Hi All - I'm a late onset adult swimmer, meaning I hadn't been in a pool for decades but a few years ago got turned on to open water swimming. For the past couple of years, I was swimming 2 miles/day freestyle about 3 or 4 days/week, with a few open water lake/river/ocean swims in the summer. Not that I go particularly fast (those 2 miles take me just shy of an hour) but it felt so good! And it's the only sport I figured was sustainable and not overly demanding on my bum knees...
But now my 50 yr old shoulder evidently has decided that may not be such a good idea, and I've got a massive rotator cuff tear (as documented by an unequivocal MRI) and have been advised to have surgery.
Does anyone have thoughts on this? Anything I should do before or after surgery to skew the odds to get back into swimming and avoid re-injury?
Does anyone know a good rehab in Westchester County or NYC with someone who knows about swimming? I'd prefer to rehab smart and targeted, rather than otherwise... And I really need to get back in the water... I'm getting fat and sad! All suggestions very very welcome!
I tore my rotator cuff in 2009 and successfully rehabilitated with physical therapy, ice and rest. It takes a VERY LONG TIME to heal shoulder injury compared to most other muscles (mine took 8 months before I was back to fast swimming). As a personal trainer, it has been my experience that most people who get shoulder surgery get impatient and start doing too much too soon and never regain optimal function. I've worked in conjunction with PTs with many of my injured clients with excellent results. I think its always best to try PT first before going under the knife...A few rules I live by and try to pass on to clients who do a lot of shoulder activity:
1) Spend more time rehabilitating the body - stretching, getting massage, doing self-massage techniques. Don't be afraid to take a day off if you're hurting.
2) Work on core strength so the extremities don't have to do so much work.
3) Do 3 gentle workouts a week with bands that work the four rotator cuff muscles, move the shoulder joint in different directions and that improve scapular position and posture.
4) Apply an ice pack to the area where it hurts a few times a day. Back off on training until it feels better.
I tore my rotator cuff in 2009 and successfully rehabilitated with physical therapy, ice and rest. It takes a VERY LONG TIME to heal shoulder injury compared to most other muscles (mine took 8 months before I was back to fast swimming). As a personal trainer, it has been my experience that most people who get shoulder surgery get impatient and start doing too much too soon and never regain optimal function. I've worked in conjunction with PTs with many of my injured clients with excellent results. I think its always best to try PT first before going under the knife...A few rules I live by and try to pass on to clients who do a lot of shoulder activity:
1) Spend more time rehabilitating the body - stretching, getting massage, doing self-massage techniques. Don't be afraid to take a day off if you're hurting.
2) Work on core strength so the extremities don't have to do so much work.
3) Do 3 gentle workouts a week with bands that work the four rotator cuff muscles, move the shoulder joint in different directions and that improve scapular position and posture.
4) Apply an ice pack to the area where it hurts a few times a day. Back off on training until it feels better.
