Rotator cuff surgery.

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

orca1946 — Sun, 24 Jan 2021 01:06:08 GMT

Well -- you know when it rains it pours!!!!! My flip turn that hit the deck top in Oct. has been really hurting so a MRI now shows bone chips and torn ligaments! Off to surgery on Wed. the 27th to repair and a cast then a walking boot for 4 weeks - no weight bearing. So, I guess no pool time for at least 6 weeks and still having PT on my shoulder. I'm thinking of building an Ark!!

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

orca1946 — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 12:25:00 GMT

Update - 4 weeks of Athletico exercises and it still hurts when I reach back and up! The P T Lady wants me to get in and swim "to see where we are in the rehab" ??? I don't think this is the time to put pressure on the Cuff till I have another Doc. appt. and see what he thinks. It can't repair itself in 4 weeks -- can it?

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

Former Member — Sat, 02 Jan 2021 16:58:18 GMT

P T is going well but. I am decidedly spooked about doing too much to the rotator cuff injury . The P T says I can go back to swimming "gently" to gauge how I am doing in working more muscle around the cuff area. Now I need to try to schedule pool time around the "noodlers" that seem to sign up at the 1st minute allowed and float around taking up an entire lane not moving for an hour !!! Keep us posted on your return to the pool! The "noodler reservations" could be a great new thread! Our pool is getting really busy with new memberships (giving away a free month!, college kids and random teams. So annoyed with instructors who reserve a lane to talk to the student in another lane.

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

orca1946 — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 02:39:08 GMT

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

ForceDJ — Sat, 26 Dec 2020 09:56:52 GMT

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RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

orca1946 — Sat, 26 Dec 2020 01:48:10 GMT

My favorite was the sleeper stretch. Not really â€œfavoriteâ€...but most painful. Dan Don't know sleeper yet. Sounds as if i will not. Side straight out lifts while laying face down with 3lb wis. seem to be the most difficult for me so far!

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

ForceDJ — Fri, 25 Dec 2020 02:13:22 GMT

My favorite was the sleeper stretch. Not really â€œfavoriteâ€...but most painful. Dan

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

orca1946 — Fri, 25 Dec 2020 01:39:09 GMT

OK Now into session 4 and after my shoulders are sore. so far 14 different workouts with wts. and cords are on my 2 x daily excercises.

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

orca1946 — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 12:05:48 GMT

My 1st PT session is Mon. @ noon. Let's see what takes place.

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

orca1946 — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 12:33:12 GMT

I always wondered if bidets had warm water wash you? It seems that it takes a while for warm water to start from the sink next to it.

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

__steve__ — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 01:07:56 GMT

Listen to the PT. Also, good to learn the 4 rotator cuffs, function, and your injury. Loads of good exercises out there, but not all will benefit you either. Let your PT know with feedback. Be patient and avoid whatever aggravates the shoulder. Injuries, it turns out, can be caused by improper scapular motor control. Good luck Orca. Hope you recover fully without any surgery

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

ForceDJ — Sat, 12 Dec 2020 03:57:46 GMT

ha! This is so funny. I didn't know how hard it was to accomplish this necessary action till I had a pinched nerve in my right hand and tried to "switch-hit," and, uh, weird... I just got this ad on my FB. Something like this would have been nice to have after my shoulder surgery. bathroom.clearrearwash.com/ Dan

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

orca1946 — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 11:38:47 GMT

Amherstnh -- I am starting P T next week to see what they have in store for me. What dryland do you do?

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

amherstnh — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 10:11:42 GMT

I had one shoulder done about 10 years ago and the other one - supposedly a partial tear about 4-5 years ago - not done. Both ski injuries. Decided to skip a second surgery and try to simply build up muscle around the shoulder joint. I think that muscle mass around the shoulder joint is key. My theory is that swimmers have notoriously loose shoulders and as the aging process causes natural muscle atrophy these joints just get looser and are susceptible to popping out or worse. Adding a couple of dryland workouts per week with weights or machines helps offset the atrophy. But gotta be smart about lifting - or I can easily aggravate shoulders. I've stayed with this routine for a couple of years and it seems to work - joints feel much more stable and no pain during swimming. Now I can't really tell which shoulder had the surgery. Another recommendation - give up skiing if you're as bad as me.

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

amherstnh — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 04:58:58 GMT

Amherstnh -- I am starting P T next week to see what they have in store for me. What dryland do you do? Nothing all that special. Shortly after injury, I asked doc if doing strength training could make my shoulder any worse - and he said no - that it wouldn't do any more damage but it could be painful to do. So I started with what PT recommended (mostly bands and light weights) and gradually expanded routine to include some free weights, cybex machines and recently added kettle ball swing. Lat pull downs and seated row never really hurt so those motions are strongest. But anything that requires pushing - like bench press - had to go slow. Overhead press remains challenging - I can do them but gotta be careful. My bum shoulder was definitely weaker for a year or so - but it's pretty much the same now. If I over exert the weights, my shoulder might start talking to me for a couple of days but it doesn't last. Swimming is painless (mostly) now - I pay a lot more attention to avoid over-reaching on entry and hyperextending shoulders. Start slow and easy but stay with it.

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

orca1946 — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 12:16:31 GMT

Well after the shoulder surgeon's evaluation, he says let's do P T for 6 weeks. He seems to think that a small tear would respond better than some trauma from surgery. Well, I'll give it a try. I TOLD HIM I AM GOING TO RETURN TO SWIMMING AS A TOP TEN IN MY AGE GROUP PERFORMER THAT REQUIRES HEAVY WORKOUTS!He says ok. let's do this 1st.

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

orca1946 — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 11:55:47 GMT

Maybe I can walk around the block a few times to try to use some of my limbs. Yes,I have tried my left hand for some tasks. It is going to be a new challenge for seat belts, stair railing on left side, door opening, car shifting, turning off alarm clock, key board poking, and many others that I will surly find out!

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

mjtyson — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 08:23:40 GMT

Iâ€™m glad you point that out...I had meant to mention it too. It caught me off guard after my surgery. Now, I always tell people planning for the surgery to practice it in advance. Dan ha! This is so funny. I didn't know how hard it was to accomplish this necessary action till I had a pinched nerve in my right hand and tried to "switch-hit," and, uh, weird...

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

orca1946 — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 11:40:16 GMT

Dan - thanx for your insights as to my upcoming surgery. I spoke with the Doc. and he was the 1st to recommend me to a shoulder specialist in the practice. That was reassuring to me that he was looking for my best interests. he said" I know that you will be back at swimming at your high level of competition soon, so I want you to be the best you can be." That said, was a comfort asking for surgery. I see the specialist Dec. 8th and will choose a surgery date just after the holidays so I can take down Lights, etc. with both arms. I too have had too many surgeries 5 hip operations, 1st one recalled because of metal defects in dec. 1999 and replaced in 2007 and 3 more to reattach bone that was reduced from said metal bits.

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

ForceDJ — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 01:02:54 GMT

Post-surgery and recovery I actually swam FASTER than prior to my injury (once I got back into shape that is). Just be prepared for the recovery and physical therapy. It will be a b!tch for sure. Whatever the PTs and the surgeon tell you to do at home on your own...do it! I asked my surgeon if I could jog on the treadmill in recovery...treadmill so that I could hold on to the rail with my good arm and not worry about falling. He said â€œNO!â€ certainly not. â€œThe small bouncing that your arm will do while jogging with the sling on will cause micro tears and unwanted scaring at the sutures. It wonâ€™t now, or in a year or two. But down the road it will affect you.â€ Dan

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

ForceDJ — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 08:55:14 GMT

I see the doc. tomorrow and will ask a lst of questions about needing him, a regular ortho, as to asking for a "specialist" Don't know how he will feel about me asking this but , it's my shoulder. OZ â€” I donâ€™t think you should have any qualms about asking the doc specific questions about their specialties, and experience. Unfortunately Iâ€™ve gone under the knife for ortho procedures a few too many times IMO... back surgery (x2), rotator cuff, hip replacement, knee arthroscopy. I ask the doctor those same questions every time. Iâ€™ve never gotten any condescending responses. In fact...they usually find it refreshing that the patient is showing active concern in their treatment. When I had my hip replaced, I apologized for asking the doc so many questions. His response to me was â€œYouâ€™d be shocked at how many people go into such procedures and donâ€™t ask a single question about the procedure, the people in the operating room (other than the surgeon), instruments being used, the device being implanted, etc. Ask! And if you donâ€™t like the answers...seek out another doctor/opinion. Also...Iâ€™d also suggest that you look up the doctorâ€™s record on your stateâ€™s Department of Health website. Before my second back surgery I looked up the doctor assigned to do my surgery and discovered that he had previously been sanctioned by the state board of health for a â€œwrong siteâ€ surgery. I immediately contacted my health insurance company and was assigned a new surgeon. Regarding how you tore your rotator cuff...the lawnmower blade removal...having removed those blades several times...thatâ€™s not really surprising to me. I tore mine when I threw a ball for our dog at the beach. My cousin tore herâ€™s when she was in a rear-end fender-bender. My doc told me, after the surgery, that he discovered and removed a good amount of bone spur that hadnâ€™t shown up on the MRI. He said that it had been wearing away that the muscle over the years and it eventually would have torn through even with a much less traumatic event. Good luck. Dan

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

orca1946 — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 01:36:51 GMT

I see the doc. tomorrow and will ask a lst of questions about needing him, a regular ortho, as to asking for a "specialist" Don't know how he will feel about me asking this but , it's my shoulder. It seems as if a partial tear is better to repair before it get to the full tear. Thanx to all that have given me some insight to the surgery. Happy Thanksgiving to all. Stay safe & healthy.

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

orca1946 — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 12:29:05 GMT

Jim --- that is a good q look into what to expect . I think at this point, I should do the surgery now in this 2020 screwed up year of the swimming and regular world events. a year from now should put me in the early season os S C swimming here in Chicagoland. Have heard of the recliner doe sleep also. To all with info help, thanx for giving me insight from swimmers, as we are the strange ones that tax our shoulders WAY more than mere mortals!!

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

orca1946 — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 12:19:44 GMT

Thanx Choc for your input. WOW 14 months! I did this trying to remove a nut on my lawn mower blade??!!

RE: Rotator cuff surgery.

ForceDJ — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 11:13:39 GMT

Have heard of the recliner doe sleep also. Yes. Youâ€™ll need it. Dan