Bigal33's Shoulder Surgery Journal!!!

[BigDaddy33]

My shoulder surgery is scheduled for Jan 7 2008. I thought I'd start a journal to chart progress for anyone else going through the same kind of thing. I'm still working and I am going to Dr on the 18th to get all the paperwork and stuff. At that point, I may ask to be put out of work a little early. Probably after x-mas. I have days where pain is bad and range of motion is pretty limited. So, it should be intersting to see what happens, I've never been through anything like this before.

[BigDaddy33]

I could'nt lift a six pack of coke into a shopping cart today without the use of my other hand. I officially called work and told them I was out indefinately. I've been working since I hurt my shoulder in July. I just can't take the chance anymore of some serious permanent damge to it. In my line of work I could be called upon at anytime to get into a physical conflict. I think this decision is best to just wait for surgery to happen, and keep out of possible trouble.

[stipem]

What are you having done?

I had the distal clavicle cut 4 weeks ago. They detached the deltoid, to fix the rotator cuff, which is slowing my progress. However, since we're all workout fanatics I'm way ahead of the curve on recovery.

Best unsolicited advice....Be patient and follow the Rules..yes rules.

[TerpMuscle]

just curious as to what the injury is and what your job is?


I feel you on the soda can thing man, after i dislocated my shoulder i couldn't do anything at all with that arm for 2-3 weeks.

[BigDaddy33]

just curious as to what the injury is and what your job is?


I feel you on the soda can thing man, after i dislocated my shoulder i couldn't do anything at all with that arm for 2-3 weeks.

They're calling it a rotator cuff injury. I don't think they will be 100% sure as to the extent until they get in there with the camera. Doc said we'll go in and fix what is wrong. So I guess that's what I'm looking forward to, whats wrong will be fixed. So right now what is scheduled is Arthroscopic Surgery, cool, I sound like an athlete now. I'm a Correction Officer in New York.


Stipem: Sorry about your shoulder bro... Thanks for the rules advice....Wifey will make sure that happens.

[RyanGrob]

Good luck man. I go in Jan 10th for my labrum tear surgery. Should be a blast.

[kevin223412]

Good luck man. I go in Jan 10th for my labrum tear surgery. Should be a blast.

Man, I have a potential labrum tear, I'm afraid I might have to have surgery. Next friday I go and the doc gets to look at my MRI scans...I really hope I don't need surgery.

[BigDaddy33]

Good luck man. I go in Jan 10th for my labrum tear surgery. Should be a blast.

Good luck with you surgery, It looks like we'll be all gimped up at the same time. How long of a recovery did they give you?

[BigDaddy33]

Kevin, good luck with your MRI, hopefully you won't need surgery. Maybe just some PT will do the trick, again good luck...

[curt_james]

I'm all signed up!

Wishing you a speedy and full recovery, Al. Come on January 7th!

[TerpMuscle]

For all you guys with the shoulder injuries Ive had both shoulders scoped for labrum tears. If you guys with the labrum tears have any questions feel free to PM me and id be more than happy to answer any questions.

BigAl, Im less familiar with the rotator cuff injury but I will let you know now that the reduction in your range of motion is really going to surprise you. It will be 2-3 months before you regain 90% of your original range. the last 10% takes a long time and may never come all the way back because they are going to tighten you down very tight to stabilize the shoulder. Im saying this so you stay motivated that it will come back.

Best of luck to everyone!

[RyanGrob]

Good luck with you surgery, It looks like we'll be all gimped up at the same time. How long of a recovery did they give you?

Up to 6 in a sling, then PT time. No overall timeframe though.

[BradleyS]

Up to 6 in a sling, then PT time. No overall timeframe though.

i'm doing pushups with my feet on one of those 65cm balls now

also using the gold theraband (strongest band, could barely stretch it when I first used to) to do rows

PT said he never sees anyone progress this fast..and i'm not even 3 months out from surgery (I will be on christmas)


You'll be alright Al! take your joint supplements

[awahl63]

Good luck! That's the 3 year anniversary of should surgery (front and back for labrum) that ended my football career and chances of playing D1 ball.

When you come back make sure you don't over do anything. Merry Christmas

[stipem]

I had surgery for osteolysis of the distal clavicle (they cut the bone) 5 weeks ago. I also had a slight rotator cuff tear and the doc decided, after looking scoping it, that he didn't need to fix it (thank God). However, he had to detach my deltoid which has delayed my recovery.

Point: I have recovered extremely quick for the type of surgery performed. My doc and PT therapist have been impressed and attribute it to being in shape. I relied on Glutamine and bromelain for the 1st week and then fish oil, aminos, protein, and cissus for the 3 weeks following.

I was in a sling for 3 weeks and had a lot of trouble sleeping (woke up in pain throughout the night). I've tried to follow orders for PT and doc religiously in order to not mess things up and have done so somewhat.

My unsolicited advice, be very diligent in not using it until you get the green light. I'm a hard head and may have delayed my recovery from attempting to run too early (swinging arm). Additionally, do the PT as prescribed.

I wish you guys the best in your surgeries (and/or recoveries). Surgery is a bitch but I had to convince myself it was worth it in order to be able to perform without pain/setbacks.

Cheers and happy holidays.

[BigDaddy33]

Thanks to everyone for all your pointers and recovery stories. It seems the main thing everyone is saying is just follow orders and don't try to jump back in to anything until fully recovered. I'm hoping there is'nt too much that has to be fixed in there, we will know on Jan 7th. After surgery I'll try and post some pics and let you all know how it went. Happy Holidays everyone and good luck in the new year and take care of your shoulders!!!!!

[curt_james]

Thanks to everyone for all your pointers and recovery stories. It seems the main thing everyone is saying is just follow orders and don't try to jump back in to anything until fully recovered. I'm hoping there is'nt too much that has to be fixed in there, we will know on Jan 7th. After surgery I'll try and post some pics and let you all know how it went. Happy Holidays everyone and good luck in the new year and take care of your shoulders!!!!!

Bigal33's Shoulder Surgery Journal!!! is turning into a great resource! I"m trying to take care of my shoulders. Did three different rotator cuff exercises at Gold's today. Externals, Internals, and something where I take a cable over head with my arms extended in front and then pull back as if doing a front double biceps. I used a rope attachment to the cable unit. Only light weight - ten or twenty pounds - for 3 sets of 15. At Planet Fitness I used 10 but Gold's has a Life Fitness cable machine and I'm guessing its pulley system makes things easier and so I used 20 pounds.

Come on and get here January 7th!

[kevin223412]

Kevin, good luck with your MRI, hopefully you won't need surgery. Maybe just some PT will do the trick, again good luck...

Thank you, and good luck to you sir!

[BigDaddy33]

Good Idea Curt on those shoulder exercises for the cuff. I'm sure after surgery I will be doing them for the rest of my life to keep it strong. Hope everyone had a nice x-mas! I did!

[TerpMuscle]

the exercises curt is talking about work really well. personally i like them better with the therabands because it keeps tension throughout the entire movement but long slow controlled reps would also work great.

[curt_james]

the exercises curt is talking about work really well. personally i like them better with the therabands because it keeps tension throughout the entire movement but long slow controlled reps would also work great.

I've got bands and clips from when I went to PT. I'll have to throw those in my gym bag. Never thought of using them after completing the therapy. Especially since the surgeon said the MRI showed nothing.

Thanks for your post. I guess it's a duuuh moment to have stopped using them.

[kevin223412]

So I went to the doctor and heres whats going on with my shoulder.

The tear only showed up on one mri scan, out of all of the pictures, only one. So he said its extremely small. 3 weeks without lifting heavy weights (which is ok cuz ive already taken off 2 months) then I go back to see the shoulder specialist for the final verdict. He said its very doubtul ill need surgery.

But I'd like to help the healing along, so does anybody know of some labrum exercises I can perform to increase the healing process? Or even a site to point me in the right direction?

[curt_james]

So I went to the doctor and heres whats going on with my shoulder.

The tear only showed up on one mri scan, out of all of the pictures, only one. So he said its extremely small. 3 weeks without lifting heavy weights (which is ok cuz ive already taken off 2 months) then I go back to see the shoulder specialist for the final verdict. He said its very doubtul ill need surgery.

But I'd like to help the healing along, so does anybody know of some labrum exercises I can perform to increase the healing process? Or even a site to point me in the right direction?

What did the ortho or the PT say? Rest really helped me a lot, but I still get the aches and pains now and again. My MRI, however, showed zip. BAH! I know something is going on in there somewhere! The ortho said that he could look around in there if it didn't get better, but it looks like some healing time is what I really needed. It's not 100% at all, but it's much better than it had been.

If you Google rotator exercises you'll find some cable and/or band exercises, etc. that are recommended, but - again - I'd give it some time to heal without the stress of any kind of exercise.

Two cents! Best of luck to you for rapid and full recovery.

[TerpMuscle]

I've got bands and clips from when I went to PT. I'll have to throw those in my gym bag. Never thought of using them after completing the therapy. Especially since the surgeon said the MRI showed nothing.

Thanks for your post. I guess it's a duuuh moment to have stopped using them.

I had my first surgery april of my senior year of highschool to my left shoulder. continued with the bands for a year following the surgery but then stopped. I wish I hadnt. Last april I was doing dumbbell presses with 135's and the right shoulder dislocated to the rear. total freak accident but the ortho and pt both told me that continuation of the rotator cuff exercises would have probly prevented the injury. Im going to contiue with the bands now that ive finished therapy because it can only help.

So I went to the doctor and heres whats going on with my shoulder.

The tear only showed up on one mri scan, out of all of the pictures, only one. So he said its extremely small. 3 weeks without lifting heavy weights (which is ok cuz ive already taken off 2 months) then I go back to see the shoulder specialist for the final verdict. He said its very doubtul ill need surgery.

But I'd like to help the healing along, so does anybody know of some labrum exercises I can perform to increase the healing process? Or even a site to point me in the right direction?

the mri pictures may not always show it just because of the angle of an injury. With my first shoulder it was obvious that there was a labrum tear because i ripped 80% of it off the bone. the second shoulder it barely showed up on the mri. my ortho said he could feel the instability in my shoulder and knew there was a labral injury. It all just depends.

did the doc say what you tore?


I have some diagrams at my house showing some exercises and ill try to find similar ones online. if not ill try to get a decent pic with my digital camera.

[rvrrat]

Hey Guys,
Never posted here before. But I had the same surgery as Stipem on Dec11/07. So I have some time on my hands now and I'm learning to be lefty. More of a challenge than I expected.
Anyway, I had been suffering with right shoulder pain for about 2 years. I was told evrything from a/c joint arthritis to rotator cuff tendinosis. Did all the usual therapies and drugs and rest. Things would get better for a while but pain would come back twice as bad and for twice as long every time I went back to the gym. For some reason flat bench was the main culprit for me.
Finally after about the tenth "just stop working out' lecture from the doc. He referred me to an orthopod who knew what the problem was right away and confirmed it with an MRI.
So, I guess my advice to anyone with chronic shoulder pain is to get it looked after quickly, and give it REST.
I've frayed through about 1/8 of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons because I kept pushing myself to go back to the gym. My stubbornness cost me alot of pain and downtime.
Happy New year Guys!
Down but not out.

[codlb13]

I had arthoscopic surgery 5 months ago for a torn larbrum and biceps tendon, so if you have any questions about pt or recovery feel free to ask, and best of luck with it.

[codlb13]

So I went to the doctor and heres whats going on with my shoulder.

The tear only showed up on one mri scan, out of all of the pictures, only one. So he said its extremely small. 3 weeks without lifting heavy weights (which is ok cuz ive already taken off 2 months) then I go back to see the shoulder specialist for the final verdict. He said its very doubtul ill need surgery.

But I'd like to help the healing along, so does anybody know of some labrum exercises I can perform to increase the healing process? Or even a site to point me in the right direction?

Kevin I had surgery 5 months ago for a torn labrum, in regards for exercises to help the healing process, there are no exercises for the labrum, you can continue to do rotator cuff exercises and build up your rotator cuff muscles, because the labrum is a ligament and especially with it being in the shoulder, it most likely will not heal by itself, you will just have to manage and deal with the amount of pain that you currently have, I do have some rubberband exercises from my pt, just pm me and ill send them to you

[kevin223412]

TerpMuscle and Curt, I think I'm in the same boat as you guys. Everytime I lift my shoulder swells up. I'm not even lifting hard, nothing really to do with shoulders, as I only do biceps/triceps/abs/legs. I also do cardio, but I wouldn't think that would affect it?

Curt, when you say no exercise, are you talking about no lifting/no cardio, or light lifting with cardio or what?

Thanks for the help guys.

[TerpMuscle]

TerpMuscle and Curt, I think I'm in the same boat as you guys. Everytime I lift my shoulder swells up. I'm not even lifting hard, nothing really to do with shoulders, as I only do biceps/triceps/abs/legs. I also do cardio, but I wouldn't think that would affect it?

Curt, when you say no exercise, are you talking about no lifting/no cardio, or light lifting with cardio or what?

Thanks for the help guys.

you could have some inflammation in the joint that is being aggravated when you lift. maybe bursitis. You could just be very tight.

still working on getting pics of the exercises...

[curt_james]

TerpMuscle and Curt, I think I'm in the same boat as you guys. Everytime I lift my shoulder swells up. I'm not even lifting hard, nothing really to do with shoulders, as I only do biceps/triceps/abs/legs. I also do cardio, but I wouldn't think that would affect it?

Curt, when you say no exercise, are you talking about no lifting/no cardio, or light lifting with cardio or what?

Thanks for the help guys.

I really took off completely while the shoulder was bothering me the worst, but I'm back at it now and I'm making progress. I am careful to do rotator exercises regularly and to pay attention to form as well as not pushing it when I feel pain. That's not to say I don't work it, but when I mentioned no exercise I meant no lifting so far as exercises that hurt my shoulder/all that cartilage, ligament, etc. stuff holding it all together.

I started doing my benches with dumbbells and my hands in a hammer curl position rather than the typical benching holding a straight bar position (if you can visualize that - probably describing this in a confusing way). I worked around the painful or problem movements.

I believe I originally messed up on a Hammer Strength machine where I was using too much weight. Thought I'd get six reps and could barely get one. I strained to complete the one rep and, though it didn't pop or snap, the next day or several days I noticed a bit of Uh Oh!

The doc said it may be a spur or a strain, etc., but I'm just not worrying about it so much or overly so. I am cautious as I feel necessary and avoided the benching movement (standard motion) for some time. Eventually it got (relatively) better. I'm sure - especially after having the MRI completed and the ortho surgeon's feedback as well as the fact that I have full movement and strength - it's not a tear, so...

Yes, I'm rambling. I hope your shoulder recovers quickly and fully. Get as much feedback from your family doctor, a physical therapist, an orthopedic surgeon, etc. as you can. If it hurts then don't do it. There are literally thousands of movements you can do with weights. There is (it seems to me) little to no reason to complete an exercise that causes you joint pain or ligament injury.

Best of luck.

And thank you to Big Al, once again, for creating this thread! You've done a great service to BodySpacers, Al.