shoulder labrum tear people

[Wh][te Dev][L]

..For those who have had the surgery, any supplements that helped with your recovery? I've used Cissus for past surgeries (hip, knee, biceps, other shoulder). Thanks

I tried some Glucosamine & Chondroitin with MSM for a month or so after mine but to be honest not sure it really did much for me.
Advil for pain relief as it helps with inflammation. Also stuck to my reg supps of Whey, multi, fish oil, Vit C.

Also I know this is hard for anyone who is in to fitness and lifting but you may need to really take recovery slow. Sounds like your having quite a bit done and recovery may take longer because of that.
I really wanted to get back into it and tried to rush my recovery..not good! I started causing more issues for myself.
So my advice on that is REALLY listen to your body. That is very hard as a lifter as you are already use to pushing through pain but in this case that could be a bad thing.

Best of luck to you.

[bigoat10]

Hi guys

I have always had a sharp pinching feeling in my shoulder when i do BB Bench Press or some Lat pulldowns. Every other exercise is fine including Inc Press and Mil press. Then about 8 weeks ago i noticed the shoulder was constantly aching even during rest. Not painful but a very mild ache but constant. i stopped training and i decided to see a Orth as i presumed it was related to the sharp pinching pain. He did a few physical tests and said he could feel the instability and ordered an MRI. The results came back and it showed i have a SLAP 3 tear. The ache has gone for over 3 weeks and i started training again 3 week ago with lighter weights progressively increasing each week and i am in no pain whotsoever. This week i was lifing close to my normal weight on my DB flat press and still no pain. Can feel something in the shoulder but not pain or discomfort. The Orth said i need surgery if i want to carry on lifting and scheduled it for this Monday but i am really tempted to cancel or postpone. I have booked another appointment with him this Friday to speak with him. I just dont want to put myself through it as its not affecting me. If i was in constant pain or could not lift i would not think twice and get it done. Can anyone give me some advice of what to ask the Orth. I no tears dont heal by themselves but dont no what to do. He was very quick to say surgery which is weird although he is the top shoulder doc in my area.

Thanks a lot

[CoQ10]

Hi guys

I have always had a sharp pinching feeling in my shoulder when i do BB Bench Press or some Lat pulldowns. Every other exercise is fine including Inc Press and Mil press. Then about 8 weeks ago i noticed the shoulder was constantly aching even during rest. Not painful but a very mild ache but constant. i stopped training and i decided to see a Orth as i presumed it was related to the sharp pinching pain. He did a few physical tests and said he could feel the instability and ordered an MRI. The results came back and it showed i have a SLAP 3 tear. The ache has gone for over 3 weeks and i started training again 3 week ago with lighter weights progressively increasing each week and i am in no pain whotsoever. This week i was lifing close to my normal weight on my DB flat press and still no pain. Can feel something in the shoulder but not pain or discomfort. The Orth said i need surgery if i want to carry on lifting and scheduled it for this Monday but i am really tempted to cancel or postpone. I have booked another appointment with him this Friday to speak with him. I just dont want to put myself through it as its not affecting me. If i was in constant pain or could not lift i would not think twice and get it done. Can anyone give me some advice of what to ask the Orth. I no tears dont heal by themselves but dont no what to do. He was very quick to say surgery which is weird although he is the top shoulder doc in my area.

Thanks a lot

I would definitely postpone surgery. A huge percentage of athletes have asymptomatic SLAP tears. I believe there's an article about this over at Eric Cressey's site. If you can continue lifting with minimal pain, then there's no reason to have surgery (IMHO).

Good luck.

-C10

[TheMullah]

i'm almost 3 weeks out of my surgery. I had a small labrum tear at the front which had healed in the wrong place on its own, so they snipped it, re-attached it and tightened up the muscles around the back that had loosened due to my joint coming out of socket by a few millimetres repeatedly.

All in all it was a minor tear. It was hurting badly for 2 days on monday and tuesday and it clicked loudly and now its no longer painful again. Does that mean it was out of joint already? or maybe it was painful for no other reason than the short period of time since surgery. The thing was it wasn't very painful last week.

My doctor told me that i'm fine to remove the sling when i'm at work and at home, but to wear it to sleep and when out and about. I'm set to begin physio in a week and a half can anyone advise what they will have me do?

Currently my arm hurts if i push with it, or if i rotate my fist outwards (backfist) i'm not trying to move it and test it but i've noticed these things through everyday actions (using a mouse at work, chopping vegetables last night)

Can anyone provide long term (1-2 yrs+) advise on recovery and what to expect?

[FLbeach321]

That's a tricky one...I had type 3 SLAP tear. That means there's a piece of the torn cartilage that is caught up in the joint. It would hurt everytime you move as well as at a resting state. My my experience, you may have a SLAP tear but not type 3. With that being said, if you're not in any pain and you're not getting dislocations then I'd hold up on the surgery. If you get a dislocation, I wouldn't hesitate to get surgery if you're an active person. But it's a tough, tough recovery. The good news is that with a great shoulder doctor, you do get better if you need surgery.

[NEG1988]

Hey guys,

Trying to get some advice. While playing football for my university i got injured about 6 weeks ago. All the athletic trainers said it was probably just bruised or strained or something like that. ANyways, i had hardly any range of motion for the first two weeks. Starting the third week i began to do movements with it and within a week i could move it a lot. I have struggled in the gym doing very light weight for the past id say 3 weeks and every week is wmproving. Last week i was able to do pushups (10) without it hurting at all. I didnt try anymore. Also everything has seemed to get better.(little by little)....LOng story short now.

MY doctor told me tuesday the xrays look fine but i prob have a torn labrum and getting MRI thursday this week. If it gets better little by little and each week i am able to do a variety more of movements and lifts would u opt for surgery?

[beachguy498]

Hey guys,

Trying to get some advice. While playing football for my university i got injured about 6 weeks ago. All the athletic trainers said it was probably just bruised or strained or something like that. ANyways, i had hardly any range of motion for the first two weeks. Starting the third week i began to do movements with it and within a week i could move it a lot. I have struggled in the gym doing very light weight for the past id say 3 weeks and every week is wmproving. Last week i was able to do pushups (10) without it hurting at all. I didnt try anymore. Also everything has seemed to get better.(little by little)....LOng story short now.

MY doctor told me tuesday the xrays look fine but i prob have a torn labrum and getting MRI thursday this week. If it gets better little by little and each week i am able to do a variety more of movements and lifts would u opt for surgery?

You can work around a torn labrum for a long time. Then other things start happening, the fraying material catches in the joint and if you have an impingement it gets worse more often than not. See what the MRI says and what the doctor recommends. The tech that writes up the MRI report will go into great detail and then you'll know what the deal is.

But you're doing it right, get the ROM back and then work on the strength. Read up on shoulder injuries and avoid things that cause pain. For me, I've been told to cut out overhead lifts for now. I'm still in the evaluation & PT cycle.

BG

[CoQ10]

Neg1988 -

I tore my labrum back in February and have been working around it since then. My orthopedist and PT told me that as long as I don't push through pain, it should be alright. I won't be able to have surgery until August so I just have to be careful and do what doesn't hurt until then.

Good luck!

-C10

[beachguy498]

Neg1988 -

I tore my labrum back in February and have been working around it since then. My orthopedist and PT told me that as long as I don't push through pain, it should be alright. I won't be able to have surgery until August so I just have to be careful and do what doesn't hurt until then.

Good luck!

-C10

It can be done, but I tell everyone to go easy with less weight and more reps and watch your form. I'm working with all machines until I either make significant progress through PT or opt for surgery. I'd like to hold it off until close to March of 2011.

BG

[namechange2]

This injury really seems hard to pinpoint for some people (me being one of them...my case down below). The symptoms also seem to vary between what type of tear you have (Slap, posterior, etc.). Really feels like a tough injury. Alright, my story....

I'm currently 15. I started pitching in baseball when I was 10.

I was exceptionally good and was considered the "intimidating and fast" little league pitcher. Just when I was about 12, I noticed my speed and strength started to go down, although I didn't necessarily have pain then.

Fast forward to the winter, I started doing pitching clinics and had a throbbing shoulder after each pitching session. I could even not raise my shoulder parallel to the ground. I decided to ice it and take Aleeve for a while.

Decided to see a doctor who specialized in shoulders, got an MRI, and falsely diagnosed me with "Little League Shoulder". Told me to rest until March.

So eh, I did. When baseball season started again (I'm about 13), I was in terrible shape (my own problem, always been chubby since 4th grade...still trying to lose it ) and my shoulder still had the same throbbing pain. I remember being benched a whole lot and when I did pitch I had to be asked how my shoulder felt. I could barely get through 2 innings.

I remember at the end of that season we were in one of our last practices and while I was on the mound I just had to stop....my shoulder was throbbing and swelling so unbelievably bad. I decided that I had to leave practice early. That was the last time I put on a baseball uniform.

After that summer of mainly resting, I talked to the "bad" doctor and then he recommended PT. I did PT 3 days a week for 3-4 months and I felt somewhat stronger, but I still had throbbing pain and seriously notable weakness...even in my bicep and just overall shoulder. I feel like I lost 70% of my shoulder stability and it throws off my right side. Keep in mind though that I had been lifting weights throughout that May to now.

Finally, fast forward to this September I saw a new doctor and he recommended an MRI with contrast (gadolinium). I was finally diagnosed with a posterior labral tear in my right shoulder. I was happy that I knew what the problem was. And now I wanted to start playing football...

Football went well and I must say I did very good for my first year. I started at Right Guard (JV, of course, just a fresh ). I was the "weakest link" on our O-Line, but I guess you could say I did the job. I had serious pain every play though, that force pushing against the facing lineman was devastating and made my shoulder throb, had to get subbed in a few times.

What is more amazing is that my left shoulder started to hurt.
Went to my doctor and he said that the pain was coming from the labral. I just thought fk. good thing is season is done now but I'm still lifting weights. My maxes are pretty darn low for how long I have been consistently lifting, sort of unmotivating, but I still fight. Every bench press rep hurts when I push. It feels like I'm not getting stronger, but my muscles are sore, fatigued, and tired after a good session. My lifting maxes seem to generally stay the same, unfortunately (which honestly doesn't make sense but not the point of my long ass post lmao)

...Well, now in about 9 days I am finally getting surgery for my labral tear in the right shoulder. I hope this will fix the problems and pain on the right side. I need to add that my shoulder CONSISTENTLY pops, cracks, catches all the time. I can do it voluntarily with a single up-to-down motion when my arm is parallel to the ground.

Sorry for a huge post but this labral tear has actually been hindering me for a lot of my recent and teenage life. Just trying to help! Good luck everyone.

[beachguy498]

This injury really seems hard to pinpoint for some people (me being one of them...my case down below). The symptoms also seem to vary between what type of tear you have (Slap, posterior, etc.). Really feels like a tough injury. Alright, my story....

I'm currently 15. I started pitching in baseball when I was 10.

I was exceptionally good and was considered the "intimidating and fast" little league pitcher. Just when I was about 12, I noticed my speed and strength started to go down, although I didn't necessarily have pain then.

Fast forward to the winter, I started doing pitching clinics and had a throbbing shoulder after each pitching session. I could even not raise my shoulder parallel to the ground. I decided to ice it and take Aleeve for a while.

Decided to see a doctor who specialized in shoulders, got an MRI, and falsely diagnosed me with "Little League Shoulder". Told me to rest until March.

So eh, I did. When baseball season started again (I'm about 13), I was in terrible shape (my own problem, always been chubby since 4th grade...still trying to lose it ) and my shoulder still had the same throbbing pain. I remember being benched a whole lot and when I did pitch I had to be asked how my shoulder felt. I could barely get through 2 innings.

I remember at the end of that season we were in one of our last practices and while I was on the mound I just had to stop....my shoulder was throbbing and swelling so unbelievably bad. I decided that I had to leave practice early. That was the last time I put on a baseball uniform.

After that summer of mainly resting, I talked to the "bad" doctor and then he recommended PT. I did PT 3 days a week for 3-4 months and I felt somewhat stronger, but I still had throbbing pain and seriously notable weakness...even in my bicep and just overall shoulder. I feel like I lost 70% of my shoulder stability and it throws off my right side. Keep in mind though that I had been lifting weights throughout that May to now.

Finally, fast forward to this September I saw a new doctor and he recommended an MRI with contrast (gadolinium). I was finally diagnosed with a posterior labral tear in my right shoulder. I was happy that I knew what the problem was. And now I wanted to start playing football...

Football went well and I must say I did very good for my first year. I started at Right Guard (JV, of course, just a fresh ). I was the "weakest link" on our O-Line, but I guess you could say I did the job. I had serious pain every play though, that force pushing against the facing lineman was devastating and made my shoulder throb, had to get subbed in a few times.

What is more amazing is that my left shoulder started to hurt.
Went to my doctor and he said that the pain was coming from the labral. I just thought fk. good thing is season is done now but I'm still lifting weights. My maxes are pretty darn low for how long I have been consistently lifting, sort of unmotivating, but I still fight. Every bench press rep hurts when I push. It feels like I'm not getting stronger, but my muscles are sore, fatigued, and tired after a good session. My lifting maxes seem to generally stay the same, unfortunately (which honestly doesn't make sense but not the point of my long ass post lmao)

...Well, now in about 9 days I am finally getting surgery for my labral tear in the right shoulder. I hope this will fix the problems and pain on the right side. I need to add that my shoulder CONSISTENTLY pops, cracks, catches all the time. I can do it voluntarily with a single up-to-down motion when my arm is parallel to the ground.

Sorry for a huge post but this labral tear has actually been hindering me for a lot of my recent and teenage life. Just trying to help! Good luck everyone.

Good luck to you. Both my boys played Little League and there was restrictions on how many pitches they were allowed to throw and NO curve balls! Most of the damage happens to elbows, but I've seen some young kids with shoulder injury symptoms and know of one kid that has a good career cut short.

I hope you make a fast recovery.

BG

[NEG1988]

thanks everyone for the responses,

Yeah i been taking stuff slow at gym hopefully i will continue improving each week, i know it wont happen overnight. I go for the MRI in two days. I will keep you guys posted.

[NEG1988]

Well, Go figure...........I got the MRI today and have to wait and see the doctor wednesday b4 he can tell me anything because he is out of town. So will post then.

[namechange2]

bleh!! was supposed to have surgery today but I've had some bronchitis for the past week and the doctors would not let me have surgery (understandably!) because of the tube that goes down your throat during general anesthsia. postponed until January 4th. More lifting until then!

[NEG1988]

bleh!! was supposed to have surgery today but I've had some bronchitis for the past week and the doctors would not let me have surgery (understandably!) because of the tube that goes down your throat during general anesthsia. postponed until January 4th. More lifting until then!

sorry to hear that man......at least you wont be in a sling over the holidays.

I went to the doctor yesterday and he said that i have a small slap injury tear. ALso, a little cyst. He said my range of motion that i have developed back since the injury is amzing and i should just keep working the core and dont do anything that hurts like incline bench. He said its no big deal since i am not left handed and a quarterback. I wont be playing any more football that is for sure,,,,but since i began doing the broomstick stretch 2weeks ago i can now do dips with my body and also pushups feel stabalized. I go back in 6 weeks for a checkup.... P.S. good luck on ur surgery man.

[beachguy498]

sorry to hear that man......at least you wont be in a sling over the holidays.

I went to the doctor yesterday and he said that i have a small slap injury tear. ALso, a little cyst. He said my range of motion that i have developed back since the injury is amzing and i should just keep working the core and dont do anything that hurts like incline bench. He said its no big deal since i am not left handed and a quarterback. I wont be playing any more football that is for sure,,,,but since i began doing the broomstick stretch 2weeks ago i can now do dips with my body and also pushups feel stabalized. I go back in 6 weeks for a checkup.... P.S. good luck on ur surgery man.

The ROM is important and I do the broomsticks as well. I have so many exercises I do in PT and at home... gotta be at least 20 total. Don't cut yourself short on the football thing yet, you may have a great recovery. Although throwing the ball is part of what got me into this mess...

BG

[alwayshurt]

Hey guys I am not really sure how to post a new thread but anyway. To those who had LABRUM trear surgery only, how long did it take for you guys to be PAIN FREE? I just had my LABRUM fixed 3 anchors I believe, Doctor told me it was a bad tear. I had the surgery done the first week of November 2010 and started PT the last week of NOVEMBER 2010. The thing that bugs me is that PRE SURGERY PAIN iam feeling the same pain and same spots again POST surgery. I am not very ignorant, i know even though it was doen ARTHROSCOPICALLY it can still do significant damage to the shoulder cutting through skin, muscle, capsule and down to your glenoid. Anyway, my pain is in the FRONT deltoid, and also the side and sorta behind it. Palpatating the areas that feels very sore to me HURTS. I was just wondering if this is all normal that I am feeling and how long was your recovery.
Thanks.

[pyro123]

Hey guys I am not really sure how to post a new thread but anyway. To those who had LABRUM trear surgery only, how long did it take for you guys to be PAIN FREE? I just had my LABRUM fixed 3 anchors I believe, Doctor told me it was a bad tear. I had the surgery done the first week of November 2010 and started PT the last week of NOVEMBER 2010. The thing that bugs me is that PRE SURGERY PAIN iam feeling the same pain and same spots again POST surgery. I am not very ignorant, i know even though it was doen ARTHROSCOPICALLY it can still do significant damage to the shoulder cutting through skin, muscle, capsule and down to your glenoid. Anyway, my pain is in the FRONT deltoid, and also the side and sorta behind it. Palpatating the areas that feels very sore to me HURTS. I was just wondering if this is all normal that I am feeling and how long was your recovery.
Thanks.

I am in the same boat, SLAP II tear with 5 anchors. However, my surgery was done one month ahead, October. I feel more pain than pre surgery, which is normal but what it irks me is the pain is deeper in the front when i lay down to sleep which i never had problems.. It's only when i lay down, odd. How is PT going? It is a long recovery which i wasnt prepared for. I couldnt bathe myself and so on. I still cant scratch my lower back..Can you?

[TheMullah]

I am in the same boat, SLAP II tear with 5 anchors. However, my surgery was done one month ahead, October. I feel more pain than pre surgery, which is normal but what it irks me is the pain is deeper in the front when i lay down to sleep which i never had problems.. It's only when i lay down, odd. How is PT going? It is a long recovery which i wasnt prepared for. I couldnt bathe myself and so on. I still cant scratch my lower back..Can you?

i had mine on the 11th october, pt did a lot of manipulation of the joint, almost trying to pull it out of joint, said she was trying to lower the ball so it wouldn't impinge at it was all very bunched up and tight, like my ball was hitched right up into the socket and so she was working it downwards.

Have reduced my pt to once a week now, general movement pain suddenly dissappeared about 2.5 weeks ago right now its pretty much pain free unless i try to lateral raise whilst keeping my shoulder joint low. Physiotherapist got me doing light weights. nothing more than 10 kg dumbels for chest, BIs and dumbel rows, no shoulder weights using rubber band excercises at home for my shoulders, usual rotator cuff stuff the pt prescribed.

[SnakeE117]

Guys:

I hope you have room for a new member? I'm having my second MRI done, all in a span of 3 months. This time MRI/Arthogram in January 2011. They want to get a good look at the Labrum to R/O any tears - no tear on original MRI w/o contrast. The second MRI will also give them an idea of how bad my AC degeneration is also.

[Fitandtatted]

i just had scopic surgery two days ago. Originally, the surgeon thought it was a torn rotator cuff. Once inside, he found out it was a torn labrum. I'll be in a sling for at least 6 weeks to start. I tried the PT route first but that didn't help. My surgeon isn't a fan of the cort shots, mainly because it only masks the symptoms and doesn't solve the problem. Some people get the shot and the pain may go away for a day, a week or a month or may never come back. Instead of delaying, I just opted for the surgery. It was done outpatient. I'm anxious to get to therapy. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

[lVlacDonald]

i just had scopic surgery two days ago. Originally, the surgeon thought it was a torn rotator cuff. Once inside, he found out it was a torn labrum. I'll be in a sling for at least 6 weeks to start. I tried the PT route first but that didn't help. My surgeon isn't a fan of the cort shots, mainly because it only masks the symptoms and doesn't solve the problem. Some people get the shot and the pain may go away for a day, a week or a month or may never come back. Instead of delaying, I just opted for the surgery. It was done outpatient. I'm anxious to get to therapy. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Labral tears suck. I had surgery one mine in 2008, and think I just popped out one of my screws when I was lifting on Wednesday. Meeting my surgeon on Friday.

[CoQ10]

Labral tears suck. I had surgery one mine in 2008, and think I just popped out one of my screws when I was lifting on Wednesday. Meeting my surgeon on Friday.

Wow...I didn't know the anchors or screws could pop out so much later. Did the surgeon warn you that this could happen?

-C10

[sssharpy]

Anchors can be bioabsorbable which means the body absorbs it over time, roughly 2 years i've heard. The other method is with metal anchors which are left there forever. Metal is the older method and not as frequently used nowdays.

The pop could of been some scar tissue? But thats just hoping. Hope it turns out for the best.

[Persian91]

I remember looking through this thread almost two years ago when I dislocated my shoulder...I had a small labrum tear and after doing PT for about 3 months my shoulder was better than before ...This isn't the case for most people my doctor said I was lucky!...My advice to people going through this struggle is to keep your head up and be patient before ya know it you'll be back in the gym!!!

[eightballer41]

I remember looking through this thread almost two years ago when I dislocated my shoulder...I had a small labrum tear and after doing PT for about 3 months my shoulder was better than before ...This isn't the case for most people my doctor said I was lucky!...My advice to people going through this struggle is to keep your head up and be patient before ya know it you'll be back in the gym!!!

What kind of PT did you do? DId you lift weights between that time as well? APparently I was diagnosed with a labrum tear from a subluxed shoulder. No pain, Full ROM, but apparently an MRI showed a tear....trying to get a second opinion before surgery, but it would be interesting to know if there are options out there to avoid surgery (at this time at least) if possible

[beachguy498]

I remember looking through this thread almost two years ago when I dislocated my shoulder...I had a small labrum tear and after doing PT for about 3 months my shoulder was better than before ...This isn't the case for most people my doctor said I was lucky!...My advice to people going through this struggle is to keep your head up and be patient before ya know it you'll be back in the gym!!!

You have to stick with the PT and do your "homework" too! Meaning exercises you do outside of PT. 3 months is a great recovery. I believe my PT will bottom out at 4 months. I'm back to lifting, less weight and taking it easy. Nowhere near what I was doing this past July, but I don't want to back slide hurting myself.

BG

[Persian91]

What kind of PT did you do? DId you lift weights between that time as well? APparently I was diagnosed with a labrum tear from a subluxed shoulder. No pain, Full ROM, but apparently an MRI showed a tear....trying to get a second opinion before surgery, but it would be interesting to know if there are options out there to avoid surgery (at this time at least) if possible

I had no pain at all when I first tore it too....MRI showed a tear too.....I was in a sling for 3 weeks which was annoying....I went to three different doctors for opinions I suggest you do the same. the first one said surgery while the other two said PT.....I didn't do any lifting when at all when I started with PT. Started out just doing stretches to loosen up the tightness then went on to more complicated exercises. I didn't lift weights between the time I listened strictly to what my therapist said at the time...It was tough not working out for a while but you gotta do whats best for your body.

[Persian91]

You have to stick with the PT and do your "homework" too! Meaning exercises you do outside of PT. 3 months is a great recovery. I believe my PT will bottom out at 4 months. I'm back to lifting, less weight and taking it easy. Nowhere near what I was doing this past July, but I don't want to back slide hurting myself.

BG

thanks man.....getting back in was tough because you have all these mental fears of it happening again but once your able to conquer those fears everything comes back quick...especially certain exercises when I got back like dips, military press, db press were a bit scary for me to do them when I went back but I managed to get over my fears and I lift just like I used too now

[beachguy498]

thanks man.....getting back in was tough because you have all these mental fears of it happening again but once your able to conquer those fears everything comes back quick...especially certain exercises when I got back like dips, military press, db press were a bit scary for me to do them when I went back but I managed to get over my fears and I lift just like I used too now

You're welcome. I was petrified of facing chest flys again. I wasn't even able to do the motion last August. I'm doing them now with a warm up set and still 1/2 the weight I was doing. You have to adapt to what works and look for substitute exercises if necessary.

BG