I've always had right shoulder stability and soreness issues. But I could usually control it with ice, Aleve, and rest. This year, probably due to too much too soon over-training once my pool reopened in May, my shoulder pain became unmanageable. My ortho ordered an MRI arthrogram that revealed labral tears from 4 to 12 o'clock. She described the tears as wear-and-tear, as opposed to acute. I recently started PT for the same.
In terms of swimming, I can handle my daily work outs of 2700-3600 yards with little to no pain. But my weekly long distance swims of 5+ miles are killing me. By the end my entire right shoulder aches and it seems like every muscle is sore and tight.
For those long distance swimmers out there with this injury, do you have any coping mechanisms, whether it be stroke changes or dry-land exercises?
Thanks!
oh oh oh mr cotter mr cotter
at one point i was up to 24advil and 4 aleave a day
after 8 months my liver begged for mercy and i took a few days off
mine was torn 10-2 ... so 4hrs worth just like yours
your only real option is a bicep tendonisis like what i had done
it will not heal
no amount of bands in/out/saw will fix this
the pain does NOT get less
it will hurt even NOT swimming ... just not as much
sorry to tell you the truth that no one else will
steve
Olive -- I haven't personally had a shoulder labrum injury (I did have surgery for rotator cuff tear however). I do have a long distance swimming friend who once had a labrum tear years ago, and over time with medical assistance he was able to get it to heal without surgery. But, in your case I might suggest you read up on Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections. I had it done in my knee for a meniscus tear. After two treatments, the doc said the tear was no longer visible. Here is just one case that I found online for shoulder labrum PRP treatment. Good luck.
www.regenerativeorthopedicinstitute.com/.../
Dan
Olive -- I haven't personally had a shoulder labrum injury (I did have surgery for rotator cuff tear however). I do have a long distance swimming friend who once had a labrum tear years ago, and over time with medical assistance he was able to get it to heal without surgery. But, in your case I might suggest you read up on Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections. I had it done in my knee for a meniscus tear. After two treatments, the doc said the tear was no longer visible. Here is just one case that I found online for shoulder labrum PRP treatment. Good luck.
www.regenerativeorthopedicinstitute.com/.../
Dan
I wish I had known about PRP before I had three knee meniscus surgical repairs--of limited success, haha.
I'm gonna give this a look, thanks for the tip!
oh oh oh mr cotter mr cotter
at one point i was up to 24advil and 4 aleave a day
after 8 months my liver begged for mercy and i took a few days off
mine was torn 10-2 ... so 4hrs worth just like yours
your only real option is a bicep tendonisis like what i had done
it will not heal
no amount of bands in/out/saw will fix this
the pain does NOT get less
it will hurt even NOT swimming ... just not as much
sorry to tell you the truth that no one else will
steve
Haha this is not a rosy outlook. Also, my tear is actually 8 hours worth, all the way around the clock from 4 to 12. Awesome, right?
I am a 62-year old competitive swimmer who has trained very hard for a long time. I would say that it is a very encouraging sign that you can handle daily workouts of 3k. if you can do that with no pain you have to ask yourself if the long swim is necessary or if it even helps you.
the summer before last after mission Viejo nationals my shoulder starting hurting and I got an mri that revealed two laberal terms.
interestingly, it started hurting after the meet and only when I was swimming much less. the pt exercises actually simulated swimming strokes in many ways. obviously my shoulder had tears when I was competing and it wasn't hurting at that time. I think it is quite possible that the 3k you are doing a day somehow keeps the shoulder in place.
I think everyone is different. I would not even think about surgery if you can train 6 days a week at 3k. stop the part that is hurting you.
I even considered getting a MRI of my other shoulder to prove the point that shoulders of swimmers who train hard for a long time are never going to look pretty.
Try accupucture for pain ; Tissue Recovery by Hammer Nutrition; when pain is managed, once a week, sports med massage; Sports medicine PT. After months of these therapies, a good trainer who does various modalities for building back from injury. Patience for 2 years plus of nurture. Analyze your stroke not to drop elbows inward : sign up for Gary Hall Sr Race club in Cal and Fla. Joan Craffey . :Work every lap ; pick one thing to focus on and feel. Use thres hold anarobic work out, not to exceed 90 min or point of discomfort. Remember you cannot work with deflated soft tissue that is irritable. Stay away from drugs and get phyto nutrition with lots of omega 3s. Cut out junk food and support your system with vitamins and minerals.
