with your plans, and keep me posted!

[JDkeystone]

Let me just preface today's update by saying I did not have a good day today at all.

In short- I had another dislocation today, only it wasn't my shoulder...this time it was my knee.

I met with the trainer I was seeing today, and we started off the session by doing lateral raises with the 5lb weights. Pretty simple, and he seemed surprised by how easy these were for me (after I'd told him I was a little over 4 months post-surgery). Then he had me do several sets of walking lunges, which I also did fairly easily. Then some sissy squats with 10lb dumbells, and then he pulls out a bosu ball, and has me do lunges on that. I got through about 5 on each side, when my left knee fully popped out of place while doing that side.

I immediately yelled in pain, and dropped to the floor. It popped back in place immediately, but I couldn't move. They brought me some ice, and after a few minutes, helped me hop on one foot to their back room, where I propped my leg up on a couch, and kept icing it til my dad picked me up and brought me to the hospital (where I just got home from now). They did x-rays, found nothing, and just wrapped it up in an ace bandage and told me to stay off my leg and just "let it heal". They also said I could make an appointment with the fracture clinic to see a specialist if it didn't improve over the next few days. The doctor wasn't able to tell me if anything was torn, but he said it was a strong possibility. Of course, I'd have to get an MRI to verify this one way or another.

I'm so upset right now, I can barely type. I've been crying all afternoon, and feel like absolute sh*t. I don't even wanna think about what this is gonna do for my plans to resume training. Right now I just wanna pop some pain medication, fall asleep and temporarily forget about what this hypermobility nightmare has caused me so far in my 28 years of living.

[paininelbow]

Let me just preface today's update by saying I did not have a good day today at all.

In short- I had another dislocation today, only it wasn't my shoulder...this time it was my knee.

I met with the trainer I was seeing today, and we started off the session by doing lateral raises with the 5lb weights. Pretty simple, and he seemed surprised by how easy these were for me (after I'd told him I was a little over 4 months post-surgery). Then he had me do several sets of walking lunges, which I also did fairly easily. Then some sissy squats with 10lb dumbells, and then he pulls out a bosu ball, and has me do lunges on that. I got through about 5 on each side, when my left knee fully popped out of place while doing that side.

I immediately yelled in pain, and dropped to the floor. It popped back in place immediately, but I couldn't move. They brought me some ice, and after a few minutes, helped me hop on one foot to their back room, where I propped my leg up on a couch, and kept icing it til my dad picked me up and brought me to the hospital (where I just got home from now). They did x-rays, found nothing, and just wrapped it up in an ace bandage and told me to stay off my leg and just "let it heal". They also said I could make an appointment with the fracture clinic to see a specialist if it didn't improve over the next few days. The doctor wasn't able to tell me if anything was torn, but he said it was a strong possibility. Of course, I'd have to get an MRI to verify this one way or another.

I'm so upset right now, I can barely type. I've been crying all afternoon, and feel like absolute sh*t. I don't even wanna think about what this is gonna do for my plans to resume training. Right now I just wanna pop some pain medication, fall asleep and temporarily forget about what this hypermobility nightmare has caused me so far in my 28 years of living.

Im sorry to hear that.

[Bials14]

wow I can not even imagine how ****ty that feels at this point after all you did already... really sorry to hear that... terrible luck

[FLbeach321]

I really am sorry to hear that too. However, you must concentrate on the positives. Let's look at your shoulder...look how far you've come since the surgery. You are somewhere around 4 months (which is still pretty early in the healing process) and look at what you can do now that you couldn't do at week 2 or week 4 or week 8 or even 2 weeks ago. The knee is a minor set back. Let's just look at a worst case scenerio...from what I've seen people are walking right after knee surgery, so it's not that big a deal in the big picture (and that's worst case scenerio)

Back to your shoulder, think of all the positives. You're at the point where each week your going to keep getting improvment. The worst is behind you. You survived the worst weeks. You're so close to being better than normal. Take 5 minutes and write down your positives you've achieved on your shoulder. You should see so much more improvement each week between now and the next 8 weeks. These first 16 weeks it seems that every week just drags by, but now every week should be leaps and bounds. Hang in there girl!

[JDkeystone]

Thanks, guys.

Fcuk, I'm still crying. I literally feel sick to my stomach right now (tempted to try to make myself throw up just to get rid of this feeling). If I find out my knee is permanently fcked up...I honestly don't know what I'm gonna do.

[paininelbow]

Thanks, guys.

Fcuk, I'm still crying. I literally feel sick to my stomach right now (tempted to try to make myself throw up just to get rid of this feeling). If I find out my knee is permanently fcked up...I honestly don't know what I'm gonna do.

Im actually going to go back no a suppliment i was on a while back. its about 40 bucks for like 150 pills which at your weight should probably last about 2 months.it helped mewith my joint problems but i stopped using it. osteo sport. look it up! it helped lubricate the joints.

[ChristinaT96]

Let me just preface today's update by saying I did not have a good day today at all.

In short- I had another dislocation today, only it wasn't my shoulder...this time it was my knee.

I met with the trainer I was seeing today, and we started off the session by doing lateral raises with the 5lb weights. Pretty simple, and he seemed surprised by how easy these were for me (after I'd told him I was a little over 4 months post-surgery). Then he had me do several sets of walking lunges, which I also did fairly easily. Then some sissy squats with 10lb dumbells, and then he pulls out a bosu ball, and has me do lunges on that. I got through about 5 on each side, when my left knee fully popped out of place while doing that side.

I immediately yelled in pain, and dropped to the floor. It popped back in place immediately, but I couldn't move. They brought me some ice, and after a few minutes, helped me hop on one foot to their back room, where I propped my leg up on a couch, and kept icing it til my dad picked me up and brought me to the hospital (where I just got home from now). They did x-rays, found nothing, and just wrapped it up in an ace bandage and told me to stay off my leg and just "let it heal". They also said I could make an appointment with the fracture clinic to see a specialist if it didn't improve over the next few days. The doctor wasn't able to tell me if anything was torn, but he said it was a strong possibility. Of course, I'd have to get an MRI to verify this one way or another.

I'm so upset right now, I can barely type. I've been crying all afternoon, and feel like absolute sh*t. I don't even wanna think about what this is gonna do for my plans to resume training. Right now I just wanna pop some pain medication, fall asleep and temporarily forget about what this hypermobility nightmare has caused me so far in my 28 years of living.

OH MY! I'm so sorry to hear about your bad day. I'm with FL here. As much as it sucks right now, try to stay strong and focus on all you have accomplished thus far. Injury's are just setbacks in our physical strength training. The strength that truly counts is the strength from within we use to overcome our physical impairments.

Stay strong, and please update us on how you feel tomorrow.

[JDkeystone]

Thing is, this is affecting me much worse than anything I experienced after surgery. Cuz if nothing else, even if I couldn't use my arm, I could still walk! And I can't do that now.

Fcuk, I need a sedative (srs)....I can't remember the last time I was this upset.

[JDkeystone]

God, I can't believe I'm actually saying this...but it's now my first official day back on short term disability. I cannot believe this is really happening. I'm just...omg...no words.

[paininelbow]

read up on that supplement!

[Bials14]

although not as quickly as yours happened... I sat out from Aug 09-Jan10 only to be sidelined again in March 10 ... so I definitely know the feeling