Shoulder Injury - Labrum Tear

Originally posted by gull80 ... I threw away my paddles, and I avoided butterfly. ... and can swim butterfly without pain. .... Just curious. Have you started using paddles again? Do you intent to? I haven't used paddles in a year because of shoulder soreness. I also had to stop using a kickboard. My shoulder's a lot better, but I'm not sure I'll be using paddles for a while.

I don't plan to use paddles again. Used properly, I suspect that the newer designs probably won't do any harm, but I don't want to take any chances. I kick without a board and pull using just a pull buoy.

This is a most informative, and excellent thread. I am another shoulder sufferer (damaged from my work as a Neuro Rehab person - although the muscles in the rotator cuff group,- the sustained and repetitive action was overkill ). I am currently experiencing a degree of pain after I swim, and a noticable stiffness in the joint post workout. I am not able to do a push up motion comfortably. Keeping the small muscles that attach to the shoulder blade stretched and loose is tricky. One problem I do come across in my line of work is teaching people how to switch off muscles after they have worked them. If we keep our resting tone raised, and not in a normal relaxed state we will be susceptible to injury. Poor posture, which in swimmers can be noticeable - shoulders slumping forwards and inwards will also contribute to injury. When we over use, or don't listen to our muscles, and continue to use them it's a given they will get damaged. Other muscles will come to their aid, but will soon fatigue and the problem will worsen. I agree with the advice: Get seen by a shoulder sports medicine therapist and an otho pod. Learn how all of your shoulder muscles work. Become sensory aware of all the muscles and when they are relaxed as well as working. Learn how to stretch and strengthen correctly. Correct your posture and adapt your workplace (eg sit on a ball at the computer, ensure your shoulder is fully supported when keyboarding etc) Adapt the workout to suit your needs (This is not a general excuse to completely change the coach's workout!!). Train all strokes for balance, but adapt eg fly if it bothers you. Above all train smart. Do your shoulder prevention exercises and stretches faithfully. Happy Healthy Shoulders.

Although I am a doctor, I'm not an orthopedist (but have had shoulder problems of my own). Jim asks some great questions. My understanding is that SLAP injuries can be diagnosed by MRI in many (most?) cases, if the radiologist is experienced. Arthroscopy will detect those that are missed by MRI. I don't believe surgery is required in all cases--I think it depends on the extent/size of the tear. This is a type of injury which in the past was not recognized and thus went untreated. If the problem is impingement and tendinitis, which is what I had (have), it can take several months of PT to see improvement. Antiinflammatory drugs and ice are very helpful. My orthopedist allowed me to keep swimming, but I made a number of adjustments. I didn't swim every day, I increased the yardage very slowly, I threw away my paddles, and I avoided butterfly. Over one year later, I don't think of myself as cured, but I've doubled my yardage, swim 6 days/week, and can swim butterfly without pain. I still do the PT exercises regularly at home and take glucosamine.

I am a physical therapist that treats mainly shoulders . I recently had a Labrum repair. Please email privately & I will explain everything .

I had a 30% tear of my labrum due to a swimming injury. I was coming into the wall on backstroke and my shoulder popped out right as I was pulling. It's called a Bankart lesion. The labrum is a circular piece of cartilage that lines the shoulder socket and the more that is damaged the easier it is for it to slip out of socket. After I injured it originally, it hurt for a couple months, after which I didn't really have pain, but it felt off, especially when my arm was overhead. I felt like in certain positions I just couldn't trust my shoulder to stay stable. Physical therapy cannot fix a labral tear. It took me 3 years to really figure that out. When I finally went to the doctor, I got an MRI, which is when I figured out what I had done. I got an X-ray but it didn't show anything. Nobody likes to have surgery. I certainly didn't, so I can certainly understand why you wouldn't want to. But, for a labral tear, it's really the only option. I also would like to clear up some misconceptions about shoulder surgery, especially for a labral tear. After the doctor told me I had to get surgery, my mom spread the news to her friends. Many of them told her that the last thing in the world I want is surgery, that they know people that have had surgery and it really messed them up. This is because up until 20 years ago, doctors had a completely different method of treating a labral tear. First of all, they wouldn't do the surgery right away so the tear would get worse and worse until surgery was absolutely imperative. Second of all, the manner in which they did physical therapy afterwards led to only a partial recovery in range of motion. Thankfully, nowadays, the PT and surgical procedure is better. Patients usually end up with a full recovery. The only ones that don't are the ones who try to get back into their sport to soon. If you get surgery, LISTEN TO YOUR PT! I had my surgery 4 weeks ago. This is the recovery process after surgery. You'll be in a sling for 6 weeks. After 4 weeks, the sling isn't as heavy duty. The first 2 days, you are pretty bed-bound. Be prepared to watch movies and have people wait on you. You'll be able to get up to do stuff, but you probably won't really want to due to the pain and such. Physical therapy starts the 2nd week and for the first six weeks, you're working on getting your range of motion back. The PT will stretch you arm a bit for you and you'll do some stretching on your own, along with small things like curling the weight of your arm and light arm circles. To give you an idea of what's going on with the labrum at this point, it takes 4-6 weeks for the labrum to reattach to the bone and another 4-6 weeks for it to get securely fastened onto it. This is why after 6 weeks, you'll get the sling off. Then the exercises start getting a bit harder and a little more weight bearing. From what my PT said, I can get back into a pool without restrictions after 4-6 months. But it'll take 6-9 months to completely recover my strength. Of course a lot of the recovery time depends on your age and your diligence in doing your exercises. If you have any questions, my email is nickswim9@gmail.com Best of luck, Nick

Left shoulder popped out of socket for 1st time in the middle of Moab Ut 1992. Luckily a doctor on a Mtn bike passing by set it back in for me. I was 10 miles out. For the next 10 years it would pop out for whatever and I would reset it myself. About 12 full dislocations total. 2003 I started lifting weights, have not had any dislocations since. Started swimming in 2008. Although my left stroke is unusual (left hand crosses at front), the actual swimming helps strengthen my shoulder. Never went to the doctor for my shoulder. Not yet...

:chug:I too am a swimmer with multi shoulder problems. My last injury was forcing my arm with weights last fall, long story short waited about 6mon till I saw my orthopedic surgeon. I had a decompession and he found a torn cartiledge,leaving the head of humerus uneven. He warned me post op I may have more problems.Shoulder was great up till now.It is painful,making many thing including swimming painful. He wants to resurface the humerus with a hemicap(metal overlay). I know a runner who had it done on his hip,no pain. Has any swimmer out there had this done. I am trying to adjust to the fact I may never be as strong in the pool as I use to be. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Hello I am Mason from iran. Iinjured whe i was lifting a tire. after visit my doctor he told me it's buritist ant tondonitis,after 3 months ,I came back to water and after 6 meter butterfly i felt a sore in my chest. afterward i went to the orthopedist along with my MRI,the record was"There is linear high signal intensity in the labrum compatible with partial tear.Smal amount of flouid in the shoulder joint space is seen". this is the radiologist record. my doctor told me you should go to PT for 2 weeks. But i have pain in my chest not my shoulder... whats your opinion? thanks

Hi, Lucky McCharm I would appreciate any advice you give me on a reverse bankart lesion. I am PT student and I am debating conservative vs arthroscopic repair. I like many of the people on here notice the pain/discomfort from impingement in the recovery process of the swimming stroke. (I am really into surfing, and I think the same should apply as in swimming) I pushed my surfing too much one day and the impingement caused a severe bursitis. This caused a tremendous pain and I ended up with a mri and the report confirmed the bursitis and labral tear. I believe if I did not want to surf all day that the conservative treatment would definitely work. I never had a traumatic dislocation, and I believe it has just been repeated minor subluxations that caused the tear. I am questioning if I don't get the labrum repaired if I will see increased instability over time, with a worse outcome than if I elect to get it repaired now when my shoulder is relatively stable? Is there any advice or resources you can point me too. I have talked with my professors, but I would like advice from someone who can relate to swimming. pbrown82284@gmail.com