Successful Surgery and Next One Coming Soon

Just thought I’d drop a line for the hell of it and let some of you know how my surgery went.

I got osteolysis of the distal clavicle in both shoulders from years of lifting coupled with a period of heavy DC training after getting into the “forties” during a comeback to lifting of sorts, which accelerated the pathology and sent me spiraling down with the quickness about 7-8 months ago or so. Found a top notch surgeon in my area…Waited a couple months to get seen by him, scheduled etc. Had it done.

It’s been a phenomenol recovery albeit a bitch for the first part of it. I had the surgery on Sep 26, and basicly got the green light to start full body action with weights this coming week. It feels pretty damn good now. I am having fun finally with lifting again, and just have to do the whole thing one more time on the other shoulder which actually is a bit more tweaked, as it has the same pathology, and also had a previous injury from overuse during my previous career. So this one should take a bit longer to recover from but I’m looking forward to that.

Seeing my doc on the 19th this month, to schedule the next surgery and give me his blessing on the reintroduction of all other exercises again. Still have to stretch twice daily, and before and after my shoulder protocol, then ice, but it’s been great to regain my ROM, and comfort level. So, guess I’m just saying I’m almost done, and look forward to dropping in a bit more often after the next one gets me back to square one finally. Fun stuff.

Cheers gang.

glad you feeling better. best of luck with the lifting.

Do you think DC had a direct impact on your need for surgery? If so, how long did you DC before you realized you were having legitimate problems?

Or do you think it was just the years of the iron game catching up with you?

Do you think you would have needed this surgery if you had not been lifting?

Did you accumulate injuries early on in your lifting career or are you problems recent occurrences?

I’m just curious and would enjoy hearing about your background. I’m a young buck, and since I’ve been lifting heavy for a few years and know that I’m going to keep lifting heavy for many years to come, I’m very interested to hear from individuals who have been down the road I plan on going.

[quote]Big Aristotle wrote:
glad you feeling better. best of luck with the lifting.

Do you think DC had a direct impact on your need for surgery? If so, how long did you DC before you realized you were having legitimate problems?

Or do you think it was just the years of the iron game catching up with you?

Do you think you would have needed this surgery if you had not been lifting?

Did you accumulate injuries early on in your lifting career or are you problems recent occurrences?

I’m just curious and would enjoy hearing about your background. I’m a young buck, and since I’ve been lifting heavy for a few years and know that I’m going to keep lifting heavy for many years to come, I’m very interested to hear from individuals who have been down the road I plan on going.
[/quote]

To answer your questions,

  1. Yeah DC definitely had a direct impact on the arrival time of the pathology. I was into the DC right up to the first cruise, and wham bam thank you maam. So about 6+ weeks in.
  2. I noticed the issue arrive right around this time with significant pain in one of my shoulders.
  3. It was definitely probably initially started but on a much slower curve timewise/resorption wise, from the past history of liftiing. But the DC put it over the edge and seemed to “catalyze” the process significantly to where it was really set in motion and plowing ahead full steam.
  4. If I had not been lifting, NO, I would have not had the problem at all. Most likely it might not have surfaced if I had left out all pressing and benching exercises, (but who the hell would do that, lol?). It starts from heavy benching, and any heavy overhead/military/push pressing. These exercises in particular concentrate and focus the forces right on the distal end of one’s clavicle where it meets the AC joint. Then it begins reabsorbing its own calcium/bone, hypertrophing as a result, which makes it bigger, and presses into that AC joint causing shooting pain down the tricep in a more deep sense, and more acute pain right at the distal edge of your clavicle.

I never had any significant injuries from lifting in the past. I had overused my other shoulder from repetitive motion injury cuff issue from years of holding my arm at arms length and swinging it quite precisely back and forth for 8+ hours/day 15years or so. BUt that was a different shoulder than where the disease surfaced on me.

It’s the type of injury I never thought I’d get, but don’t we all say that with these types of things. But you didn’t use to hear too much about it save “something that happens to weightlifters” here and there. Now with the appeal and popularity of lifting, it’s being seen more often.

Anywho, feeling good in this workout right now, but had to stop for a m inute or two and respond to your query’s.

Thanks dude, have a great day. Any other questions feel free.

Well excuse me. Let’s not all respond at once now guys…

Shit I thought I might get at least TWO responses…lol.

Well InTheZone, I for one always listen up when people talk about shoulder injuries.

Shoulders seem to be a limiting factor for many of us, unfortunately. Glad that the surgical option seems to be going well for you.

What sort of rehab / PT were you doing?

[quote]whotookmyname wrote:
Well InTheZone, I for one always listen up when people talk about shoulder injuries.

Shoulders seem to be a limiting factor for many of us, unfortunately. Glad that the surgical option seems to be going well for you.

What sort of rehab / PT were you doing?[/quote]

Pretty much band work for the first month or so… lots of stuff like the “Throwers Ten”, google it, then I started on something like this, was a few exercises lighter for the first couple weeks on this also. But this is what I’m doing currently still fwtw.

Standing Side Laterals;
Standing Laterals thumbs up at 30 degrees forward angle;
Side lying EXternal Rotation
Prone flat bench or incline/side laterals again;
Prone “” 30 degree forward laterals;
Prone Rows(or bent over DB rows simultaneously)
Prone Rows into External Rotations;
Chair Pressups or last ROM dips;

All done with Dummbells, and I started with only 1 and 2 lb DB’s, lol. Now I’m using 10lb DB’s mostly, except on rows which are getting to be with 30lb DBs and the row into ex rotation which is quite difficult and only done with 8lb DBs. My other shoulder is actually having more trouble now than the one already fixed.
Also all are done for a good 2 second hold, and 4 second negative, which provides some nice intensity. 3 sets of 10, up to 15. I’m using the 10’s and just going to 15 as opposed to raising the weight any more for a while. Might get some 12’s though. That’s just a precaution to let the body heal appropriately and not get too gung ho before all the healing is done. Monday/Wednesday/Friday unless I feel like I need an extra days rest by Friday.
Seeing my surgeon tomorrow to see when we’re doing the other shoulder.

Thanks for asking. Looks like the new guys are more considerate than some of these guys who have been around the block on tnation for longer it seems.

Cheers.

[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
I’ve obviously been reading your log on that other site, but have been becoming more interested in your story, as I have noticed the odd twinge from my right AC joint recently.

Obviously I’m glad to hear of your successful recovery so far, but I for one am hoping to try and prevent the condition in the first place, in myself. I’m not yet 100% on how best to achieve that, so any input is most welcome.

Obviously there will be collagen and BMD stimulatory substances involved. But as to the specific mobility drills, freeweight exercises to avoid and prehab exercises to incorporate, I’m still up in the air.

BBB[/quote]

Lol…Hey it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t bitch and whine a little bit now would it?

On a serious note though, that’s something to keep a sharp eye on buddy. Basicly, this pathology in particular, can be somewhat thwarted off, by not going uber heavy and intense with your benching and overhead pressing movements BBB. The ONLY way to stop it, is if you catch it very, very early, and cease all of the aforementioned exercises, or dramatically reduce the intensity with which you’re performing them.

This is understandably hard to guage, as often including with myself, the symptoms are so similar to a simple muscle sprain or overload, which one would think just “needs a little rest” etc, that you’ll simply dismiss it as something much more benign. However, if you do catch it and begin to cease these other exercises, you can further help yourself by icing, and other anti-inflammatory modes, as in ibuprofin type shit.

The awful truth to that though is this; Most of the time, this takes at least a year or sometimes even two, to completely stop, and allow the bone to reproduce all the calcium and other bone minerals that it has been “absorbing”. And sad to say, this whole scheme doesn’t work near often enough itself even. But as I say, early catch, and determined application of the anti-inflamm’s, CAN do the trick in the long run if dedicated to dropping those exercises, or decreasing them in intensity and weight used.

But this kind of sucks to be honest, lol. Most of us are looking for balanced physique composition etc, and so it is tough to wait it out without those movements for a year or more. Then you’re stuck with the realization that once you resume said exercises, there’s a great chance to have it come right back again. So it’s a real bitch of a pathology once you get it.

I will say this, the surgery will allow you to indeed resume after some decent length of time, all the aforementioned movements, albeit they must be taken a bit cautiously for quite some time.

I spoke to my surgeon yesterday, and he gave me the green light as did my therapist, for all exercises to begin again. This was a nice Xmas present indeed. We’re going to go ahead and get another MRI on the other shoulder first, before plunging into that one, and meanwhile continue to let this left one heal some more, as there is still some scar tissue, and further healing to allow continuance of.

Anyhow, I certainly appreciate your stopping on by, and hope you have nothing of the sort going on with your ac joint, watch for acute pain right there at the junction of your acromium and clavicle, as well as any suspicious shooting type of deeper more diffuse pain running down the back of that triceps too.

Cheers mate, and thanks again for the interest. This thing is going to be happening more and more frequently to chaps, with the popularity of lifting in general. Most of the time it will steer clear of the casual lifter, but once you tread into intensive training ala “DC” and other low volume/high intensity type stuff, then you raise the possibility greatly of catching it.

ToneBone