Vikki's Rehab Adventure to a PL Total

Training Over 35 Lifter
21

Snap, I can’t believe you didn’t start PT for a month? They want me doing this everyday so the shoulder doesn’t seize/freeze up.
Ouroboro, you’re right, I think my body was on self preservation mode- goal for tomorrow’s session is just stay on my feet.
Kmcnyc, I bet they will all be prepared for my visit tomorrow ;))
DF, yay, you found me
Mainy, should have had your camera at the PT session, could have started a whole comedy folder
Pete and FarmerBrett, thanks for the warm welcome

Did PT exercises today with my 14 y/o daughter helping me lift my arm as high as I could, we both did good and no passing out today.
Then icing with a cryocuff machine for 15 minutes after each PT session.

My goal for this log is to show myself and others the shoulder rehab process and remind myself how far I’ve come, because I really got a lot out of Ksnap’s journal and I know there will come a time or two or three or… That I will be down and impatient with this whole thing.

Hope I don’t bore you all too much. And please feel free to kick my butt in gear when that time comes :wink:

22

[quote]lil power wrote:
Snap, I can’t believe you didn’t start PT for a month? They want me doing this everyday so the shoulder doesn’t seize/freeze up.
[/quote]

My arm was strapped to my side and immobilized for four weeks. When I was allowed passive movement therapy, my surgeon specified the angles to which the PT could move my arm. The PT said he’d never had a surgeon direct the PT like that in all his 16 years. My surgeon followed me closely for six months.

I won’t get bored reading your rehab log. No sirree.

23

I think your shoulder rehab process will be a fascinating journey to follow.

…“kick my butt in gear” -you punned “gear”, well done! I’m already learning from you! :wink:

24

Good luck with the rehab lil power. No doubt that lil power will be back to max power in no time!

25

Punnyguy, I wish I wrote that on purpose lol
Late2thegame, thanks!

Well PT went great! Stayed on my feet this time! More range of motion, got my arm overhead ( barely) and external rotation just past neutral position. Not really pain but slightly uncomfortable stretch.

Tomorrow is first post op dr Appt, hoping he will grant permission for at least some cardio, even recline bike, already to move some more!

26

[quote]lil power wrote:
Punnyguy, I wish I wrote that on purpose lol
Late2thegame, thanks!

Well PT went great! Stayed on my feet this time! More range of motion, got my arm overhead ( barely) and external rotation just past neutral position. Not really pain but slightly uncomfortable stretch.

Tomorrow is first post op dr Appt, hoping he will grant permission for at least some cardio, even recline bike, already to move some more!
[/quote]

Just for fun, ask him for when you can multi ply squat again. Just see what he says.

27

[quote]DixiesFinest wrote:

Just for fun, ask him for when you can multi ply squat again. Just see what he says.[/quote]

If I ever did multiply, come on DF you know I’m still a newbie gear whore- single ply only, but I will ask when I can pull 400lbs!l

Reminded of when they rolled me into the op room, dr was sitting over by the phone and I had tell the 2 attending nurses what I was having done. “The dr over there is going to fix my right shoulder so I can pull 400lbs off the floor”. I hear the dr kinda mutter under his breath and say jeeze! Then I told him, hey doc, no pressure!

28

That’s right! It’s all the doctor’s fault if you can’t do it!

29

Welcome to our little corner of the world. Rehab well and get better.

30

With respect to the safety squat bar, I absolutely love the yoke bar from EliteFTS. I was torquing my left shoulder/bicep big time on heavy squats and I’m sure it would have kept going downhill.

The yoke bar has completely eliminated the stress on my shoulder/arm and forces the weight more onto your legs. Highly recommended.

In fact, I need to have surgery in a few weeks on my back right shoulder (dermatoloigist found atypical cells) and I’m supposed to take at least three weeks off from training. While I won’t be able to do press/pull movements for a few days, I’m relishing the fact that I’ll be able to at least squat heavy and use the prolwler for a week or two until the skin grows back together.

Sorry for being so long winded, definitely recommend it though!

31

[quote]lil power wrote:

[quote]DixiesFinest wrote:

Just for fun, ask him for when you can multi ply squat again. Just see what he says.[/quote]

If I ever did multiply, come on DF you know I’m still a newbie gear whore- single ply only, but I will ask when I can pull 400lbs!l

[/quote]

Ah I didnt know that, single ply ftw.

32

wishing you well on your road to recovery!!

33

I look forward to reading about your road to recovery.

34

Cavalier-yeppers, well I was pulling 385 so I just rounded up :wink:

Hel320-thanks!

Late2thegame- I used the ssb before and love it too

MIM- thanks, and thanks for finding me over here

ddot76-thank you, the more, the Merrier

Friday was 1st post-op dr Appt, stitches came out- total of 4-3 small ones from the scopes and one long stitch from the open bicep fix incision. First 3 went fine, the one long 2-3" incision - nurse said " ok, this is going to sting a bit" as I tensed up and breathed deep, she pulled that long stitch out. Yeppers, that burned quite a bit. She laid it on the table and it was nylon string in curly q format. I thought it was be 3 or 4 stitches horizontal to the incision, but it was 1 long vertical stitch. Guess stronger and less scarring.

Dr moved my arm around, put his hand behind my tricep and had me push against him, and said everything was great. Talked about the surgery, I had the typical weightlifter damage in one spot on the labrum, but it wasn’t very bad- about 1/2" tear. So he cleaned that up and detached the shredding bicep tendon from the labrum and anchored into the top of the humerus bone. He said my tendons were the thinnest he has seen and my bone was so small that he had to find smaller anchor because the one he normally used was the same size of my bone. My rotator cuff is in perfect condition.

Should take about 12 weeks for the tendon and bone to completely fuse together. So no lifting on the right side, can go without sling while I’m at home, but need to wear it whenever I’m out and about.

Can do cardio on recumbant bike and drive whenever I’m ready, back to work on the 18th.

So, less than 7 days after surgery I was on the bike and also did some very light DB work on my good side.
Bicep curls: 4 sets of 10 @10
tri kickbacks: 4 sets. of 10 @ 10
Overhead shoulder press: 4 sets of 10 @ 10
DB row: 4 sets of 10 @ 20

Felt so good to feel some iron in my hand!

Sat 7/9/11
40 mins on bike
Machine work
Alternating single seated leg curls: 4 sets of 15 @ 45
Seated leg extn 4 sets of 15 @ 60
Good girl/ bad girls-3 sets of 15 @ 50
Donkey calves : 3 sets of 20 @ 90

Sorry this was such a long post :smiley:

35

Ouch. Good luck on the rehab.

36

[quote]lil power wrote:
He said my tendons were the thinnest he has seen and my bone was so small that he had to find smaller anchor because the one he normally used was the same size of my bone.[/quote]

Did he say why or is this just your build?

[quote]lil power wrote:
My rotator cuff is in perfect condition.
[/quote]
That is awesome.

Already, your rehab is much different than mine. Of course, we had completely different injuries to different body parts.

So glad you’re able to do a bit of lifting and some cardio. Will help with sanity issues.

37

Snap, just my build, said most likely if I didn’t have so much muscle mass, I’d weigh about 98 lbs! Yea, that would the day. I’d be estatic to be 135!

My family thinks I’m overdoing, but with the way I normally work out, this is only 1/4 to 1/3 of what I would normally do - and I’m very cautious if I feel an exercise is tensing up my bad shoulder I stop immediately.

38

I knw its early on in the rehab but it looks like everything

39

Well PT kicked my butt today. Supline arm overhead was great, hand was at top of my head, couple inches improvement on range of motion.

External rotation brought a tear to my eye! Ooowwweee! I had to tell her (she tougher than her male assistant). To stop for a few moments so I could compose myself and try to relax before she did that movement again.

Went home and was still in pain so I fell asleep with the ice on my shoulder. Much better now…

40

They only recruit sadists to be PTs. Good going.