Ryan's Shoulder Surgery and Recovery Journal

[RyanGrob]

Hi Ryan

Does a SLAP II tear always involve a biceps tendon? Because my operative report doesnt say anything about it but they do caution us for no active biceps activity. Do they anchor the biceps as well? why not just do a biceps tenodesis?
I think i am falling back on my rehab routine and my therapist is not much help either. I am almost 8 weeks post op. I just made an appt with kessler rehab hopefully they can help. Is hard to find a good PT now adays. I will try to learn as much as i can at home but just not much time. I am looking at my rehab protocol and dont understand the following exercises:

Prone rowing
Prone Horizontal Abduction
Prone Extension
Shoulder FLexion Scapular Plane
Shoulder Abduction
Flexion/extension at 100 degrees Flexion and 125 degrees flexion

Can you get a new therapist? PT is crucial for shoulder recovery. You could most likely google those terms to get a general idea though, although I would advise you to get a more adequate therapist.

A SLAP II tear does involve the biceps tendon but doesn't always include a bicep tendonesis. Depending on the damage to the area, your surgeon will make the call as to whether the bicep tendon needs to be moved. They will only move it if it needs to be. Any activity post-op involving the bicep tendon is prohibited mainly due to the fact your bicep tendon becomes the labrum as it surrounds the gleno-humeral joint. Therefore, stressing the bicep tendon also stresses the labrum, something you want to avoid after a repair for awhile.

[Bials14]

Besides a couple appointments here and there... I've really only been doing my home exercises given by my surgeon and its been going well.. I mainly just don't have the cash to spend on PT .. I'm not covered ... am I really missing out on much?

The last time I went right after my dislocation it seemed like the first couple visits were good. Then after a while I was just paying to do stuff I couldve done on my own.

[beachguy498]

Besides a couple appointments here and there... I've really only been doing my home exercises given by my surgeon and its been going well.. I mainly just don't have the cash to spend on PT .. I'm not covered ... am I really missing out on much?

The last time I went right after my dislocation it seemed like the first couple visits were good. Then after a while I was just paying to do stuff I couldve done on my own.

Doing home exercises is great, stick with them. I'm laying out a bunch for PT right now myself for co-payments. The only thing that PT can do that you can't do is manipulate the shoulder to extents that you can't do yourself. See what your surgeon thinks about your progress especially your ROM.

BG

[RyanGrob]

Besides a couple appointments here and there... I've really only been doing my home exercises given by my surgeon and its been going well.. I mainly just don't have the cash to spend on PT .. I'm not covered ... am I really missing out on much?

The last time I went right after my dislocation it seemed like the first couple visits were good. Then after a while I was just paying to do stuff I couldve done on my own.

If you're making progress and your doctor is very good at explaining the protocol, you could go without PT. I'm only a fan of home PT programs in conjunction with normal PT visits. My first doctor was terrible at explaining stuff, just gave me a sheet of paper and said "do these" which is why I requested PT.

[beachguy498]

If you're making progress and your doctor is very good at explaining the protocol, you could go without PT. I'm only a fan of home PT programs in conjunction with normal PT visits. My first doctor was terrible at explaining stuff, just gave me a sheet of paper and said "do these" which is why I requested PT.

I'm going to PT 2x a week and do home exercises. The home exercises are easy, I can substitute food cans for the weights. The real PT end of it includes more exercises using gym equipment and hands-on stretching for the shoulder, things that are impossible to do on your own.

BG

[RyanGrob]

I'm going to PT 2x a week and do home exercises. The home exercises are easy, I can substitute food cans for the weights. The real PT end of it includes more exercises using gym equipment and hands-on stretching for the shoulder, things that are impossible to do on your own.

BG

Yeah, the stretching is good stuff

[SnakeE117]

RyanGrob:

Pleasure to contact you. I've been reading your thread for the last hour. I'm now at #91, dated 06-22-10. Thank you for providing such an imformative forum for viewers like "us" also experiencing shoulder injuries of all sorts. I recognize some of the other(s) whom posted. I hope all is going well for all. I look forward to contacting you at later time. I've got to catch up on somereading, LOL. Once again, thank you for your many contributions to this thread. - The Snake E117.

Made it to entry #275, very, very informative. I hope to complete by tomorrow. I look forward to sharing my story with the others and I hope, what I've learned from this ordeal, that I can be placed, like yourself, in a position to be of benefit to others from the "frustrating" terms and conditions shoulder injuries set forth. Ryan and the others, keep up the great work!

[beachguy498]

Yeah, the stretching is good stuff

Oh yeah, I'm making good progress on my bicep tendonitis and getting a lot of ROM back, next we start working on strength. I'd like to get to a point where I may not need surgery, but too soon to tell yet.

BG

[RyanGrob]

RyanGrob:

Pleasure to contact you. I've been reading your thread for the last hour. I'm now at #91, dated 06-22-10. Thank you for providing such an imformative forum for viewers like "us" also experiencing shoulder injuries of all sorts. I recognize some of the other(s) whom posted. I hope all is going well for all. I look forward to contacting you at later time. I've got to catch up on somereading, LOL. Once again, thank you for your many contributions to this thread. - The Snake E117.

Made it to entry #275, very, very informative. I hope to complete by tomorrow. I look forward to sharing my story with the others and I hope, what I've learned from this ordeal, that I can be placed, like yourself, in a position to be of benefit to others from the "frustrating" terms and conditions shoulder injuries set forth. Ryan and the others, keep up the great work!

I'm glad this thread has served some benefit for you! Shoulders can be frustrating to deal with and require a lot of patience and time for recovery. Remembering my first surgery, I was nervous and unsure as what to expect. I started this to help others get some sort of idea of how recovery will be like for surgery.

Please feel free to contact me anytime. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have!

Oh yeah, I'm making good progress on my bicep tendonitis and getting a lot of ROM back, next we start working on strength. I'd like to get to a point where I may not need surgery, but too soon to tell yet.

BG

That's good news! Keep up the hard work man

[SnakeE117]

RyanGrob:

Thanks for your reply. Words can not mention your sincere dedication to help others to "get through" shoulder ailments, but your ability to describe and educate is more far more reaching.

I hope by today that I get caught up on all posts, get brought to speed...and be able to provide meaningful contributions on areas that, perhaps were not covered yet, in the future.

Again, I can not express my graditute for taking on a difficult subject, mysterious in many ways, of such a unique vehicle to disseminate your knowledge for the benefit of others.

Last, Hello Beachguy 498. I hope all goes well.

The SnakeE117.

[RyanGrob]

RyanGrob:

Thanks for your reply. Words can not mention your sincere dedication to help others to "get through" shoulder ailments, but your ability to describe and educate is more far more reaching.

I hope by today that I get caught up on all posts, get brought to speed...and be able to provide meaningful contributions on areas that, perhaps were not covered yet, in the future.

Again, I can not express my graditute for taking on a difficult subject, mysterious in many ways, of such a unique vehicle to disseminate your knowledge for the benefit of others.

Last, Hello Beachguy 498. I hope all goes well.

The SnakeE117.

You are too kind sir. I am here to help in any way I can

[SnakeE117]

Ryan:

Ref: p. 10, post #283.

1. Did you make any modifications (ie: grip/hand spacing) or changes in ROM for pressing and overhead motions to safeguard & minimize shoulder torque transmitted through the shoulder joint compex with these excercises?

2. No wide grips, either applicable to DB or BB, for pressing or OH motions? For example, do you use narrow hand spacing no wider than 1.5X your biacromial width, again to minimize impact to the shoulder joint complex?

3. Describe your warm-up and/or stretching of the shoulder(s). Is this done prior to, or after your lifts for OH or pressing motions? I imagine your very deligent and actively involved in excercises that focus on RC health, strengthening & stretching.

4. Last, for upper-body lifts, primarily when doing OH or pressing motions, do you apply
use any topical type Sports heat cream or gel beforehand? Do you proactively "ICE" the shoulder afterwards?

Thanks.

The Snake

[RyanGrob]

Ryan:

Ref: p. 10, post #283.

1. Did you make any modifications (ie: grip/hand spacing) or changes in ROM for pressing and overhead motions to safeguard & minimize shoulder torque transmitted through the shoulder joint compex with these excercises?

2. No wide grips, either applicable to DB or BB, for pressing or OH motions? For example, do you use narrow hand spacing no wider than 1.5X your biacromial width, again to minimize impact to the shoulder joint complex?

3. Describe your warm-up and/or stretching of the shoulder(s). Is this done prior to, or after your lifts for OH or pressing motions? I imagine your very deligent and actively involved in excercises that focus on RC health, strengthening & stretching.

4. Last, for upper-body lifts, primarily when doing OH or pressing motions, do you apply
use any topical type Sports heat cream or gel beforehand? Do you proactively "ICE" the shoulder afterwards?

Thanks.

The Snake

Hey Snake,

1. Since I rely on dumbbells for pressing motions, I focus on keeping a narrow distance between my arms and not going below parallel. This has kept the load off my joints and kept it strictly with my muscles. If I were to use a barbell, I would rely on a more narrow grip, in between something of a close grip and normal grip.

2. Absolutely. I've had people say a wide grip helps minimize shoulder joint load. I can't understand where this statement comes from, as if you try both you will notice that a wide grip actually stresses your shoulder joint much more than a narrower grip. 1.5x width sounds spot on, sometimes more of 1.25x though.

3. My workout plan as of right now follows a push/pull, effectively having me doing each muscle group twice a week. On pull days, I use a little bit of heavier weight and 15-20 rep range for RC exercises. They consist of: External rotations, Internal Rotations and cubans. There is also other excises you can throw into the mix, but I prefer these three with internal/external rotations using cables while for cubans I use dumbbells.

On push days, I do these same exercises but much lighter weight, focusing on 25-30 reps. This is more-so to warm up the shoulder, and get them ready for a chest/shoulder workout rather than building strength as you will use your shoulders a good amount on push days.

I do dynamic stretching before working out, nothing special to be honest. Once again, I believe in dynamic stretching before hand after and static stretching afterwards. For static stretches (post-workout), I mainly take 10-15 minutes and do the simple stuff such as holding the arm across the chest, pulling it behind my back, pulling it above my head, stand in door opening while putting forearm against the side, etc. I just try different manipulations that give my shoulder a good stretch, none of which I particularly know the name to (lots of them learned through PT). I hold stretches between 20-30 seconds for 5-10 repetitions.

For a good idea of stretches, there is a sticky at the top of the Injury and Recovery sub-forum that has a ton of good ones (here is the link: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=529968)

4. For 10 minutes prior to leaving for the gym, I use a heating pad on my shoulder. This helps with getting the blood flowing and some flexibility to my shoulder.

Upon arriving at the gym, I start doing the dynamic stretching (it's only a five minute drive to my gym).

After working out, I usually ice the shoulder with a bag of peas for 10-15 minutes. This usually takes care of any soreness that occurs not related to muscle fatigue. In addition, I take 1 Aleve a day (big fan of Aleve, especially for long term use as opposed to other NSAIDs).

In addition, if the case calls for it, I use Tiger balm as a topical pain reliever (this does nothing other than temporarily relieve pain).

I hope this helps with some of your questions. If you need any additional clarification, please let me know.

[CoQ10]

Excellent advice from Ryan. If you don't have a heating pad, doing a little bit of light cardio with your arms moving seems to help a bit. I like the elliptical machine with the arm attachments.

Good luck!

-C10

[RyanGrob]

Excellent advice from Ryan. If you don't have a heating pad, doing a little bit of light cardio with your arms moving seems to help a bit. I like the elliptical machine with the arm attachments.

Good luck!

-C10

Totally forgot about that! Thanks for the contribution C10. I hope everything is going well on your side of things.

[SnakeE117]

Ryan, CoQ10:

Thanks for the response. Very informative for overall shoulder joint care. A very excellent reminder to be proactive in safeguarding your body, especially shoulders.

Thanks again. Keep up the good work. -Snake E117

[RyanGrob]

Ryan, CoQ10:

Thanks for the response. Very informative for overall shoulder joint care. A very excellent reminder to be proactive in safeguarding your body, especially shoulders.

Thanks again. Keep up the good work. -Snake E117

After shoulder surgery, some modifications should be made especially when dealing with pressing motions. I still think your ideal physique can be obtained after surgery, you may just have to substitute or alter certain exercises. But overall, prevention is the key.

[pyro123]

Folks

Did anyone get bicep pain after SLAP II surgery? I wake up everyday with pain and after any movement...Its been 2 months since surgery and whether is to early to ascertain a bicep tendinosis..

[beachguy498]

Folks

Did anyone get bicep pain after SLAP II surgery? I wake up everyday with pain and after any movement...Its been 2 months since surgery and whether is to early to ascertain a bicep tendinosis..

Have you been through PT post-surgery? The bicep tendon may need some stretching done to it. It very well could be too tight.

BG

[SnakeE117]

Ryan:

Ref: p. 10, Post #283.

When doing incline DB flies, how does your shoulders feel during all phases of the active lift? For me, this motion and subsequent "arc" is rather bothersome, no pain, in all flye excercises causing only pressure type discomfort during the active part of the lift.

Another excercise, producing discomfort is the "Pull-Up." Made modifications to technique to use narrow (shoulder width) hand spacing, palms facing away. However, I found that palms facing towards you, at shoulder width, produces less discomfort. I read, as now I'm a "shoulder-junkie," that pull-ups (palms away) are NASTY and contribute to the destruction of both the Supraspintus & Terres Minor RC's. The author believes that (palms to you) better target the muscles of the back, as well as less strain and impact to the elbow flexors - which have a tendancy to "give-out" when palms are facing away. Also less stressors are placed on the RC's. Have you heard off this before? Definately, nice to now, after years of wide gripped weighted pull-ups have probably caused considerable damage to the RC's.

Lastly, have you added any weight in your routines? If so, has it been "OK" or did you have to back off slightly. I'm picturing that your allowing your shoulders to dictate the amount of weight that you can lift comfortably and without incident?

Once again, thank you for your responses, and exporting your knowledge upon all of us.

The Snake E117.

[RyanGrob]

Folks

Did anyone get bicep pain after SLAP II surgery? I wake up everyday with pain and after any movement...Its been 2 months since surgery and whether is to early to ascertain a bicep tendinosis..

Mine still can be irritated and my surgery was back in May. From what I've gathered, bicep issues can continue for a long time which makes sense due to the anatomy of the shoulder. I wouldn't worry too much about it now.

Ryan:

Ref: p. 10, Post #283.

When doing incline DB flies, how does your shoulders feel during all phases of the active lift? For me, this motion and subsequent "arc" is rather bothersome, no pain, in all flye excercises causing only pressure type discomfort during the active part of the lift.

Another excercise, producing discomfort is the "Pull-Up." Made modifications to technique to use narrow (shoulder width) hand spacing, palms facing away. However, I found that palms facing towards you, at shoulder width, produces less discomfort. I read, as now I'm a "shoulder-junkie," that pull-ups (palms away) are NASTY and contribute to the destruction of both the Supraspintus & Terres Minor RC's. The author believes that (palms to you) better target the muscles of the back, as well as less strain and impact to the elbow flexors - which have a tendancy to "give-out" when palms are facing away. Also less stressors are placed on the RC's. Have you heard off this before? Definately, nice to now, after years of wide gripped weighted pull-ups have probably caused considerable damage to the RC's.

Lastly, have you added any weight in your routines? If so, has it been "OK" or did you have to back off slightly. I'm picturing that your allowing your shoulders to dictate the amount of weight that you can lift comfortably and without incident?

Once again, thank you for your responses, and exporting your knowledge upon all of us.

The Snake E117.

How is your form with the dumbbell fly? For the most part, you shouldn't have your arms straight out. I keep around a 45-60 degree bend at the elbow and really squeeze my pectorals when the dumbbells come together at the top. There was an old Gaspari Nutrition video that had a good demonstration of a dumbbell pec fly. If I can find it, I shall link you it.

I have tried both variations of pull-ups but fell palm inwards target my arms more-so than my lats. This may be due to improper form though. I'm sure with proper form it can be equally beneficial as palm outwards. I will try this more often - thanks for the suggestion Snake. Additionally, I have heard the same thing about wide-grip pull-ups with palms facing outwards. They seem to stress the shoulder a lot, the same with dips.

I have indeed been able to add weight to my exercises. The only exercise that I have not been able to increase is rear delt flies. Due to the distal clavicle re-sectioning, the top of my AC joint gets irritated doing these. I see my doctor December 29th for a final check-up on my shoulder and will share any information I receive from him. Overall, I am the strongest I've been in years with all exercises albeit bench press (which I focus on form, not weight). I am very pleased with my surgery and overall shoulder health. I have a couple concerns that I will address with my doctor later this month, but nothing that seems to limit me too much.

[SnakeE117]

Ryan:

Thanks for the reply. I'm sure that your final check-up will be well welcomed good news in all aspects.

For me, progress is slow..if any. Still having problems with OH and/or pressing movements. I'm wondering if I was misdiagnosed re: (shoulders). My condition is one of (2) things:

1). That the Supraspinatus RC is still inflammed and that these movements are further aggrevating the Supra. RC to a point where it is not heeling as it is making direct contact with the acromion. It's been about (2) months, despite proactive and aggressive treatment. I have a Type II acromion.

2). Or...the MRI did show some degeneration to the (L) AC joint. I've reopened the case, to rule out "Tendonosis." The clinical presentation of both are similiar, however course of treatment is different between "tendonitis vs. tendonsis."

Kinda just in a "holding" pattern for now. Frustrated. I really don't buy into that "your getting old" response. Again, always a pleasure communicating with you. Talk to you soon. - The SnakeE117.

[BriMax]

Ah, good ol Dr. Moeller. I used to seem him in high school for issues relating to my foot. Thanks for the links - I'll read up on it.

Delt pain is gone. I can bench with 0 pain in my shoulder. My elbow is a nuisance right now, not really painful but I'm probably going to see the doc about it next month or December.

Let me know how EPAT works for you.

UPDATE: I'm doing my last EPAT therapy session this week. So far I'm not sure if it's really working yet. The pain seems to have reduced in my bicep tendon, but I'm not allowed to workout to really test it. To get a true indication, I have to wait for 3-4 weeks after the last treatment and then try working out. The instablility seems to have calmed down though, not sure if it's because I rested it for the last several weeks or the EPAT is helping that too.

If I start working out again and the pain really flares up, I'm going to try PRP injections. Before I finally may give in to surgery.

When you bench, do u still take the bar all the way down to your chest?

[Burtle005]

Got an update on mine. Sorry it took so long. Ended up going and getting x-rays..said its just swollen real bad, and nothing major is wrong. The thing that is messed up is, its been 3 1/2 weeks since I went to the Doctor and its STILL the same. I've been taking the anti infamatory pills and all..not looking good..they said the next step is to do injections. Which I don't know if I want to do that or not. I've heard that can REALLY mess stuff up..

[RyanGrob]

Ryan:

Thanks for the reply. I'm sure that your final check-up will be well welcomed good news in all aspects.

For me, progress is slow..if any. Still having problems with OH and/or pressing movements. I'm wondering if I was misdiagnosed re: (shoulders). My condition is one of (2) things:

1). That the Supraspinatus RC is still inflammed and that these movements are further aggrevating the Supra. RC to a point where it is not heeling as it is making direct contact with the acromion. It's been about (2) months, despite proactive and aggressive treatment. I have a Type II acromion.

2). Or...the MRI did show some degeneration to the (L) AC joint. I've reopened the case, to rule out "Tendonosis." The clinical presentation of both are similiar, however course of treatment is different between "tendonitis vs. tendonsis."

Kinda just in a "holding" pattern for now. Frustrated. I really don't buy into that "your getting old" response. Again, always a pleasure communicating with you. Talk to you soon. - The SnakeE117.

Have you received a second opinion about the diagnosis? If not, it may be worth it to research a well known ortho in your area and see what they think.

1) Type II acromion should see relief from your therapy so far. If there were no additional calcium deposits found, it's hard to see why your supra is still inflamed. Mine was a type III which I was told could be alleviated with PT but never 100%. As a result, I have it shaved down.

2) Degeneration can be caused by arthritis as well. At 24, mine showed signs of degeneration but I highly doubt it's accurate. Inflammation on MRI film can be seen by areas of white that normally aren't present. In my films taken last November, lots of white was found The issue was figuring out what was causing the inflammation.

It sounds like the confusion you are experiencing would benefit from a second opinion. Hang in there!

UPDATE: I'm doing my last EPAT therapy session this week. So far I'm not sure if it's really working yet. The pain seems to have reduced in my bicep tendon, but I'm not allowed to workout to really test it. To get a true indication, I have to wait for 3-4 weeks after the last treatment and then try working out. The instablility seems to have calmed down though, not sure if it's because I rested it for the last several weeks or the EPAT is helping that too.

If I start working out again and the pain really flares up, I'm going to try PRP injections. Before I finally may give in to surgery.

When you bench, do u still take the bar all the way down to your chest?

Thanks for the update. I would be interested to see what your results will be once you start lifting again. For now, the verdict is still out on that sort of treatment in my eyes.

Rarely do I use barbell for benching. You have much more control with dumbbells. For the rare occasion that I do use a barbell, I stop when my arms hit parallel. I haven't really heard a convincing argument yet as to why you need to touch your chest. That type of ROM puts stress on your shoulders rather than keeping the weight focused on your chest.

Got an update on mine. Sorry it took so long. Ended up going and getting x-rays..said its just swollen real bad, and nothing major is wrong. The thing that is messed up is, its been 3 1/2 weeks since I went to the Doctor and its STILL the same. I've been taking the anti infamatory pills and all..not looking good..they said the next step is to do injections. Which I don't know if I want to do that or not. I've heard that can REALLY mess stuff up..

Cortisone injections will received mixed reviews. Some say it reduces inflammation but weakens tendons that are injected. Some say there is a certain number of injections you can receive during a lifetime. The list goes on and on, with both sides having advantages and disadvantages.

My personal opinion with cortisone injections - they can help with diagnosing but shouldn't be used as treatment. For the most part, cortisone does not fix the underlying problem. It will help with inflammation but really does nothing else. In most cases, something is causing the pain/discomfort/inflammation and cortisone will provide a temporary band-aid to resolve the symptoms. Where cortisone becomes useful is for diagnosing purposes. Inflammation on MRI film is basically white blobs which reduce any visibility of the surrounding area. If used to calm the inflammation to get a good snapshot, then it's useful. Also, injecting it in certain areas can help the doctor narrow down the location of your issue if films prove to be useless (which in all my cases have been true). I've read cases where people go in and get multiple cortisone shots a year to help with pain and it really makes me wonder what the logic is. The ONLY instance I see for this purpose is if for some reason, surgery physically can't be performed due to certain medical complications.

I'd say get one only if your doctor understands this isn't something to treat your shoulder, it's to help them with diagnosing you. Too many doctors just want to inject cortisone and move to the next patient...

Good luck

[beachguy498]

Got an update on mine. Sorry it took so long. Ended up going and getting x-rays..said its just swollen real bad, and nothing major is wrong. The thing that is messed up is, its been 3 1/2 weeks since I went to the Doctor and its STILL the same. I've been taking the anti inflamatory pills and all..not looking good..they said the next step is to do injections. Which I don't know if I want to do that or not. I've heard that can REALLY mess stuff up..

An x-ray only takes you so far, an MRI and care of an orthopedic doctor is always best. You have a pretty sketchy diagnosis there, swelling is never caused by "nothing major". Did you have any bruising? Both swelling and bruising go with an AC joint injury. Your location of the pain also supports an AC joint issue, but I'm only an "internets brain surgeon".

I've had 2 rounds of cortisone shots, the first one helped immediately, the 2nd (ultrasound guided) took a few days to kick in fully. They do reduce inflammation, but like RyanGrob says, they are not the cure. I feel that my last round of shots helped me initially with my PT. The shots can also muddy up an MRI, so work with the doctor on that.

BG

[BriMax]

Thanks for the update. I would be interested to see what your results will be once you start lifting again. For now, the verdict is still out on that sort of treatment in my eyes.

Rarely do I use barbell for benching. You have much more control with dumbbells. For the rare occasion that I do use a barbell, I stop when my arms hit parallel. I haven't really heard a convincing argument yet as to why you need to touch your chest. That type of ROM puts stress on your shoulders rather than keeping the weight focused on your chest.

Good luck

Thanks Ryan... yeah, we'll see in 4 weeks.

When you said benching in your previous emails, I wasn't sure if you meant bar or dumbbells. I've only used dumbbells for the last 20+ years and understand the benefits of them. So do you go deeper with dumbbells or just parallel as you do with the bar? The theory has always been the more range of motion the more fibers are recruited, but nothing concrete on that. It's like on tricep pushdowns... I've always leaned over a little to get a full stretch at the top of the movement, to work the tricep in that part of the movement, instead of stopping at point where a lot of people usually do.

How has your bicep tendon been recently? Hope it's feeling better. Does Dr. Anderson feel your tendon pain should be totally resolved by a certain point?

[pyro123]

Okay folks..Got a new PT which is awesome...He said according to the surgeon protocol i should have full ROM by now. He is the only one that gives me massage with active movements. Anyway, why dont we talk about supplements to help with recovery.. I hear high does of fish oil.. How much is that 5 gram/s day?. Besides that, is there any other supplements like growth hormones we should be taking?

[CoQ10]

Okay folks..Got a new PT which is awesome...He said according to the surgeon protocol i should have full ROM by now. He is the only one that gives me massage with active movements. Anyway, why dont we talk about supplements to help with recovery.. I hear high does of fish oil.. How much is that 5 gram/s day?. Besides that, is there any other supplements like growth hormones we should be taking?

I've heard that high doses of fish oil - about 10-12 g/day - can help with inflammation. However, I don't know if there's any research behind this pertaining specifically to orthopedic injuries. 4-5 g/day is great for overall health, though!

IGF-1 can definitely help repair shoulder injuries. Unfortunately, it's illegal. Don't bother with any 'growth hormone' supplements. Waste of money.

Good luck on your recovery.

-C10

[SnakeE117]

Hi Ryan:

Good to hear from you. Thanks. Going this Tue. to the original Ortho./Sport Med. doctor this Tuesday to clear up some concerns. I finally got the MRI report from 10/27/10. It reads: (done on (L) shoulder without contrast).

CLINICAL INDICATION: Weight Lifting injury with pain. R/O labreal tear.
COMPARISON: None
TECHNIQUE: Axial, sagittal and coronal proton density and proton density fat saturated images were obtained.
FINDINGS:

The rotator cuff is intact. There is no tear identified in the supraspinatus, infraspinatus and subscapularis tendons. There is no tendon retraction or musculature atrophy seen. There is no significant fluid in the subacromial/subdeltoid bursa. There is no significant glenohumeral joint effusion.

The biceps tendon is intact. The bicipital labral complex and the glenoid labrum are also intact.

There are degenerative changes at the acromioclavicular joint with mild edema about the joint. There is a moderately curved Type II acromion. No other bone marrow signal abnormalities are seen.

IMPRESSION: 1. Mild degenerative change of the AC joint.
2. No evidence of labral tear.

END REPORT.

My Ortho. doctor diagnosis is "shoulder tendinitis," specifically isolated to the supraspinatus RC is what he said. The MRI report makes no mention of that? The MRI was shot at a 1.5/Tesla without contrast (closed MRI also).

Ryan, based on the above report, any suggestions or questions that you can think of I should ask the Ortho. Dr.? My condition is not improving even dispite proactive measures including all types of RC therapy. Perhaps something was overlooked. I have the CD of the MRI, the doc. and me will look at it again. Do you recommend that another MRI be done, this time with contrast?

Ryan thanks again. You've been a blessing. Look forward to hearing from you. Snake.