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
At risk of sounding like a drug addict, for those who had labrum repair surgery, did you ever need Percocet or similar opiates for pain during PT?
I thought I was doing well re pain, but after seeing surgeon today, she said it was time to start stretching my arm behind my back.
Ha ha ha. I did it after I came home, just holding it with my good arm (she said to use a towel to pull it up to stretch).
Her attitude toward pain during the PT was to suck it up. I usually have liked her, but today I was trying to explain that the pain leaves me in tears, for one exercise I had been doing (adduction? out to side). And with this new level of range of motion, I woke up one hour after going to sleep thinking I needed to knock myself out by hitting my head on the wall (I am borrowing someone else's phrase for this image).
How can you listen to your body when it is so painful to move it, yet not moving it will mean (a) wimp, (b) no progress.
Just wondering if any of you had to use something stronger than Motrin during PT after your surgeries.
Hot water bottle has helped significantly since 1 a.m. (now 3:30 a.m.).
Sigh. Generally I have a high tolerance for pain but this is rather unbelievable level, the trying to stretch my arm behind my back.
Given it is middle of night, perhaps I will feel much better in a.m. and won't feel like such a drug addict. But am curious re others' experience with pain tolerance/management during PT.
Gracias. Swim some fly for me, please, everyone? I miss it.
I had surgery for a torn labrum in December 2003. It took over a year to swim decent, but it pretty much took 2 years to fully return to where I was before surgery. After 6 months normal life activities resume to normal, but if you are pushing yourself 100% (in a meet, for example) then I found it pretty much took 2 years to return.
Regarding PT and the stretching: umm, I can't compare it to child-birth for obvious reasons but it was something I never hope to have to go through again. It was some of the most pain I ever felt in my life. But I kept going back because everytime I walked out of PT I felt much better. But the actual stretching was excruciating. I was fully off the drugs by then - I never even thought of taking drugs to get through PT. I was happy to finally be off them after the surgery. I didn't start the PT until 6-8 weeks after the surgery.
Jeff
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.
Depending on the weight of the kettlebell, you can either hold it pointing straight up with the weight above the handle, or let the weight drape over the back of your hand. The former involves the wrist and forearm muscles, whereas the latter allows for heavier weight and more load on the shoulder and core muscles.
This exercise is called the "waiter" and is primarily used for core stability. A great complementary exercise is the "suitcase" where you try to walk with perfect posture with a heavy kettlebell (for me 62 lbs.) in one hand. keep the other arm relaxed and at your side. It is great for spine stability while your legs are moving. Good for grip strength as well. I like it better than the side plank for you obliques because it is more dynamic.
Rich
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.
Depending on the weight of the kettlebell, you can either hold it pointing straight up with the weight above the handle, or let the weight drape over the back of your hand. The former involves the wrist and forearm muscles, whereas the latter allows for heavier weight and more load on the shoulder and core muscles.
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
:fish2:Do you use fins when you kick Isobel?
I hate kicking too......and I am a horrible kicker.
I always thought fins were a cop-out but since I started using them for kick sets I am starting to like them.
Just a thought that might work for you.
Hang in there girl!
:fish2:Do you use fins when you kick Isobel?
I hate kicking too......and I am a horrible kicker.
I always thought fins were a cop-out but since I started using them for kick sets I am starting to like them.
Just a thought that might work for you.
Hang in there girl!
Thanks. Yes, I do use fins when I kick, mostly for dolphin kick, because I can do no-arm dolphin and get very aerobically tired. But since I had hurt my back with the "gentle yoga" class, yesterday I just swam a little.
At the same time, I feel like I am cheating when I use fins. Or, to put it another way, I sure wish my body position were as aligned and high in the water without fins as it is with fins, if that makes sense.
Usually I do a combo of both, and challenge myself to 25-yard kick sprints on :45 (sigh) without fins, usually coming in on :40, eight times in a row. That also gets my heart rate up. It's better than when I first got back in the water and was doing them on 1:00.
Gotta look for the progress. Always.
Again, la di da, Isobel-o-la
Hi Isobel,
I am having shoulder labral in a few weeks. I am very nervous! I cant swim right now anyway so it needs to get fixed. I know it has been a few years, but how long was it before you were swimming again?
i replied in your other thread but here is the info you are looking for
my slap tear surgery was on june 16 2011
i was doing 1arms (not the surgery arm) on july 31
on aug 12 i was using both arms and did 1300 that day
on oct 9 i started doing fly
on nov 20 swam at the dallas meet my 50scm fly and 100scm fly were ranked 8th and 5th in the usa
end of april usms nationals went 10:00.89 and was national champion in the 1000scy
early august usms nationals went 4:24.18 (split 2:12.16,2:12.02) to be not only usms champion but FINA #1 in the world
13months after my surgery. so yes, not only can you swim again but swim well!!!
steve
results may vary
let your doctor know ahead of time that you are a serious badazz
side effects may include:
do not take if you are allergic to chlorine or working hard
working this hard will cause muscle pain that at times may be serious
some may call you insane...ignore them
intense sarcasm for other sports that think they work hard and can laydown if they get tired or get rest breaks during competition
