Anterior Bankart Labrum Tear Surgery – My Recovery Log

[lextan]

Wishing you a speedy recovery man. Keep up e log

[ryansmeltzer]

Hey man it's great to hear that you are recovering smoothly. Just remember to take it easy on your physio activities and not to push through any pain. It's tempting to push hard on these activities in hopes of speeding up recovery, but keep in mind that at this stage your shoulder is still healing, so give it the appropriate intensity and rest, and your shoulder will be back to normal in no time.

Thanks man and yes exactly what my physical therapist said. Patience is a huge thing for shoulder labrums. How are you doing with yours? I had my first PT session today at 8 days post op and he just did some passive range of motions on me. He completely controlled my arm for me. The first one was me laying on my back with my arm bent at 90 degrees with my fingers pointing to the ceiling, then he just lifted up. I was able to get to 75 degrees with no pain. The other one was external rotation. I was able to get to 90 degrees then 20 degrees more. He said it was a good start for me. I will have someone help me with these daily 2-3 times and ice afterwards. Only passive or completely controlled by someone else range of motion the next 3 weeks sinve you said it is an important part of healing as you said. Overall, I havent had a lot of pain, just really really tight!!

[ryansmeltzer]

Wishing you a speedy recovery man. Keep up e log

Thanks man, I appreciate it! And will do.

[ryansmeltzer]

Also wanted to say at this point, my physical therapist said its okay to ride the stationary bike or seated bike, but no treadmill yet due to the jerking motion. He also said its okay to do lightweight leg extensions and leg curls, but just dont do too heavy of weight where Im jerking my upper body. Another thing I can do is bicep and tricep work on my healthy arm. It may radiate over and help my surgical arm. My Physical Therapist is currently doing rehab on 3 shoulder labrum surgeries including myself and 3 rotator cuff surgeries and he stressed two things to me. Physical therapy before surgery can and does help your recovery post surgery. And two, keeping your healthy muscles (your legs, good arm, etc.) moving and exercising aka dont be a couch potato. Even if its just doing body weight squats in your living room, do something. Thought that was some good advice.

[navymaa]

Take a stool softener, and even a laxative if you have to. Try to have a morning dump before you start on the pain meds. You don't want to wind up impacted, it's very painful.

If you can't get a decent poop, grab some magnesium citrate from the grocery or pharmacy. It's only a couple of bucks and it will clear you out better than anything else. You just drink it and wait. Clear your schedule, you're going to be busy for awhile.

Wow no joke, after day five of no turd I had no choice but to drink the tart cherry beverage.

[2Rude4MyOwnGood]

Wow no joke, after day five of no turd I had no choice but to drink the tart cherry beverage.

Lol yea, it's definitely effective. Better than any other laxative on the market and it's only a couple of bucks.

[ryansmeltzer]

Week 2 Update:

Well its been 2 weeks since I had surgery. Everything is going well for me. At this point, I am starting to get very restless wearing this sling, but only 2 more weeks to go in it. I've been continuing my 2 arm movements at 3 times a day. During these exercises, especially the passive external rotation, my shoulder is extremely tight! I have some range of motion without pain or tightness, but my arm movements go until I feel pain or tightness. It's kinda weird to explain, but I can almost feel my labrum in my shoulder. It feels like a tight rubberband around my glenoid or head of my shoulder. Lol so kinda weird. But anyways, I have my second PT visit this evening. Im anxious to see what my next movements/exercises will be. I never have any pain anymore, maybe slightly after doing my therapy but nothing to where Id have to take some pain meds. Other than that, not much more to update. Just really wishing time to go by fast. Its very frustrating sometimes not being able to use my dominant arm - driving, cooking, eating, dressing, and a lot of other things are challenging. But I'll get through it. My shoulder feels great and it definitely feels repaired. I'll update again in a week.

[brahsanity]

Thanks man and yes exactly what my physical therapist said. Patience is a huge thing for shoulder labrums. How are you doing with yours? I had my first PT session today at 8 days post op and he just did some passive range of motions on me. He completely controlled my arm for me. The first one was me laying on my back with my arm bent at 90 degrees with my fingers pointing to the ceiling, then he just lifted up. I was able to get to 75 degrees with no pain. The other one was external rotation. I was able to get to 90 degrees then 20 degrees more. He said it was a good start for me. I will have someone help me with these daily 2-3 times and ice afterwards. Only passive or completely controlled by someone else range of motion the next 3 weeks sinve you said it is an important part of healing as you said. Overall, I havent had a lot of pain, just really really tight!!

Hey man overall things are good but I'm starting to lose patience on how slow the progress of my shoulder has been so far lol. I've been going physio once a week and do all their exercises everyday when I'm at home. I know exactly how you feel about wearing the sling at this point, but at least we'll both have it off soon lol. Btw, How many times a week do you go to physio ? And do you feel the muscles around the shoulder being very tight still? It feels like the tightness overall might be contributing to the aches I've been experiencing after I do the physio exercises...

[ryansmeltzer]

Hey man overall things are good but I'm starting to lose patience on how slow the progress of my shoulder has been so far lol. I've been going physio once a week and do all their exercises everyday when I'm at home. I know exactly how you feel about wearing the sling at this point, but at least we'll both have it off soon lol. Btw, How many times a week do you go to physio ? And do you feel the muscles around the shoulder being very tight still? It feels like the tightness overall might be contributing to the aches I've been experiencing after I do the physio exercises...

I go to PT twice a week. Im on my second week of PT now and just got more exercises to do. Yes I have a lot of tightness mainly right where my surgery/tear was. When I do my exercises, which are passive and completely controlled by my physical therapist and my brother at home, I just do the movement until I start to feel just the slighest amount of pain. Or until it becomes uncomfortable. My PT said there will be tightness until about week 6 or so. Thats normal. He also said having a little pain (like a 5 out of 10 max on a pain scale) after therapy is normal - just ice and use a TENS unit if you have one. If its greater than a 5, youre pushing the shoulder too far during the exercise. Its a fine line. Enough to prevent a frozen or limited ROM shoulder but too much where the tissue is stretching out. Thats what my PT has been telling me and hes one of the better therapists around. He has 5 other shoulder patients.

[ryansmeltzer]

***but not too much

[ryansmeltzer]

Quick update - I am 15 days post op/starting my 3rd week post op now. Just had my second PT visit yesterday. I am currently doing 6 PROM exercises - pendulums, lying external rotations, scapular squeezes, and a few more. Overall tightness is greater for me right now than pain. Havent heard any noises yet but I am still in the healing and being protective phrase. Thats all for now.

[ryansmeltzer]

Good news today - had my third therapy session today/second this week and all my PROM exercises are exceeding the goals set for me. Or in other words all my arm movements are going further or higher in degrees than my goals. For example, my laying down arm raise was at 144 degrees pain free while my goal at this point was 120 degrees so great news. My shoulder feels awesome right now, starting to loosen up a little but not too much cause I am still healing.

[383max]

Good to hear that you are healing well. I too will need to have surgery on my labrum on July 2nd, so it is really encouraging to read about how your recovery is going.

Were you in a sling for 24 hours a day during the first 2 weeks? Seems like the arm would get super stiff like that, not to mention being in a sling for 4 weeks. I wonder if you can take the sling off when at the desk to type etc. and then put it on when moving around

[2Rude4MyOwnGood]

Good to hear that you are healing well. I too will need to have surgery on my labrum on July 2nd, so it is really encouraging to read about how your recovery is going.

Were you in a sling for 24 hours a day during the first 2 weeks? Seems like the arm would get super stiff like that, not to mention being in a sling for 4 weeks. I wonder if you can take the sling off when at the desk to type etc. and then put it on when moving around

Stiffness is just part of the deal. Better to be stiff than damage the repair in those critical early stages. A true frozen shoulder is pretty rare in young patients.

My doctor wanted me to come out of the sling a couple of times each day to straighten my arm and keep it from getting too stiff. He also said it was okay to take it out to type if I wanted to...I definitely didn't want to.

[383max]

Stiffness is just part of the deal. Better to be stiff than damage the repair in those critical early stages. A true frozen shoulder is pretty rare in young patients.

My doctor wanted me to come out of the sling a couple of times each day to straighten my arm and keep it from getting too stiff. He also said it was okay to take it out to type if I wanted to...I definitely didn't want to.

I think you're right, I feel it's better to let it get tight and sacrifice some ROM for the stability. I am pretty sure that with enough stretching the majority of functional ROM will return.

Did you start formal PT after 4 weeks? How weak was your arm at that point? I'm afraid about the loss of strength so I'm doing PT now to prepare for that 1 month period of limited movement

[2Rude4MyOwnGood]

I think you're right, I feel it's better to let it get tight and sacrifice some ROM for the stability. I am pretty sure that with enough stretching the majority of functional ROM will return.

Did you start formal PT after 4 weeks? How weak was your arm at that point? I'm afraid about the loss of strength so I'm doing PT now to prepare for that 1 month period of limited movement

I started PT about a week after surgery, but it was extremely limited. My arm was insanely weak and atrophied when I got out of the sling at 3 weeks, my arm was completely useless at that point. PT before surgery is usually a good thing as long as you don't push it too hard. I'm certain that I made mine worse leading up to my surgery because they didn't initially treat it as a torn labrum. They would manipulate my arm all over the place and it hurt like hell. I probably would have been better if I just did some light band work instead.

[ryansmeltzer]

Good to hear that you are healing well. I too will need to have surgery on my labrum on July 2nd, so it is really encouraging to read about how your recovery is going.

Were you in a sling for 24 hours a day during the first 2 weeks? Seems like the arm would get super stiff like that, not to mention being in a sling for 4 weeks. I wonder if you can take the sling off when at the desk to type etc. and then put it on when moving around

Hey man yea pretty much have been wearing it 24 hrs a day. It does get stiff, especially your forearm. I take it off occassionally just to flex my elbow and straighten my arm out. You can also take it off when you shower, getting dressed and during therapy. Im 3 weeks out now so I dont have a ton of experience yet but so far is hasnt been that bad. What are your symptoms and what did your doctor say about your tear? Let me know if you have any other questions.

[ryansmeltzer]

Week 3 update:

Its crazy it'll be 3 weeks post op tomorrow for me! I had a PT session today and got a couple more PROM exercises to do. So I am currently doing 6 PROM exercises, pendulums, and scapular squeezes. My external rotations are the hardest exercises to do right now, but my passive range of motion of raising my arm straight up above my head is already back pain free and my passive range of motion straight out from my body is pain free up to 90 degrees. Really any movement using the back of my shoulder is great and any movement using the front is a work in progress - which makes sense. My exercises draw a mixture of pain and tightness, but it instantly goes away once Im done. Im not using any pain meds whatsoever, just my TENS Unit and the occassional icing. So Im happy about how my therapy is going. One question I have for those that have recovered is, did all of your ROM come back? Like I mean all of it, above the head, behind the back, across the body? And if so, at what number of weeks?

I also have another appt with my surgeon this Friday. I have already heard I will be getting out of my sling this Friday, which is the 3 week & 3 day mark, so Im super excited for that!! I will actually ween of it for a week - so no sling at home but wear it in public for a week. Im also anxious to see the plan my surgeon is going to lay out for me for the next 8-12 weeks. Im confident with everything at this point, just really nervous about acquiring my Full ROM again, but also not affecting the surgical part of my labrum.

[ryansmeltzer]

Good to hear that you are healing well. I too will need to have surgery on my labrum on July 2nd, so it is really encouraging to read about how your recovery is going.

Were you in a sling for 24 hours a day during the first 2 weeks? Seems like the arm would get super stiff like that, not to mention being in a sling for 4 weeks. I wonder if you can take the sling off when at the desk to type etc. and then put it on when moving around

Also my surgeon said for desk/office type work, you'd need one week off post op and then you'd be good. And yes put it on if youre moving around.

[HammZ]

Week 3 update:

Its crazy it'll be 3 weeks post op tomorrow for me! I had a PT session today and got a couple more PROM exercises to do. So I am currently doing 6 PROM exercises, pendulums, and scapular squeezes. My external rotations are the hardest exercises to do right now, but my passive range of motion of raising my arm straight up above my head is already back pain free and my passive range of motion straight out from my body is pain free up to 90 degrees. Really any movement using the back of my shoulder is great and any movement using the front is a work in progress - which makes sense. My exercises draw a mixture of pain and tightness, but it instantly goes away once Im done. Im not using any pain meds whatsoever, just my TENS Unit and the occassional icing. So Im happy about how my therapy is going. One question I have for those that have recovered is, did all of your ROM come back? Like I mean all of it, above the head, behind the back, across the body? And if so, at what number of weeks?

I also have another appt with my surgeon this Friday. I have already heard I will be getting out of my sling this Friday, which is the 3 week & 3 day mark, so Im super excited for that!! I will actually ween of it for a week - so no sling at home but wear it in public for a week. Im also anxious to see the plan my surgeon is going to lay out for me for the next 8-12 weeks. Im confident with everything at this point, just really nervous about acquiring my Full ROM again, but also not affecting the surgical part of my labrum.

Ya you gotta be careful in public. I went to the flyers home opener 2 days after surgery lmao and people definitely do not care that your in a sling they'll bump into you.

[383max]

Hey man yea pretty much have been wearing it 24 hrs a day. It does get stiff, especially your forearm. I take it off occassionally just to flex my elbow and straighten my arm out. You can also take it off when you shower, getting dressed and during therapy. Im 3 weeks out now so I dont have a ton of experience yet but so far is hasnt been that bad. What are your symptoms and what did your doctor say about your tear? Let me know if you have any other questions.

I have a ton of pain along the back of the arm and upper arm right near my armpit. I also used to have a lot of instability, like it felt like my arm would pop out if I move it in a certain way. I did PT to help secure the joint a bit but it's still too instable. So yeah my doc is going to fix it up with surgery, it's a Bankart lesion like yours, anterior and inferior.

[383max]

Week 3 update:

Its crazy it'll be 3 weeks post op tomorrow for me! I had a PT session today and got a couple more PROM exercises to do. So I am currently doing 6 PROM exercises, pendulums, and scapular squeezes. My external rotations are the hardest exercises to do right now, but my passive range of motion of raising my arm straight up above my head is already back pain free and my passive range of motion straight out from my body is pain free up to 90 degrees. Really any movement using the back of my shoulder is great and any movement using the front is a work in progress - which makes sense. My exercises draw a mixture of pain and tightness, but it instantly goes away once Im done. Im not using any pain meds whatsoever, just my TENS Unit and the occassional icing. So Im happy about how my therapy is going. One question I have for those that have recovered is, did all of your ROM come back? Like I mean all of it, above the head, behind the back, across the body? And if so, at what number of weeks?

I also have another appt with my surgeon this Friday. I have already heard I will be getting out of my sling this Friday, which is the 3 week & 3 day mark, so Im super excited for that!! I will actually ween of it for a week - so no sling at home but wear it in public for a week. Im also anxious to see the plan my surgeon is going to lay out for me for the next 8-12 weeks. Im confident with everything at this point, just really nervous about acquiring my Full ROM again, but also not affecting the surgical part of my labrum.

Some guys who have surgery lose some of the ROM which involves bending your arm at 90 degrees like flexing it and then moving the arm behind the head. This movement forces the joint anteriorly where the labrum was torn originally so it's a delicate position to be in. It's like if you're laying on your back and let your arm just lay flat behind your head while bent at 90 degrees

[ryansmeltzer]

Some guys who have surgery lose some of the ROM which involves bending your arm at 90 degrees like flexing it and then moving the arm behind the head. This movement forces the joint anteriorly where the labrum was torn originally so it's a delicate position to be in. It's like if you're laying on your back and let your arm just lay flat behind your head while bent at 90 degrees

Yes thats why Im working hard to get back all that ROM. I am also at 90 degrees right now in that position. Id say about 75 right now but I am still only 3 weeks post op.

[383max]

Yes thats why Im working hard to get back all that ROM. I am also at 90 degrees right now in that position. Id say about 75 right now but I am still only 3 weeks post op.

Yeah def don't push it though, work with your PT to make sure he wants you doing those stretches right now or if he wants you to wait. No sense in slowing down your healing by pushing it too hard at first after surgery

[ryansmeltzer]

Yeah def don't push it though, work with your PT to make sure he wants you doing those stretches right now or if he wants you to wait. No sense in slowing down your healing by pushing it too hard at first after surgery

Oh I am! Im following my physical therapists and surgeons instructions to a T!

[ryansmeltzer]

I'm only 3 weeks post op right now but all I gotta say is this recovery is NOT for the weak minded. It takes a real toll on your patience and on how strict you follow the guidelines. Thankfully, I have always been super strict on anythibg that deals with my body.

[ryansmeltzer]

And at this point I have been cleared to do light leg extensions, leg curls, and leg press. Also to do elbow supported 3 lb curls and 3 lb tricep extensions to prevent atrophy of those muscles. What Id give to do a killer back workout right now haha but that'll come. Thats all for now. I'll update at 4 weeks.

[theuptownfan]

Subbed

I'm getting surgery on June 11th for my labrum tear. I was told it was a "large tear" that includes a SLAP/Bankart. I was told that I can start lifting heavy around 4 months as well, but I'm probably gonna baby it. I'm not really in a huge rush to get back to lifting because I haven't lifted in 9 months as a result of the injury. I was misdiagnosed, unfortunately. I'm definitely going to attack the rehab hard. Not lifting for this long sucks. I think about it everyday.

Shoulder injuries suck so bad. I am dealing with rotator cuff issues in my other shoulder and have fears of a labral lesion in that shoulder as well. However, I was able to lift heavy and make gains when that shoulder started bothering me. So during this time I'm going to be working on my right shoulder as well. I need to get that shoulder to as close to 100% as possible before I start hitting the weights again. I'm already having 1 shoulder surgery and I really don't want to make it 2.

Good luck with your recovery

[383max]

Subbed

I'm getting surgery on June 11th for my labrum tear. I was told it was a "large tear" that includes a SLAP/Bankart. I was told that I can start lifting heavy around 4 months as well, but I'm probably gonna baby it. I'm not really in a huge rush to get back to lifting because I haven't lifted in 9 months as a result of the injury. I was misdiagnosed, unfortunately. I'm definitely going to attack the rehab hard. Not lifting for this long sucks. I think about it everyday.

Shoulder injuries suck so bad. I am dealing with rotator cuff issues in my other shoulder and have fears of a labral lesion in that shoulder as well. However, I was able to lift heavy and make gains when that shoulder started bothering me. So during this time I'm going to be working on my right shoulder as well. I need to get that shoulder to as close to 100% as possible before I start hitting the weights again. I'm already having 1 shoulder surgery and I really don't want to make it 2.

Good luck with your recovery

I think we have a pretty similar case--I tore my labrum about 10 months ago and had been doing PT to try to get it better for a while. It helped but I always had pain and weakness with certain activities. Having surgery this week to fix it up but like you my right shoulder developed some rotator cuff issues about 2 months ago which I've been dealing with as well. It's most likely due to overuse and doing everything with the right throughout the day. I've been doing just stretching and isometrics and taking the occasional NSAID. I ice 2x a day both shoulders. Taking time off lifting has helped it to quiet down a lot and heal.

Did either of your shoulders ever pop or click with movement?

[ryansmeltzer]

Subbed

I'm getting surgery on June 11th for my labrum tear. I was told it was a "large tear" that includes a SLAP/Bankart. I was told that I can start lifting heavy around 4 months as well, but I'm probably gonna baby it. I'm not really in a huge rush to get back to lifting because I haven't lifted in 9 months as a result of the injury. I was misdiagnosed, unfortunately. I'm definitely going to attack the rehab hard. Not lifting for this long sucks. I think about it everyday.

Shoulder injuries suck so bad. I am dealing with rotator cuff issues in my other shoulder and have fears of a labral lesion in that shoulder as well. However, I was able to lift heavy and make gains when that shoulder started bothering me. So during this time I'm going to be working on my right shoulder as well. I need to get that shoulder to as close to 100% as possible before I start hitting the weights again. I'm already having 1 shoulder surgery and I really don't want to make it 2.

Good luck with your recovery

Wow man that sounds awful. Yes shoulder injuries are frustrating, but keep your head up and have a positive mind. I was thankful mine wasnt too bad of a tear. I had been told of so many horror stories of labrums and rotator cuffs so the first slight tear I had, I was gonna get it fixed instantly. Good luck to you as well.