Staying in shape while recovering from shoulder surgery (Latarjet)

[bradler]

Hey all, hoping to get a few tips. Basically, I've had shoulder instability problems for the last 8 years (left shoulder dislocated 2004, continues to keep popping out every month or so). Everytime it dislocates, it takes a few minutes until it finally goes back in, then it hurts like hell for the next day. Like an idiot, I waited until just recently to get it checked out, and my doctor recommended the open Latarjet procedure:



Should take about 6 months of rehab before I can use the shoulder normally again. My question, is does anyone have any related experience with this? Any type of workout program that I could do to somehow maintain my physique? I know pretty much anything upper body is out of the question, but anything other than the casual walk?

Any and all insight is welcome! :>

[bradler]

swing and a miss...

[jr1293]

How did you go? Did you get the surgery?

I had a fairly bad dislocation playing in my Rugby in September, tearing my labarum and fracturing the humorous and over 25% of the capsule. I had to wait 3 weeks before my surgeon could fit me in and it was terrible, numerous dislocations while rolling over in bed and doing day to day tasks.

I'm 11 weeks post op at the moment and slowly recovering. I got a labarum repair on the same should 12 months ago so I thought I knew what I would be in for but the laterjet procedure was significantly worse. Prepare for painful could of days after surgery and a slow couple of weeks! I was scheduled to only spend 1 night in hospital but the surgery went for longer than they anticipated (4 and a half hours) so I had to stay a second night in hospital. In the end I was happy I got the extra night with the additional pain meds.

My surgeon said with laterjet it is common to be in a sling for unto 12 weeks (usually only 6 weeks for labarum repair). I am out of my sling at the moment and am returning to most day to day activities but range of motion still isn't fantastic and strength is terrible.

I’m seeing my physio every week now and he is happy with my progress. I think it’s probably going a little too slowly but he seems to think it is fairly normal and being s rugby specific physio has recovered numerous laterjet procedures.

I have been dieting fairly hard to make sure I don’t put on too much weight (last surgery I went from 92kg to 99kgs in the first 6 weeks). In the gym I have been doing leg press and 45 degree squats plus spending a lot of time on the exercise bikes and doing abs. I have only now started using elastics to build muscle back into my shoulder and slowly it is getting stronger.

One thing you should know is for the first 6 weeks you are very limited in what you can do. the surgeon was very cautious about the bony fragment they bolt into the capsule and made sure I didn’t move anything to disturb the bonding.

I didn’t drive for the first 3 weeks which was alright for the first 2 considering I wasn’t working but once I started working again it was too hard to try and get people to drive me everywhere.

Good luck if you haven’t got the surgery already and if you have let me know how your progressing.

Cheers

[bradler]

Hey man, thanks for the response! That was super informative and helpful. I'm not scheduled for surgery until January, and I've been finding myself skipping more and more workouts cause...what's the point, right? haha but I know that's just me being lazy and unmotivated.

My biggest concerns are actually showering and getting shirts on/off lol. Also, my job requires flying a lot, so I'm worried if there'll be any issues with trying to fly ~1 month out. Probably need someone to store my bags haha.

Thanks again man! Hope your recovery goes well, and keep me updated on your progress!

[APwn]

I had a labrum repair and stabilization surgery on my right shoulder (keyhole) in early 2012. I tried to keep my diet in check and do as much lower body work as could, but I still ended up looking like a sack of crap after about 8 weeks in a sling. However, it only took about 6 weeks back in the gym to get back to where I was before muscle wise, and maybe 10 weeks strength wise.

[bradler]

Yeah that's what I was worried about, but oh well, just gotta get through it. Just curious, were the injuries on your dominant side? Luckily, it's my left shoulder (I'm right handed), so I guess my right arm will keep outgrowing my left lol

[APwn]

Yeah that's what I was worried about, but oh well, just gotta get through it. Just curious, were the injuries on your dominant side? Luckily, it's my left shoulder (I'm right handed), so I guess my right arm will keep outgrowing my left lol

Right was always my weaker arm. Although ironically since the op my right arm is now stronger and bigger than the left. Weird!

[jr1293]

Hey man, thanks for the response! That was super informative and helpful. I'm not scheduled for surgery until January, and I've been finding myself skipping more and more workouts cause...what's the point, right? haha but I know that's just me being lazy and unmotivated.

My biggest concerns are actually showering and getting shirts on/off lol. Also, my job requires flying a lot, so I'm worried if there'll be any issues with trying to fly ~1 month out. Probably need someone to store my bags haha.

Thanks again man! Hope your recovery goes well, and keep me updated on your progress!

I'm meeting with my surgeon today to get a 12 week update and to see if I have bony union (fingers crossed) but everything is still going well.

I would really recommend pushing yourself in the gym for the next couple of week prior surgery. Don’t lift any big weights and definitely don’t do any bench press or overhead weights but rotator cuff strengthening, lots of back work and scap retraction and some delt work will really aid your recovery and make the 6-10 weeks post-surgery a lot easier.

unfortunately I’m right handed and my surgery was on my right shoulder which probably made it a little harder to do certain things but you get fairly used to it quite quickly.

Showering is very awkward the first couple of times, if you don’t have a removable head in your shower it will nearly be impossible to have a decent wash for the first 2 weeks unless you have someone helping you. I went out and bought some of those makeup removing wipes before surgery as they are the best for removing the pink antibacterial paint the surgeons seem to get EVERYWHERE!

Getting dress is fairly easy, hardest bits are actually trying to put underwear, pants and doing up shoe laces but shirts aren’t overly difficult.

Don’t really know too much about flying after surgery so can’t really help you there.

[bradler]

Interesting...I've been doing a lot of dumbbell benching and overhead presses on the Smith machine. Why would this be bad prior to getting the surgery? And how does rotator cuff/back/delt differ? I get that its the affected area, but I'm not sure how having those be stronger would benefit my recovery?

And that's good to know about dressing! Luckily, my gf is moving in to help me out with everything, so it shouldn't be too bad. Appreciate the insight man!

[captiontom]

I had labrum surgery 13 months ago on my right shoulder and I'm still not where I was before the surgery. Mobility and basic tasks I'm better off then before the surgery but strength wise i'm still a little behind. I didn't start lifting until about 7 or 8 months after the surgery and for two months I only hit lower body. My squat is higher then it was before my surgery but everything else is still lower. I think in two or three more months I'll be where I was before surgery. I could probably be making better progress but I'm going with the slow and steady approach. I learned that injury is by far the biggest set back and I'm not going to hurt myself again lifting to heavy or to often. I probably could have started lifting again sooner but I can't change that now and I feel my shoulder healed right so I don't regret it. Your body will go to **** being in a sling for 6 weeks (I think I had to do 8) but you can probably hit leg press or abs when you are out of the sling. I wouldn't do anything while in the sling.



my general tips post surgery are:

get a good recliner and learn to sleep sitting up.

take the pain pills before you feel pain. My friends mom had the same surgery a month after mine and she tried to only take the pain pills when it hurt and quickly changed to my method of taking one every four hours like the bottle recommended even if I wasn't feeling pain yet.

For showers I didn't shower for the first week then I either just let my arm hang by my side like it was parilized or I would put a belt around my neck and use it as a cheap sling to rest my arm in as I showered. A bunch of dead skin built up on my arm from sitting in the sling so make sure you scrub it off when you shower.

bring a cheap button up shirt that is two sizes to big so you can easily put it on after the surgery.

eat lots of prunes. The pain pills pluged me up and I didn't poop for 5 days after the surgery.

Don't eat that much because you will get fat with the lack of physical activity.

when you are wearing the sling try not to let your shoulder slouch forward. My shoulder was pulled way forward from bad posture in the sling but I fixed it with physical therapy and good posture after that

[Squackles]

work legpress/calves anything lowerbody

workout iwth the other hand and do benchpress on the smithmachine or other exercises you can do with one hand.

Get one of these and try if you can and work forearm on your damaged shoulder.

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/sprin...e-31929831.jpg

thats all i can think of.I believe these should easily mantain your musclemass and probably increase it.

[jr1293]

Interesting...I've been doing a lot of dumbbell benching and overhead presses on the Smith machine. Why would this be bad prior to getting the surgery? And how does rotator cuff/back/delt differ? I get that its the affected area, but I'm not sure how having those be stronger would benefit my recovery?

And that's good to know about dressing! Luckily, my gf is moving in to help me out with everything, so it shouldn't be too bad. Appreciate the insight man!

Assuming you have fractured your capsule (+20% usually before they talk Latarjet) there is a fairly high chance you will re dislocate or damage your shoulder if you are doing bench etc. as there is a smaller surface area for the ball and socket? Everyone is different though so if its comfortable and your physio has said its alright keep going.

As captiontom said above, having bad posture and your shoulder hitching forward causes pain in your neck and can have some impact on your recovery. Having strength and conditioning in your back and being able to set your shoulder blades will really help with this instead of the shoulder going into that default position when you are in a sling.
In regards to the rotator cuff and delts a lot of muscle will deteriorate and disappear when you are in a sling for 6-10 weeks so having a stronger base will help. You will still obviously lose all your strength and range but it will come back quicker if you have already been working on the smaller muscles. Similar to how with a knee reconstruction surgeons won’t operate until you have rebuilt your legs muscles to a certain extent otherwise it will take too long for rehabilitation and recovery. Maybe just check with your physio, mine really pushed for me to get back in the gym and build some base strength.

[bradler]

Assuming you have fractured your capsule (+20% usually before they talk Latarjet) there is a fairly high chance you will re dislocate or damage your shoulder if you are doing bench etc. as there is a smaller surface area for the ball and socket? Everyone is different though so if its comfortable and your physio has said its alright keep going.

As captiontom said above, having bad posture and your shoulder hitching forward causes pain in your neck and can have some impact on your recovery. Having strength and conditioning in your back and being able to set your shoulder blades will really help with this instead of the shoulder going into that default position when you are in a sling.
In regards to the rotator cuff and delts a lot of muscle will deteriorate and disappear when you are in a sling for 6-10 weeks so having a stronger base will help. You will still obviously lose all your strength and range but it will come back quicker if you have already been working on the smaller muscles. Similar to how with a knee reconstruction surgeons won’t operate until you have rebuilt your legs muscles to a certain extent otherwise it will take too long for rehabilitation and recovery. Maybe just check with your physio, mine really pushed for me to get back in the gym and build some base strength.

Ah I see. I honestly should've gotten this taken care of years ago (started back in 04-05, would separate every 2-3 weeks since), but I've limited my movement so much that I feel ok with doing bench/shoulder press exercises. Of course, I use lighter weights and really focus on my posture, but it works for me (although it has popped out from shoulder press exercises). The doctor said I have ~30% missing.

I didn't even think about my normal posture. My shoulders definitely hitch forward, so I'll be working a lot towards the rotator/delt area and focusing on my posture throughout the day.

Thanks everyone for all your insight!

[000new000]

Im sure I'm wasting my time in a thread from 2003 ... so how did it turn out?