Shoulder surgery? Have you had one yet?

on the contrary--I am 21 years old and have had 2 shoulder surgeries... Different person...different shoulders...different story. On the contrary to what? 21 year olds recuperate much more quickly than middle aged masters swimmers. But, if there is a significant injury or major tear, as you say, you have no choice but to have surgery. I would just be wary at my advanced age. Everyone is different. It's called cortisone. Acupuncture seems like a good option too.

Wow Morgan! I was still in a sling/shoulder imobilizer 3 weeks after my surgery. My Dr. didn't want me to MOVE AT ALL so the shoulder capsule would stay tight. I had 9 months of PT 2-3 times a week and couldn't lift my arm above my chest for about 3 months. I never will forget the first time I was able to move my arm in a freestyle motion on land! It was about 6 months after surgery and I was so happy I literally cried. Different people, different shoulder issues, different surgeries I guess. Count your lucky stars!

Wow Morgan! I was still in a sling/shoulder imobilizer 3 weeks after my surgery. My Dr. didn't want me to MOVE AT ALL so the shoulder capsule would stay tight. I had 9 months of PT 2-3 times a week and couldn't lift my arm above my chest for about 3 months. I never will forget the first time I was able to move my arm in a freestyle motion on land! It was about 6 months after surgery and I was so happy I literally cried. Different people, different shoulder issues, different surgeries I guess. Count your lucky stars! My prolo doc had this exact experience and many of his patients have too. That's one reason why people seek non-surgical options. I'm just soooo glad yours was successful!! Although if I'm gonna swim the 50 free, you gotta swim the 50 fly in Austin! (If we don't wreck or re-wreck our shoulders before then. LOL.)

on the contrary--I am 21 years old and have had 2 shoulder surgeries...1 for each arm. It was a rotary cuff surgery, but required the reconstruction of both joints. I had the surgeries one month apart, was in a sling after each surgery for about 3 days...and by the 2nd day after surgery i was able to laying on the floor put my arm all the way back into streamline position--something I couldn't do 3 days prior. I had an amazing surgeon, and used only the 1 painkiller that they give u before you leave the hospital for both surgeries...it was painless and well worth the time I had to take off from the pool. after the first surgery i was able to get in the water and kick with a board starting at about week 3--when the stitches started getting raggy and falling out. After the second surgery same thing, but at that point my first arm was strong enough to start doing some one arm drills and such. After about 3months in total from the first surgery I was swimming 2000 yards a day and kicking 3000, and within 4.5 months from the first surgery I was competing at the top of my collegiate conference and swimming PB times. I wouldn't be swimming in college at this moment if I hadn't had those surgeries..I know I wouldn't have been able to continue with the pain and frustration of having such a limited range of motion. Surgery was the first thing that was suggested to me, because MRI scans showed a pretty significant problem, but I did try alternatives beforehand including 7months of PT and quterizone(sp?) shots. I had done shoulder/rotator cuff exercises for years before my surgeries and nothing really made the difference. Considering surgery for shoulder injuries really comes down to how much money you have to put towards this--because the surgeries were expensive, the doctor I used was expensive and I had to travel to her, and I was in PT for 9months from start to finish. (though i think PT should be a requirement for swimmers year-round because i was so much stronger because of it). And it depends on what kind of swimming you want to do and how limited you are or may become to perform at your highest possible level and improve if you don't have the surgery. Different person...different shoulders...different story.

oh and last year--because inevitably I have shoulder discomfort again...3 years later--though this is more of a high concentration of musculature knots along the rotator cuff and scapula--I tried acupuncture, and that turned out to be pretty fantastic. It really did help out a great deal...I will probably be starting up again in the next few months now that we're back in season

Yes. I had shoulder surgery about 5-6 years ago. Not a fun rehab....very painful. Avoid it at all costs. Do rotator cuff and shoulder blade stabilizer exercises!!! They will help. Do a search for these exercises. Try to swim a balance of all 4 strokes. If you just swim freestyle, you are asking for trouble IMO. It leads to an imbalance of the muscles on the front/back of your shoulders. Try backstroke/breaststroke. Watch out for fly. It does stress the shoulders more than the other strokes IMO. :bolt:

6 surgeries---2 on right, 4 on left. Any questions? Last surgery--spring 1998. Left shoulder--thermal assisted capsular shift (not done that way much anymore). Finally "peace" in my shoulder. On occasion--get a few twinges and some stiffness--but over all--shoulder is no longer dislocating. Thats the same surgery I had on my right shoulder. Mine was dislocating also....doesn't anymore! :bouncing: I just HAVE to do rc exercises or it starts hurting again. Just aches when cold fronts are coming in though!

All the shoulder threads are referenced in posts #56 and #59 in this thread: forums.usms.org/showthread.php. Avoid shoulder surgery at all costs. Very few swimmers bounce back from them and can swim at anything near their previous level. Beth is one of them, but she has far more determination than the average bear. :cheerleader: Typically, your range of motion is never the same. My shoulder injury is due to an overuse injury from mega yardage in my youth coupled with genetic loosey goosey tendons. Like my twin. I have a cranky worn out frayed labrum and a small SLAP lesion (discovered through arthrogram). It is not surgical though; I just have to constantly manage it and attempt to keep the pain at bay. I have a 5 part plan of attack for staying in the water. Some of it is unconventional, but it seems to work for me. At least, I haven't quit yet. I do: 1. rotator cuff & stability exercises even though I hate them and they are really boring; 2. periodic ART, www.activerelease.com; 3. I wear fins a lot to avoid stressing the shoulder further. Purists hate this, but I have no doubt that it helps me tremendously. :thhbbb: It has the added benefit of really helping my SDKs. 4. I am currently trying prolotherapy, www.treatingpain.com, to attempt to essentially replace/repair the micro-tearing that causes the pain. Many athletes use this method, but not many swimmers. It is a long process and painful procedure. But I am doing it because otherwise, with my condition, I coud get early arthritis in the shoulder; 5. I do not swim mega yardage and I cross train. I don't do that much freestyle, which seems to aggravate it the most. I don't use paddles, pull buoys or kickboards, which can aggravate shoulders. Quality over quantity for me. Beth is right. Fly is also hard on shoulders IMHO. I wish I didn't like fly so much. But the most important thing is to do #1 BEFORE you start swimming a lot. Or you could get a quickie case of tendonitis. Or, if you're lucky, you might have bionic shoulders. But a large % of masters swimmers have shoulder issues. Watch out for obvious sharp pains. Watch out for dull pain spreading across the back of your shoulders or pain in the front of your shoulder. That is often a sign on tendonitis. Watch out for pain in the trap area. That could be sclerotogenous pain indicating a labrum issue. Good luck Shark. I hope you avoid injury and stay healthy!

My prolo doc had this exact experience and many of his patients have too. That's one reason why people seek non-surgical options. I'm just soooo glad yours was successful!! Although if I'm gonna swim the 50 free, you gotta swim the 50 fly in Austin! (If we don't wreck or re-wreck our shoulders before then. LOL.) Thanks Fort! I'm glad it worked too. I will definitely try to do the 50 fly! I think I can handle it short course......turns and SDK's help! Morgan - How is your shoulder now?

6 surgeries---2 on right, 4 on left. Any questions? Last surgery--spring 1998. Left shoulder--thermal assisted capsular shift (not done that way much anymore). Finally "peace" in my shoulder. On occasion--get a few twinges and some stiffness--but over all--shoulder is no longer dislocating. Had a ortho with ALOT of shoulder experience (operates on alot of professional athletes). Recovery was long--I was an early case of his with this technique. Alot was learned as I was older than most of his patients. Wasn't allowed out of sling (except to shower) for 3-4 weeks (later he did 6 weeks with older patients). PT for about 3 months -2-3x a week. Plus home therapy program.