Hi posters. I'm new to this forum and need some advice. My MRI confirmed a labral tear in my right shoulder (SLAP lesion, type 2). The surgeon suggested I try physical therapy for a few months and continue to swim on it and see what the pain is like before deciding whether to have surgery. My questions:
1) Have any of you had this surgery? If so, were you happy with the result? How long was your recovery?
2) Are there any of you that were able to manage this injury without surgery? If so, were there any specific activities and excercises that you found helpful?
Thanks in advance.
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Former Member
I had a torn labrum, and didn't get surgery. My suggestion would be to find out the orthopod's name who works with the UCLA and USC teams. You want a surgeon who sees lots of elite swimmers. He or she will best be able to tell if you'll get better or worse from the surgery. My tear healed on its own, but it was about 8 months (or more) before I was back in the water. I'm lead to believe that sometimes these injuries heal themselves, and surgery can sometimes make things worse.
PT was useless for me, but I mostly blame the facility I went to. The best PT clinic in my area wasn't covered by my insurance.
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Former Member
I had a torn labrum, and didn't get surgery. My suggestion would be to find out the orthopod's name who works with the UCLA and USC teams. You want a surgeon who sees lots of elite swimmers. He or she will best be able to tell if you'll get better or worse from the surgery. My tear healed on its own, but it was about 8 months (or more) before I was back in the water. I'm lead to believe that sometimes these injuries heal themselves, and surgery can sometimes make things worse.
PT was useless for me, but I mostly blame the facility I went to. The best PT clinic in my area wasn't covered by my insurance.