Anterior Bankart Labrum Tear Surgery – My Recovery Log

[milindahuja]

Thanks man....
My surgeon knows that I want to lift again and he assured me that I will be back in no time, I just have to take special care first 6-8 weeks just like you said. My surgeon has experience with wrestlers and weightlifters. One of my freind recommended him as he had a cartilage tear in his wrist and this surgeon has done the surgery and my freind is fine now and lifting without any restrictions or limitations.
Do I am just positive and hoping that everything goes smoothly.

[milindahuja]

So guys Day 4 post OP.
I had my surgery on this Tuesday i.e 7th august 2018 and everything went well. Labrum was badly damaged and 3 Anchors were used to fix it. My arm was numb after I woke up and it was really a wierd and uncomfortable feeling to not able to feel your arm but better than being in pain.
The nerve block finally started wearing off in the night and I started feeling my arm and also the pain was increasing slowly but it was bearable thanks to the painkillers lol. I couldn't sleep that night. The next day I finally tried to get up from the bed and my arm hurts but I had to get up. I was literally feeling weak. I was discharged from the hospital in the afternoon and the pain was around 4-5 out of 10, it was kind of fluctuatIng sometimes more sometime less but it was bearable and definitely lesser than the Day 1. I am on mild painkillers for a week ( strong painkiller is also given if the pain gets unbearable but I don't think I need that ) and antibiotics. Additionally I am taking supplements like calcium, vitamin d3, omega 3, magnesium, multivitamin, vitamin c and fermented glutamin. Gains are definitely lost but hopefully I will comeback faster and stronger like many of you did.
I was still a struggling a little with sleep but it was better than the Day 1 and I knew It will get better as I get closer to 1 Week mark. I have my appointment with my surgeon coming Tuesday i.e 1 Week post OP and he will be viewing my Stiches and make the bandages bit smaller and finally removed at 2 weeks mark and I finally be able to shower again. I am also excited to get started with my physical therapy after my surgeon allows me for that.
Today I am 4 days post OP and feeling a lot better and almost painfree and also slept well the last night.
I am really careful and taking extra care of the repair and even when I sneeze I feel slight pain and get worried if I damaged the repair lol but I am just keeping my calm and following the process.
How's everyone guys and especially @ryansmeltzer? Are facing any problem with your repaired arm?

[sowilson]

the pain killers can back you up, take some Metamucil (or similar) to help keep you regular.

[sn15adv]

Hi all, I accidentally found this forum now and got some very good information. I had 3 dislocations in past 10 years (first time was a road accident). Last time was casually throwing a bag. I went to a doc following that and he told I should get it surgically repaired and ordered MRI. I am not very technical so I don't exactly understand MRI but he told I needed bankart surgery. Then I did not do anything for one year due to work commitments. I went to another experienced doc and showed him the MRI taken a year back. He told surgery was the one which could fix it while PT and all could be temporary fix. So, I agreed to have surgery.

I had the surgery done on 8/1/2018. After surgery doc told me that they did not need any anchors and just needed sutures. They told to be in sling for 6 weeks with first week complete rest.

First day I mostly slept. Second day I did not have too much pain. So I did not take the opioid pain killer they gave. Just took tylenol and ibuprofen with arnica. I didn't experience any additional pain in the subsequent days either. Now it's been almost two weeks. I am back to my desk job which involves typing mostly. I take my sling out during that time. I sleep with sling on and also when walking. No noticeable pain at all at rest. Only if I make slight movement with shoulder I feel the pull.

Now, reading these forums, I am a bit confused. Everywhere here they tell they used anchors. My doc also told before surgery that they will put anchors. But only after surgery doc told there was some inflammation, they did not want anchors, just sutures. Is this a common case? I am just worried and hoping that I didnt do the surgery for nothing. The doc is highly experienced though.

Thanks for reading.
PS: My age is 28. I think I put wrong date or something in account and it shows 48.

[milindahuja]

Hi guys,
Not much to say but I am officially 1 week post surgery and had a appointment with my surgeon. He saw my Stiches and changed the dressing and he told me not to worry, everything is fine and I will be back to lifting in no time. I have almost no pain, just a little when I slightly move my arm but that's normal. I was told to do pendulum exercises as of now. I have my next appointment after 10 days and my Stiches will get removed and I will hopefully be cleared for PT.
My arm is looking like a stick lol.

[milindahuja]

Hi all, I accidentally found this forum now and got some very good information. I had 3 dislocations in past 10 years (first time was a road accident). Last time was casually throwing a bag. I went to a doc following that and he told I should get it surgically repaired and ordered MRI. I am not very technical so I don't exactly understand MRI but he told I needed bankart surgery. Then I did not do anything for one year due to work commitments. I went to another experienced doc and showed him the MRI taken a year back. He told surgery was the one which could fix it while PT and all could be temporary fix. So, I agreed to have surgery.

I had the surgery done on 8/1/2018. After surgery doc told me that they did not need any anchors and just needed sutures. They told to be in sling for 6 weeks with first week complete rest.

First day I mostly slept. Second day I did not have too much pain. So I did not take the opioid pain killer they gave. Just took tylenol and ibuprofen with arnica. I didn't experience any additional pain in the subsequent days either. Now it's been almost two weeks. I am back to my desk job which involves typing mostly. I take my sling out during that time. I sleep with sling on and also when walking. No noticeable pain at all at rest. Only if I make slight movement with shoulder I feel the pull.

Now, reading these forums, I am a bit confused. Everywhere here they tell they used anchors. My doc also told before surgery that they will put anchors. But only after surgery doc told there was some inflammation, they did not want anchors, just sutures. Is this a common case? I am just worried and hoping that I didnt do the surgery for nothing. The doc is highly experienced though.

Thanks for reading.
PS: My age is 28. I think I put wrong date or something in account and it shows 48.

Well to be honest that's bit strange. I mean sutures are inserted with the anchors. I really have no Idea about this. You should ask your doctor about the procedure done on your shoulder more clearly or may be someone more experienced here can help out with this?

[sn15adv]

Well to be honest that's bit strange. I mean sutures are inserted with the anchors. I really have no Idea about this. You should ask your doctor about the procedure done on your shoulder more clearly or may be someone more experienced here can help out with this?

Prior to surgery, doc had mentioned it is bankart repair, there is a hills sachs lesion and also may need rempissalage or something. Anyway, I am going to meet them tomorrow. So, will get to know more.


16 days since surgery, no pain. I do desk work removing sling most of the day. Wear only while walking and sleeping.

[sn15adv]

Prior to surgery, doc had mentioned it is bankart repair, there is a hills sachs lesion and also may need rempissalage or something. Anyway, I am going to meet them tomorrow. So, will get to know more.


16 days since surgery, no pain. I do desk work removing sling most of the day. Wear only while walking and sleeping.

Actually, I don't even know why he told so that day because I went to the assistant yesterday and he provided me with the surgery notes. There is is mentioned they put two anchors. Assistant went through the arthroscope pictures and told they put two anchors as well. It was very confusing. I meet the surgeon in another 3 weeks. Will ask him. But given he wrote in the post-op report that he did put two anchors, I guess that's the truth.

[milindahuja]

Hey guys,
I am now 2 weeks 3 days post OP and also my second appointment post op. Stiches are finally removed now, thank god. It was really itchy. Things are going well as of now. Absolutely no pain except in the morning when I wake and during pendulums but that's really minor and also normal. Tightness is still there and my doctor said it will be there for next few weeks. Pendulums are getting better though.
Now I am also allowed to raise my arm to the front and laterally upto parallel to the floor but no external rotation or throwing action for next 6 weeks and he also told me no to go through any kind of pain. I am also allowed to take off my sling when at home but I will still be in sling for next 2 weeks to be in the safest side. I will remove my sling only while working as I am join back to work from Monday.
I have sometimes slight pain in bicep area and traps, doctor said it's a muscular pain and will go away. I hope that. Anyone else experienced or experiencing the same?!
Looking forward to hear more from you guys in this group.

[Globally]

Time to start my log. Age 28.

Full anterior shoulder dislocation on Aug 29 diving for a ball in the outfield. Made a great catch but lost the shoulder. Had unbelievable pain and the ER doctor had to sedate me in order to replace the joint into position. This was my first time having a dislocation.

Saw orthopedic surgeon the next day and he gave me the rundown on the likelihood of the situation and what to do next.

Getting an MRI Sep 24 to see the damage. I’m starting to mentally accept that I’ll need surgery. I don’t want to half ass it and be worried about a repeat forever.

[milindahuja]

A quick update
I am at 4 weeks 4 days mark post op and had my post op appointment yesterday. From docs point of view I am recovering really good but still to avoid abduction external rotation for two more weeks. Sling Is off but i am just wearing it during sleep to keep my arm safe.
PT is going well so far and lot more exercises are added. It is a mixture of pain and tightness but the pain goes away once I am done. I can raise my arm to the front now without any assistance. I still fear sometimes to damage my repair lol so I am really careful. Time is going pretty fast now and so far I am happy with my progress.
can't wait to get back to the gym soon.
How are you guys doing?

[sowilson]

when my son was going through PT after his surgery they would work him pretty hard and his shoulder would be fairly sore. They offered the use of a GameReady Machine for 15 minutes at the end of his PT and that really helped with the soreness.

[Globally]

Time to start my log. Age 28.

Full anterior shoulder dislocation on Aug 29 diving for a ball in the outfield. Made a great catch but lost the shoulder. Had unbelievable pain and the ER doctor had to sedate me in order to replace the joint into position. This was my first time having a dislocation.

Saw orthopedic surgeon the next day and he gave me the rundown on the likelihood of the situation and what to do next.

Getting an MRI Sep 24 to see the damage. I’m starting to mentally accept that I’ll need surgery. I don’t want to half ass it and be worried about a repeat forever.

Got the MRI results. Anterior labrum tear with mild displacement of the labral fragment

Hill Sachs lesion on the head of humerus bone

Ortho does not recommend surgery unless I have a repeat.

[milindahuja]

Hey Guys,
I am again back with an update after really long time. I will be at 9 weeks mark coming tuesday. The progress is going really great. I had my appointment on 21st Sept 2018 i.e. at around 6 weeks mark and the doc literally made me do push ups on floor.. I was shocked but it felt great . I could only do 5 and that too half though with moderate pain. He allowed me to start with wall push ups an work on strength. I have been working with resistance band now and working on strength beside mobility and rom. Overall shoulder feels really good and pain has reduced significantly. I can now raise my arm straight up with no pain but slight tightness. There are few areas where I need to work on. I cannot do external rotations completely I mean it's really tight but with assistance I am able to do that and without pain. Secondly when I am lying down on my back and move my arm backwards I cannot touch the floor or bed... the last 10-15% is still lacking and if I try to do that with assistance it hurts.... I hope it's normal at this stage and get better. I am going to ask my doc about this coming Friday.
Otherwise I don't have any problem doing day to day activities and driving and feeling really great but weak and I am working on it.
How are you guys doing?!

[sowilson]

That's good progress for 9 weeks. Give this time. I hope you're working with a PT once a week or so. Your PT should measure your ROM and strength balance of both arms/shoulders and you should see progress with the injured arm/shoulder. Yes it will be tight, very, very tight, that's what the surgery did. Now, you're trying to loosen things up, but it does take a long time. At some point (within the next month or so) you should have a talk with your Surgeon and PT about introducing weight lifting into your rehab. You won't be allowed to do everything all at once, it will take time to reintroduce various exercises to your shoulder. When my son was introducing a new lift he would do the lift for form and no (or extremely little) weight for a couple of weeks, then adding weight but high reps (so a 3x15-20 set/rep scheme), and then finally adding more weight and reducing to a more normal set/rep scheme. It took a month and a half to reintroduce bench pressing (started at the 4 month mark), starting with a broom, then bar, then bar with 25lb plates and 6 boards, then progressing from there. Take your time and listen to your body.

[sn15adv]

Hi sowilson, Thanks for the insights.
I too had the surgery at the similar time as Milind here. The status at 9-10 weeks seems almost identical. Doc suggested I may not even need PT. But, I started going to PT anyways to get into rhythm (and also my out of pocket is already done for insurance ). Going well so far. Doing resistance bands, wall exercises and resistance bands. I have never done any weight training before due to the fear of dislocation all through my 20s. But I want to get into weights. So, have to ask doc on when I can start on it.

[zikman1983]

This thread has really been a great resource as it's kept me informed through the process.

I'm 4 weeks out of surgery, had 5 anchors placed to repair a circumferential laberal tear. I'm officially out of the sling and will start PT soon. Overall stability in the shoulder still feels like it's lacking, I've had a couple of experiences where it felt like the shoulder wanted to sublex but didn't, hoping my mind is playing tricks on me since the shoulder is pretty stiff to raise currently. At what point did you start to feel stability during the recovery?

[kekums]

This thread has really been a great resource as it's kept me informed through the process.

I'm 4 weeks out of surgery, had 5 anchors placed to repair a circumferential laberal tear. I'm officially out of the sling and will start PT soon. Overall stability in the shoulder still feels like it's lacking, I've had a couple of experiences where it felt like the shoulder wanted to sublex but didn't, hoping my mind is playing tricks on me since the shoulder is pretty stiff to raise currently. At what point did you start to feel stability during the recovery?

Did you ever feel like you regained stability?

[zikman1983]

Did you ever feel like you regained stability?

I'm getting there. I'm on week 11 now, working on getting my ROM back. What I experienced was most likely muscle guarding when sudden movements were made.

[sowilson]

glad it's going well. IIRC at this point you'll feel pretty good for day to day activities but will still be pretty limited in ROM in various planes of motion and your injured shoulder will tire easily. If you're trying to get back to being an athlete you should figure on PT for a year, weekly for the first 6 months then bi-weekly or so after that. The exercises you do during PT (and on your own) will change during this time as you gain strength and ROM in your injured arm. Part of your PT visit will be to measure your improvement which is valuable feedback to your PT and your surgeon. The goal is to get the injured arm to have very close to the same ROM and strength as your good arm. Towards the end a year post op of PT the routines you'll being doing are pretty crazy and you probably won't find them on YouTube - lot's of perturbation work.

[milindahuja]

Hola Amigos.
ssup guys?
I am glad to see the response and your different experiences which are helping others in the group.
So I am back again after 12 weeks with lots of new updates. I am almost 21 weeks post OP. I had my surgery on 7th of August 2018. Everything is going pretty smooth and I am happy with my progress so far expect that i have git really weak and skinny but that's how it is and we have to accept this and change this. So the good news is that after 6-7 months of break, I have started going to the gym 3-4 times a week since Dec 1 2018. I start with mobility and rom exercises as suggested by my PT and then cardio and first 2 weeks just trained with level 1 toning tube so you can see I am taking it really slow and easy. After third week, I introduced machine exercises and dumbells and keeping the weights really light. I am training full body and from mid January I am gonna start with 3 day split plan.
I can now do push ups without any pain or discomfort or instability. It feels really good. If you read my previous post I couldn't even do 5 push ups when I was 9 week post OP. So the strength is coming back slowly. I am still lacking a bit when it comes to external rotation, I still have to work on the last 5%. I can now almost touch my arm on the floor without pain when lying on my back. I can do butterflies, side lateral shoulder raises, biceps curls, rear delt raise, lat pull downs I have started doing from last 2 weeks, other than this I haven't started doing anything overhead. I am doing dumbell bench press with 2-3kg on the floor so that I don't Strech my shoulder too much. I cannot do pull ups but hopefully I will be doing them as well very soon. I do feel pain but very slight in certain moments, due to scar tissue I guess but that's normal. I keep updating my PT and my surgeon about my progress whenever I see them and I am doing well and they suggested me not to overdo anything... everything will come in its time and I will be lifting normally very soon.
How are you guys doing ? Keep updating your progress guys. Thanks for the motivation everyone. ;-)

[zikman1983]

What's up Fellas, so my recovery is continuing to progress, I'm at week 14, passively my arm can be raised to 140 degrees and laterally it's at 105 degrees. I have a gnarly shrug anytime I lift my arm either way. Really hoping it'll stop compensating once my Wing is corrected. In general just staying focused on cardio and legs. This is truly a journey.

[sowilson]

It's good to hear you guys progressing. Don't be afraid to bug your Doc and PT. Milindahuja, you might run what I'm about to say by your PT. Assuming your ROM is pretty good you should be able to do most exercises. You may deal with different set/rep schemes depending on major muscle group and how involved your shoulder is in the exercise. When you start lifting the things you can vary are ROM, set/rep, and weight. You might consider starting any lifting exercise on a 3/15-20 set/rep scheme. This will keep the weight down to around %40-%60 of your 1RM. Run this for a few months (especially for shoulder related things) and then slowly up the weight as you lower the reps per set. After awhile (PT recommendation) you can go to a more normal strength building set/rep scheme. Unless you're very light I would probably avoid full body weight pulling exercises for awhile (assisted maybe and then slowly decrease the assistance over time) For squats you might find that your repaired shoulder isn't flexible enough for heavy squats. When my son started heavy squatting (and not belt squats which he was doing all the time) he would use the bar for light warm ups and then switch to an SSB for heavier warm ups and work sets. Same for RDL. For presses you can consider board presses to reduce the ROM for awhile and then periodically remove boards until you're back to doing a normal bench press. When my son started back lifting he benched a broom for a week, then a bar (with 6 boards), then worked up to 135 (3x20) with 6 boards, then started removing a board every few workouts eventually doing a normal bench press with 135 lbs. From there he started adding weight and reducing reps until he was back to 225lb (3x8-10). After that he was cleared to bench aggressively but no 1RM tests (max doubles were OK) until roughly a year and a half post op.

Some other things to consider. There are numerous AC/RC/Scap/Labrum rehab routines and you should consider adding a few of them to your strength training routines. Take a look at Marcus Mariota's shoulder routines (https://www.stack.com/video/42475878...-shoulder-work) as well as Drew Brees's shoulder recovery. Band-aparts, face pulls, paloof press, Cuban press (or scarecrow), push-up plus, and others (YTL's) should also be part of your routine. You should also consider some more advanced work that will generally have perturbations thrown in to a normal exercise. Heck, even a bodyblade is useful as are medicine ball routines once you're able to do explosive work.

Everyone is at a different point in their rehab so discus anything you plan on doing with your PT or Surgeon first. You're body may not be ready for it yet.

[kekums]

What's up Fellas, so my recovery is continuing to progress, I'm at week 14, passively my arm can be raised to 140 degrees and laterally it's at 105 degrees. I have a gnarly shrug anytime I lift my arm either way. Really hoping it'll stop compensating once my Wing is corrected. In general just staying focused on cardio and legs. This is truly a journey.

How’s the stability progressing?

[zikman1983]

How’s the stability progressing?

Slowly but surely getting there. Still do not have full ROM back yet.

[ashmeetp]

I have had recurring shoulder dislocation in both my shoulders past 7 years. I am into heavy weight lifting in the gym and my recurring shoulder dislocation has restricted me to only perform exercises with controlled movements and quit any contact sports.
After getting my shoulders dislocated performing common activities like throwing a ball, playing any contact sports or jumping a fence. I have decided to get my shoulders surgically repaired, no matter what the downtime off of lifting will be.
I have tried my luck in bodybuilding, reaching to my peak performance only to quit and restart everytime my shoulder dislocated. This is really frustrating and this time, I want to get this repaired correctly and then go into lifting with my 100 percent, so I can finally work on my fitness goals without the risk of getting my shoulders popped out ever again.
Can anyone recommend me the best surgeons with experience in repairing dislocated shoulders in and around Dallas?


Thank you in advance!

[sowilson]

I don't know about Dallas. Go to the Dallas Stars, Dallas Cowboys, and Texas Ranger web sites. Lookup who their team doctors are. More than likely one or more of them are highly regarded, local, Orthopedic Surgeons. Then, once you have names, look them up. You'll find what hospital or clinic groups they work through. Then, look them up on those orthopedic group sites and book an appointment with one of them. Orthopedic Surgeons who work with athletes are generally the best of the best. When my son had shoulder issues in High School he was first seen by the Minnesota Twins team doctor then the Minnesota Wild (and U of M head of athletic medicine) team doctor performed the surgery. Almost as important as the surgeon is the Physical Therapist that you work with afterwards. My son's PT has his DPT, was a soccer player in college, and works with a lot of college and professional athletes. My son's post surgery rehab took 7 months until he was cleared for football activity and he was periodically seen by his surgeon and PT until 2 years post surgery. He went on to play football and track and field in college.

[ashmeetp]

I don't know about Dallas. Go to the Dallas Stars, Dallas Cowboys, and Texas Ranger web sites. Lookup who their team doctors are. More than likely one or more of them are highly regarded, local, Orthopedic Surgeons. Then, once you have names, look them up. You'll find what hospital or clinic groups they work through. Then, look them up on those orthopedic group sites and book an appointment with one of them. Orthopedic Surgeons who work with athletes are generally the best of the best. When my son had shoulder issues in High School he was first seen by the Minnesota Twins team doctor then the Minnesota Wild (and U of M head of athletic medicine) team doctor performed the surgery. Almost as important as the surgeon is the Physical Therapist that you work with afterwards. My son's PT has his DPT, was a soccer player in college, and works with a lot of college and professional athletes. My son's post surgery rehab took 7 months until he was cleared for football activity and he was periodically seen by his surgeon and PT until 2 years post surgery. He went on to play football and track and field in college.

That is actually a good way to find a regarded surgeon. Thank you!
I am glad to hear about your son's recovery. I can't imagine how getting this fixed and getting back on track would feel like after such a long time of living with this issue.

[JAckedGains459]

That is actually a good way to find a regarded surgeon. Thank you!
I am glad to hear about your son's recovery. I can't imagine how getting this fixed and getting back on track would feel like after such a long time of living with this issue.

I was reading the post you was replying to, and I must admit I also can't imagine how would it feel getting back on track after so much...

[sowilson]

This is such a great thread I wanted to give it a bump. A bit of an update. My son played Nose Tackle for 4 years in college and was also a long snapper. He also was a thrower and did the ShotPut, Weight, Discus, and Hammer throw. He didn't have any issues with his repaired shoulder and he got his maxes to a good point. He also managed to finally figure out his sprint form and became pretty fast for a big guy. Injury wise he mainly suffered MCL knee injuries. One looked pretty severe but due to his very well developed posterior chain he was able to recover. He started wearing custom knee braces to protect his knees. Post college he's a supervisor at UPS and frequently gets called to lift heavy, awkward packages, so he continues to work out and do flexibility work. He also coaches Defensive Line at a local High School, and does analytical work for Pro Football Focus. Periodically his shoulder and his other joints have some discomfort as a result of playing football but the rehab exercises he learned from his shoulder surgery and others help alleviate discomfort.