Anterior Bankart Labrum Tear Surgery – My Recovery Log

[383max]

Thank you for the encouragement. I needed to hear that the other day.

I think I will probably take a similar approach to you once I am able to lift. Will definitely throw away incline bench as that's the one that landed me here in the first place. I always preferred dumbbell press, so if I can do that I will be perfectly happy. I can't imagine I will be able to do pull ups for a long time. Would you agree that those are probably out the window? I was surprised to hear push-ups are ok. I think if I can do dumbbell bench, push ups, seated dumbbell military press (light weights), and flies with a machine that will keep me perfectly happy for working out my chest and shoulders. If I can do a lightweight deadlift, barbell rows, and squats, those should collectively form a nice 3 day split for me once I am over this.

One more question about recovery. I have noticed that my shoulder feels very WEAK while at rest and it is slightly discomforting all the time. Not painful, just slightly uncomfortable. I am now on day 13 so I know it is early. But i remember around days 5-9 I did not have any problem with this perpetual weakness at all...everything felt pretty solid structurally. The weakness bothers me because it feels very deep in the shoulder, and that is how it felt prior to surgery, and of all the threads that I have read online, I don't recall people post-surgery really talking about "weakness", aside from basic muscle weakness when doing exercises. Any thoughts here? It is just this constant nagging feeling of weakness inside the shoulder, about where there tear was...

My shoulder was very weak. It was in a sling ppulling it forward and it hurt all the time. So you'll be fine. It all returns to normal. Don't overthink it too much--the doctor has repaired it, the only thing to do now is to be diligent in recovery.

[theuptownfan]

Thank you for the encouragement. I needed to hear that the other day.

I think I will probably take a similar approach to you once I am able to lift. Will definitely throw away incline bench as that's the one that landed me here in the first place. I always preferred dumbbell press, so if I can do that I will be perfectly happy. I can't imagine I will be able to do pull ups for a long time. Would you agree that those are probably out the window? I was surprised to hear push-ups are ok. I think if I can do dumbbell bench, push ups, seated dumbbell military press (light weights), and flies with a machine that will keep me perfectly happy for working out my chest and shoulders. If I can do a lightweight deadlift, barbell rows, and squats, those should collectively form a nice 3 day split for me once I am over this.

One more question about recovery. I have noticed that my shoulder feels very WEAK while at rest and it is slightly discomforting all the time. Not painful, just slightly uncomfortable. I am now on day 13 so I know it is early. But i remember around days 5-9 I did not have any problem with this perpetual weakness at all...everything felt pretty solid structurally. The weakness bothers me because it feels very deep in the shoulder, and that is how it felt prior to surgery, and of all the threads that I have read online, I don't recall people post-surgery really talking about "weakness", aside from basic muscle weakness when doing exercises. Any thoughts here? It is just this constant nagging feeling of weakness inside the shoulder, about where there tear was...

There are 4 exercises that it said on my surgery discharge sheet that I shouldn't do anymore:
1) Dips
2) Behind the neck lat pulldowns
3) Behind the neck military press
4) Incline and flat bench press

I am not sure if this is my surgeon's advice to all his patients or just me because my tear was quite large, but I would guess it's his protocol for all of his labrum tear patients.

I think I'll be able to dumbell bench press at some point if I maintain very good form, but I don't plan on doing that exercise early on. For chest exercises, I'm going to stick to pushups, hammer strength, and machine flies. Once I get more confidence I may go back to the dumbell bench press if I'm cleared to.

Although chest and shoulder exercises need to be modified, you should be fine to do anything else at some point - this goes for all back, arm, and leg workouts.

Also for the pain - dude you're fine. It literally caused me a ton of pain just to let me arm rest naturally while standing up for the first 2 weeks. I didn't remove my sling until day 4 or 5 and i was in terrible pain. You're good.

The weakness is perfectly normal. For example - I practically didn't lift at all after the initial injury for a period of 9 months. Although my left arm weakened over time, it didn't really shrink because I was still using it on a day to day basis. But then when I finally got the surgery 9 months after the injury, my left arm (shoulder, triceps, biceps) atrophied a ton just from being in the sling for a few weeks. When you keep your arm still for that long everything just shrinks. That's probably why you feel weak. It will come back quickly once you get further on in the rehab process.

[383max]

There are 4 exercises that it said on my surgery discharge sheet that I shouldn't do anymore:
1) Dips
2) Behind the neck lat pulldowns
3) Behind the neck military press
4) Incline and flat bench press

I am not sure if this is my surgeon's advice to all his patients or just me because my tear was quite large, but I would guess it's his protocol for all of his labrum tear patients.

I think I'll be able to dumbell bench press at some point if I maintain very good form, but I don't plan on doing that exercise early on. For chest exercises, I'm going to stick to pushups, hammer strength, and machine flies. Once I get more confidence I may go back to the dumbell bench press if I'm cleared to.

Although chest and shoulder exercises need to be modified, you should be fine to do anything else at some point - this goes for all back, arm, and leg workouts.

Also for the pain - dude you're fine. It literally caused me a ton of pain just to let me arm rest naturally while standing up for the first 2 weeks. I didn't remove my sling until day 4 or 5 and i was in terrible pain. You're good.

The weakness is perfectly normal. For example - I practically didn't lift at all after the initial injury for a period of 9 months. Although my left arm weakened over time, it didn't really shrink because I was still using it on a day to day basis. But then when I finally got the surgery 9 months after the injury, my left arm (shoulder, triceps, biceps) atrophied a ton just from being in the sling for a few weeks. When you keep your arm still for that long everything just shrinks. That's probably why you feel weak. It will come back quickly once you get further on in the rehab process.

Those restrictions make sense. They stress the anterior capsule because of how much force is applied while in external rotation and abduction. Basically any exercise that you find yourself in that position (arms folded behind the head) is dangerous for the repair. I think flat bench keeping the elbows at or above the chest should be okay... I'll try it myself once I'm cleared with like 2lbs -5lbs dumbbells and see how it feels. Once the chest is built up there shouldn't be that much stress on the labrum.

[theuptownfan]

Those restrictions make sense. They stress the anterior capsule because of how much force is applied while in external rotation and abduction. Basically any exercise that you find yourself in that position (arms folded behind the head) is dangerous for the repair. I think flat bench keeping the elbows at or above the chest should be okay... I'll try it myself once I'm cleared with like 2lbs -5lbs dumbbells and see how it feels. Once the chest is built up there shouldn't be that much stress on the labrum.

True, but IMO those exercises can be bad for you in general. Before I got injured I actually cut out behind the neck military press/pulldowns + dips because of the strain I would feel on my shoulders while doing the exercise. Lots of people avoid those exercises because of it

But as for dips there are some people who've probably done them for years without any problems. Everyone's different. I think weighted dips are risky though

[383max]

True, but IMO those exercises can be bad for you in general. Before I got injured I actually cut out behind the neck military press/pulldowns + dips because of the strain I would feel on my shoulders while doing the exercise. Lots of people avoid those exercises because of it

But as for dips there are some people who've probably done them for years without any problems. Everyone's different. I think weighted dips are risky though

I agree on the dips. I felt a ton of strain and wondered why my shoulders never hurt from the exercise. They're fun but also prob not the best thing to do anymore

[fsuswole09]

Good luck man. It sounds like you are on track, just need some more time. Would you mind sharing your routine?

Just did pull ups for the first time in nearly 6 months today! I guess it was more of a confidence issue then my shoulder not being ready. Went well. Below i'll mention some of the exercise im still avoiding but for the most part, at nearly 5 1/2 months out from surgery, i would say things are starting to return to normal. My strength as i mentioned is far off still but im creeping back up to where i was each and every workout. is anyone else feeling the soreness/pain in their shoulder during workouts?

As for my routine:
chest- using mostly cable, hammer strength and machines at this point. Aside from incline dumbbell bench press (which Im only doing 50% of the weight i was at prior to surgery) im still avoiding free weights. I stretch my shoulder extensively with bands and real light dumbbells before i start.

back- Aside from dead lifts, I am doing all of the same exercises at this point that i was doing prior to surgery (hammer strength machines, cables, lat pull downs, etc.) . No restrictions although as i mentioned, today was the first time i did pull ups. first time for bent over rows too.

arms- no restrictions. avoiding any overhead exercises for triceps, also skull crushers.

legs- no regular squats yet.

[theuptownfan]

Just did pull ups for the first time in nearly 6 months today! I guess it was more of a confidence issue then my shoulder not being ready. Went well. Below i'll mention some of the exercise im still avoiding but for the most part, at nearly 5 1/2 months out from surgery, i would say things are starting to return to normal. My strength as i mentioned is far off still but im creeping back up to where i was each and every workout. is anyone else feeling the soreness/pain in their shoulder during workouts?

As for my routine:
chest- using mostly cable, hammer strength and machines at this point. Aside from incline dumbbell bench press (which Im only doing 50% of the weight i was at prior to surgery) im still avoiding free weights. I stretch my shoulder extensively with bands and real light dumbbells before i start.

back- Aside from dead lifts, I am doing all of the same exercises at this point that i was doing prior to surgery (hammer strength machines, cables, lat pull downs, etc.) . No restrictions although as i mentioned, today was the first time i did pull ups. first time for bent over rows too.

arms- no restrictions. avoiding any overhead exercises for triceps, also skull crushers.

legs- no regular squats yet.

Sounds like you're making really smart choices on the lifts you do. I'm probably going this route as well when I get back in the gym (3 months post-op).

[Brian1313]

Thank you guys for responding. Getting a lot of great info here in terms of managing expectations for the upcoming months.

I am 2 weeks out and feeling great yesterday and today. Realizing that this is truly a day to day thing and all the weird feelings/pains/weaknesses will come and go for a long time. Just need to trust the process and not overthink it.

I am surprised to hear that squats are still out of the picture for you guys. I guess I can understand that moving your hand behind your head to control the bar constitutes a dangerous position for the shoulder. That sucks, but guess it will come when it is ready.

[383max]

Thank you guys for responding. Getting a lot of great info here in terms of managing expectations for the upcoming months.

I am 2 weeks out and feeling great yesterday and today. Realizing that this is truly a day to day thing and all the weird feelings/pains/weaknesses will come and go for a long time. Just need to trust the process and not overthink it.

I am surprised to hear that squats are still out of the picture for you guys. I guess I can understand that moving your hand behind your head to control the bar constitutes a dangerous position for the shoulder. That sucks, but guess it will come when it is ready.

The squat position for the arms/shoulders is one of the most vulnerable positions for the shoulder when gripping the bar like that. Definitely one of the last things to even attempt

[theuptownfan]

The squat position for the arms/shoulders is one of the most vulnerable positions for the shoulder when gripping the bar like that. Definitely one of the last things to even attempt

You'll know when you're ready to grip the bar, it takes time to restore normal function/ROM

[Brian1313]

for sure. you guys do front squats at all?

[383max]

for sure. you guys do front squats at all?

i'd ask your pt if you want to do them anytime in the 3-4+ month period but i'm staying away from anything remotely stressful on the shoulder for the first 6-8 months. no sense screwing up all this time spent healing just to do an exercise. i'm keeping it with running/biking and light weights + high reps for the first year, building up all the rotator cuff muscles and support stuff before loading up on heavy exercise. The ligaments and tendons take about 6-8 months to adapt to exercise induced stresses while the muscles respond rapidly, i.e. 1-2 months shows muscle gains

http://www.sportnetdoc.com/general/r...tation-general

[theuptownfan]

i'd ask your pt if you want to do them anytime in the 3-4+ month period but i'm staying away from anything remotely stressful on the shoulder for the first 6-8 months. no sense screwing up all this time spent healing just to do an exercise. i'm keeping it with running/biking and light weights + high reps for the first year, building up all the rotator cuff muscles and support stuff before loading up on heavy exercise. The ligaments and tendons take about 6-8 months to adapt to exercise induced stresses while the muscles respond rapidly, i.e. 1-2 months shows muscle gains

http://www.sportnetdoc.com/general/r...tation-general

Yep, especially because the muscles surrounding the labrum atrophy a little and need to be re-strengthened to support the labrum even more (even though the repair is strong). I'm having some discomfort in my rotator cuff as a result of finally using my shoulder a little bit, so I'm gonna work on strengthening those muscles for added stability

[383max]

Yep, especially because the muscles surrounding the labrum atrophy a little and need to be re-strengthened to support the labrum even more (even though the repair is strong). I'm having some discomfort in my rotator cuff as a result of finally using my shoulder a little bit, so I'm gonna work on strengthening those muscles for added stability

Yeah me too. My external rotators are super weak, can hardly use them right now. I'm cleared to start with lat pull downs and rows though so I'm excited to start at least some muscle work. Prob 5 lbs max but its still something to do. Also gonna hop on the rowing machine, gotta get my scapular retraction going

[fsuswole09]

Sounds like you're making really smart choices on the lifts you do. I'm probably going this route as well when I get back in the gym (3 months post-op).

Yeah, I've been extremely cautious with everything I do. Its been a real gradual process of trusting myself with more exercises and heavier weight. I tried squats with 135 lbs yesterday. Didn't feel great but no real pain. Might hold off on them for a few more weeks still.

The pain/soreness I feel during workouts doesnt seem to be coming from my labrum area but other parts of my shoulder. Is that what you guys were referencing, that the rotator cuff and surrounding muscles still need to adjust to the repair?

[383max]

Yeah, I've been extremely cautious with everything I do. Its been a real gradual process of trusting myself with more exercises and heavier weight. I tried squats with 135 lbs yesterday. Didn't feel great but no real pain. Might hold off on them for a few more weeks still.

The pain/soreness I feel during workouts doesnt seem to be coming from my labrum area but other parts of my shoulder. Is that what you guys were referencing, that the rotator cuff and surrounding muscles still need to adjust to the repair?

Yeah like i feel it in my triceps/lat area more than anything else. Sometimes the anterior part of my shoulder too when its sore. So did you lose a lot of muscle bulk since your injury+surgery? I feel like that makes a difference in how fast to get back into heavier weights too

[theuptownfan]

Yeah, I've been extremely cautious with everything I do. Its been a real gradual process of trusting myself with more exercises and heavier weight. I tried squats with 135 lbs yesterday. Didn't feel great but no real pain. Might hold off on them for a few more weeks still.

The pain/soreness I feel during workouts doesnt seem to be coming from my labrum area but other parts of my shoulder. Is that what you guys were referencing, that the rotator cuff and surrounding muscles still need to adjust to the repair?

Yep. You don't use them for so long and you have to get used to it again. My labrum and biceps tendon seem really good but I have knots in my rotator cuff. Makes the sleeper stretch tough

[fsuswole09]

Yep. You don't use them for so long and you have to get used to it again. My labrum and biceps tendon seem really good but I have knots in my rotator cuff. Makes the sleeper stretch tough

Ok its good to hear that you guys are going through the same kind of thing. I did lose some mass from the surgery. My weight kinda hovered around 190-195 which it always does. Did lose a good bit of muscle and gain fat but my body is definitely transforming back to the way it used to be pre-surgery. I'd like to think that within another month or 2, I will be back to normal size and definition (6 1/2-7 1/2 month mark)

[theuptownfan]

Ok its good to hear that you guys are going through the same kind of thing. I did lose some mass from the surgery. My weight kinda hovered around 190-195 which it always does. Did lose a good bit of muscle and gain fat but my body is definitely transforming back to the way it used to be pre-surgery. I'd like to think that within another month or 2, I will be back to normal size and definition (6 1/2-7 1/2 month mark)

Muscle memory FTW

[theuptownfan]

I'm thinking you guys feel/will feel a lot better than me at the 3 1/2 month stage than I do. I had an anterior bankart reconstruction along with capsular plication (which in layman's terms is the tightening of the posterior part of the shoulder). The front part of my shoulder feels great, but the posterior area is still tight and is radiating out to my rotator cuff, giving it tightness and knots. It's kind of holding me back from the full-blown strengthening phase because my external rotation is still only about 80 to 85 degrees actively. Abduction is doing well, and internal rotation is improving.

I'm not concerned because I know that this is a part of the process. In the long run plication should protect my labrum a little bit more and increase shoulder stability, but the recovery time I assume is a little bit longer.

[sowilson]

Everyone's recovery is different; my son starts today. He had a posterior labrum (SLAP) tear, bankart lesion that required 6 anchors to correct. Dr. wants him to do pendulums today (20 reps x twice a day). We'll see how the months go before football season again. First thing is to get him holding his trombone though - lifting will come later.

[Brian1313]

hey guys, question for you.

I am now almost at a month from bankart surgery and doing really well. my ROM is doing very well. I do PROM exercises every day. I am wearing my sling most of the time, just as a caution. I understand that my biggest risk is re-tearing it, as it takes approximately 6 weeks to reattach to the bone.

In 2 weeks I will be moving to another country. My surgeon said that he was going to have me start PT this week (week 4/5), but since my ROM is so good he said to just wait until I move to the new country to start the PT, as I'll have insurance. That would put me at starting PT at 6 weeks.

I just realized that my insurance will not take effect until another 2 weeks after I get down there. So I will not be able to start PT on a regular basis until 8 weeks out.

I am concerned about this as I feel I should be starting sooner. Since I am 25, and my ROM is very good, and it was an isolated tear, do you think I am putting myself at risk by not doing PT earlier? Maybe I will see a therapist once before I leave to get some more basic exercises to do on my own. I am going to see the surgeon before I leave and let him know of my concern. But curious to hear what y'all were doing ~6 weeks out.

[baseballslap]

About what time should my shoulder be not swelled anymore? Icing a bunch and taking ibuprofen. 2 anchors, and I'm still in a sling. 9-12 o clock tear

Thanks

[baseballslap]

Sorry. Didn't mean to put on here. Hope you're doing well!

[theuptownfan]

hey guys, question for you.

I am now almost at a month from bankart surgery and doing really well. my ROM is doing very well. I do PROM exercises every day. I am wearing my sling most of the time, just as a caution. I understand that my biggest risk is re-tearing it, as it takes approximately 6 weeks to reattach to the bone.

In 2 weeks I will be moving to another country. My surgeon said that he was going to have me start PT this week (week 4/5), but since my ROM is so good he said to just wait until I move to the new country to start the PT, as I'll have insurance. That would put me at starting PT at 6 weeks.

I just realized that my insurance will not take effect until another 2 weeks after I get down there. So I will not be able to start PT on a regular basis until 8 weeks out.

I am concerned about this as I feel I should be starting sooner. Since I am 25, and my ROM is very good, and it was an isolated tear, do you think I am putting myself at risk by not doing PT earlier? Maybe I will see a therapist once before I leave to get some more basic exercises to do on my own. I am going to see the surgeon before I leave and let him know of my concern. But curious to hear what y'all were doing ~6 weeks out.

I'm not a professional so don't take my word for it, but here's my opinion.

I had a pretty extensive tear. I think I needed like 5 or 6 anchors to fix it. My shoulder capsule was also plicated, which means my shoulder capsule was tightened.

Because of this, I had to start PT 2 weeks after the surgery and begin restoring my ROM despite the horrible pains it caused. It sounds like your tear wasn't so bad and if your ROM is already decent, you might not have that much to worry about. All that really matters is the end result - to restore normal ROM. In your case it just might be a little delayed.

I think you should express your concerns to your surgeon and his assistants. I used to ask for a lot of advice on these forums regarding diagnosing my injury and such but the truth is your surgeon and his assistants will give you the most accurate answer. But if you're just asking for advice out of curiosity, my guess is that it wouldn't be the end of the world to start Week 8 given what you said.

Don't take my word for it though. I'm just some random dude on the Internet. I think you should get professional advice.

[383max]

hey guys, question for you.

I am now almost at a month from bankart surgery and doing really well. my ROM is doing very well. I do PROM exercises every day. I am wearing my sling most of the time, just as a caution. I understand that my biggest risk is re-tearing it, as it takes approximately 6 weeks to reattach to the bone.

In 2 weeks I will be moving to another country. My surgeon said that he was going to have me start PT this week (week 4/5), but since my ROM is so good he said to just wait until I move to the new country to start the PT, as I'll have insurance. That would put me at starting PT at 6 weeks.

I just realized that my insurance will not take effect until another 2 weeks after I get down there. So I will not be able to start PT on a regular basis until 8 weeks out.

I am concerned about this as I feel I should be starting sooner. Since I am 25, and my ROM is very good, and it was an isolated tear, do you think I am putting myself at risk by not doing PT earlier? Maybe I will see a therapist once before I leave to get some more basic exercises to do on my own. I am going to see the surgeon before I leave and let him know of my concern. But curious to hear what y'all were doing ~6 weeks out.

The manual mobilizations that the PT does for you are really good for opening the arm up but it sounds like youve got the range you need already. Shouldnt hurt to not go for a while but obviously its better to go asap. If you have any areas of hindered ROM right now they will help with that

[theuptownfan]

Checking back into this thread.

I'm 4 months post-op and am having some issues with the front of my shoulder/biceps tendon. It's pretty tender to touch. It's frustrating because I find it holding me back a little bit in my rehab. I can curl pretty much a heavy amount of weight if I wanted to no problem, but even with curling a ten pound weight, I was very sore and tender for 3 days. Clearly there's some inflammation going on. Hoping this passes over

I had a bankart/slap repair, according to my surgeon my biceps tendon "looked great" so it was left as is. He said to have put a clamp on it though. I wonder if the procedure is what's holding me back.

I don't think it's anything serious, but it's a bit of a nuisance right now.

Anyone else have similar issues?

[2Rude4MyOwnGood]

Yes. I had bicep pain/discomfort for awhile after surgery. I spent time doing some self massage of the bicipital groove and iced it everyday. That seemed to help.

I still get a little bit of discomfort in my bicep from time to time but it usually resolves with some stretching.

[383max]

How's everyone's range of motion? I'm not at full external rotation yet, I think im at 18 weeks tomorrow. I've been running and lifting light weights with no problems, it's just a bit tight still at the far edge of external rotation. The non-op shoulder has some ligament / RC stuff going on so it hurts more than the op shoulder. Have been using kinesio tape this week which is really helpful, i'd recommend that if you guys have pain in the other shoulder. PT put it on Monday

[theuptownfan]

How's everyone's range of motion? I'm not at full external rotation yet, I think im at 18 weeks tomorrow. I've been running and lifting light weights with no problems, it's just a bit tight still at the far edge of external rotation. The non-op shoulder has some ligament / RC stuff going on so it hurts more than the op shoulder. Have been using kinesio tape this week which is really helpful, i'd recommend that if you guys have pain in the other shoulder. PT put it on Monday

I'm about 18 weeks out as well. Same thing - My range of motion is pretty good. Only one that might be slacking a little is external rotation - it's about 80 to 85 degrees actively. Same thing though - at end range it's still tight for abduction. This shouldn't be a concern for you. It will get better with time.

Awesome that you're already lifting. I'm going to wait until January or so until I enter the 8 to 12 rep range and avoid exercises that put my shoulder at risk. The one thing that's holding me back right now is tenderness of my biceps tendon. Currently icing, massaging, and taking cissus, animal flex, 2-3g EPA/DHA from fish oil, and aleve and hoping things really calm down over the next month.