Rotator cuff surgery.

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.

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...

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.