I had labrum surgery 8 weeks ago. I struggled with whether it was necessary. PT had minimized the pain, but still every time I swam I hurt, and I couldn't do stroke, thus making my ephemeral goal of a nonperformance art 400 IM elusive, plus I also like stroke.
Did I do the right thing? Too late to know now. I waited a year, and then decided in favor of the surgery because I feared that later in life (10 years from now), I would have wrecked my shoulder and not been able to have the surgery (too old). I want to swim forever.
The surgery itself was not painful (love that Percocet), nor were the 3 weeks post-surgery, except for the sling I had to wear (again, love that Percocet).
But the PT and daily life now are very challenging (I'm 8 weeks post-surgery). I had torn the labrum off the bone, plus torn the back of my labrum (Bankart tear), plus a few other things were ready to go, so everything was tightened and stitched down.
The good news is I will have 100% mobility once I am done with PT.
The hard news is I don't know when that will be, or when I will be able to swim again. I have just started kicking in the pool, and that feels very very good.
The cautionary part of this tale is that had I paid more attention to my technique and posture (I tend to slump), I don't think I would have needed this surgery. During my pre-surgery PT, I did tons of I's, T's, and Y's, prone on the floor, and tons of scapular strenghthening, so that pre-surgery I was swimming my fastest in years, albeit with pain. I wish I had done those scapular strengtheners all along (I can post a silly video of me doing the most important ones).
The other thing I paid attention to was when I pulled with my left arm (the one that had surgery). I noticed with horror that I was pulling with my left arm as I was rotating to the right to breathe. Hmm, that will tear my labrum up!
Leslie (the Fortress?) (someone on this board) is absolutely correct about using your core first and foremost! But what I find (and again, cautionary tale about masters swimming) is that I am very competitive, and want to go fast at practice no matter the price, so I was paying very little attention to technique and just zooming along.
Long posting, but wanted to share that labrum surgery recovery is incredibly painful. Getting stretched, doing the exercises, unbelievably painful. Hoping that next week I progress to above 90 degrees adduction (?) (out to side) and to using weights with PT. Trying not to get depressed when swimming is my main antidepressant as well as social world.
So, valiant masters swimmers, pay attention to your arm entry, how you rotate, and core strength. I wish I had paid more attention to strenghthening my back, especially my scapulae and all those little muscles that keep them moving properly.
Here's the video posting; it's silly, I know, but these exercises, while not for power, did give me a lot of strength when I swam. And the PT noticed this past week that I still have a lot of strength in my scapulae, which I hope will work for my benefit.
Hoping to be moving my arm in a full circle in, uh, 2 months?
Cheers. Isobel.
YouTube - Swimmer shoulder stability exercises, Part 1
How's the recovery coming along, isobel?
I found a new favorite shoulder stability exercise. You take a kettlebell, raise it above your head with one hand, and walk the length of a long room or hallway. Back and forth, then switch hands. Or if you're confined to a small space, just pace slowly with the weight above your head like a caged, deranged animal. Letting your hand sway back and forth slightly causes more shoulder involvement.
Oh my gosh! I am nowhere near that exercise you suggest! Sigh! I am doing very very light repetitions of seven Theraband exercises every day at home, very light rows, internal/external rotation, some sort of straight arm downward pulls, all still very hard for me, and doing the "harder" stuff at PT (2 pound weights for flys on my stomach for example, with great difficulty).
I have been okayed to swim freestyle, and to swim anything (I'm passing on fly for now) as long as it doesn't increase my pain; my surgeon is big on "functional movement" and not so much PT. So I can swim 200 yards of freestyle now nonstop, at a very slow pace.
Trying not to get discouraged, and REALLY struggling with depression (just spent Thanksgiving in hospital because I was so depressed). Swimming truly is my antidepressant. Drugs don't work. I swam yesterday but today am "stuck." Also, hospital offered "gentle" yoga class which I foolishly took but totally screwed up my back so am hobbling around apartment feeling incredibly crippled.
Thanksgiving dinner at hospital: instant mashed potatoes, peas, some sort of pureed butternut squash. For some reason it was delicious (there was meat but I am vegan). There were also six pies but I didn't eat any pie until the latest of the night, fearing I would eat all six.
Home. Quiet here. Need that water. Heal, back! It will heal quickly. Heal, shoulder! Must practice patience. Not a strength.
Hope you all have had good holidays. I plan to kick the one-hour swim. I'm guessing 600 to 1000 yards because I plan to have my counter give me M&Ms and chat with me and not make it serious, but just participate.
Uh, the real truth is, I get tired. This is where the contrast between the dedicated swimmers and me shows up. I don't like to kick, though I make myself kick. And even when I kick hard I don't seem to get faster, my legs just get tired. Also I get bored. I think that's why I never made the Olympic team.
O la. Hum di dum.
Isobel-o-la
How's the recovery coming along, isobel?
I found a new favorite shoulder stability exercise. You take a kettlebell, raise it above your head with one hand, and walk the length of a long room or hallway. Back and forth, then switch hands. Or if you're confined to a small space, just pace slowly with the weight above your head like a caged, deranged animal. Letting your hand sway back and forth slightly causes more shoulder involvement.
Oh my gosh! I am nowhere near that exercise you suggest! Sigh! I am doing very very light repetitions of seven Theraband exercises every day at home, very light rows, internal/external rotation, some sort of straight arm downward pulls, all still very hard for me, and doing the "harder" stuff at PT (2 pound weights for flys on my stomach for example, with great difficulty).
I have been okayed to swim freestyle, and to swim anything (I'm passing on fly for now) as long as it doesn't increase my pain; my surgeon is big on "functional movement" and not so much PT. So I can swim 200 yards of freestyle now nonstop, at a very slow pace.
Trying not to get discouraged, and REALLY struggling with depression (just spent Thanksgiving in hospital because I was so depressed). Swimming truly is my antidepressant. Drugs don't work. I swam yesterday but today am "stuck." Also, hospital offered "gentle" yoga class which I foolishly took but totally screwed up my back so am hobbling around apartment feeling incredibly crippled.
Thanksgiving dinner at hospital: instant mashed potatoes, peas, some sort of pureed butternut squash. For some reason it was delicious (there was meat but I am vegan). There were also six pies but I didn't eat any pie until the latest of the night, fearing I would eat all six.
Home. Quiet here. Need that water. Heal, back! It will heal quickly. Heal, shoulder! Must practice patience. Not a strength.
Hope you all have had good holidays. I plan to kick the one-hour swim. I'm guessing 600 to 1000 yards because I plan to have my counter give me M&Ms and chat with me and not make it serious, but just participate.
Uh, the real truth is, I get tired. This is where the contrast between the dedicated swimmers and me shows up. I don't like to kick, though I make myself kick. And even when I kick hard I don't seem to get faster, my legs just get tired. Also I get bored. I think that's why I never made the Olympic team.
O la. Hum di dum.
Isobel-o-la
