Disappointing news....kinda devestated

[AsmodeusDM]

After a series of intense racquetball games last month I found myself with an increasingly sore shoulder. After noticing that I was having a hard time rock-climbing and doing shoulder presses; I scheduled a trip to a sports medicine doc's office.

Just learned yesterday that I have a torn labrum in my right shoulder. It'll take surgery and then require 6 to 12 months of recovery time!

I mean this thing barely hurts; discomfort is more the sensation and then 6 to 12 months of recovery time! Geesh.

It's not the money, the time-off, the Phys Therapy, or the pain that's upsetting to me.

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm super bummed that I won't be able to work out, lift, or go do the intense sports/activities that I have come to love.

I'm really scared that I'm going to put back on weight (that took me years to lose) and get super outta shape during this recovery period. Not to mention missing the entire summer's worth of fun: swimming, sailing, tennis, outdoor climbs, etc.. and possibly even some of the winter stuff if the recovery takes that long.

No real question here; just wanted to share :-/

[21katykat01]

I'm really sorry to hear that you're going to have to have surgery! That really does suck!

But, there are still things you can do. You might not be quite as active, but it sounds like you've really committed to a healthy lifestyle, so I'm sure your eating will continue to be good and you can still do some activity (though I know this doesn't match up to your racquetball and lifting).

We're all here for you though, and I'm sure there'll be some better-informed people on here than me that can give you great ideas for how to stay active without injuring yourself.

Good luck

[empeg9000]

Sorry to hear that. I have shoulder problems myself. I have some bone spurs and arthritis in both my shoulders despite being in my early 40s. I have luckily found I can do push ups as long and I keep my elbows in a bit. Good luck! Don't get down. You can still do lots of leg exercises and cardio. You can also control your diet!

[wildross]

Might want to get a second opinion as well, maybe from a DO (if the other was an MD). Just widen the opinion pool. I was told a number of years ago that I had a torn rotator cuff and needed surgery. That shoulder (left) has 0 pain now, though I later hurt the other one (which is getting better as well). I never had the right shoulder diagnosed, but I've been sloooowwwwlly working on weight and range of motion exercises. If you search youtube for Wildross you will find me benching 315# about 2 months ago. And I'm still rehabbing my right shoulder.

All of that to say, I would suggest, particularly since it does not sound like this is a "I can't lift a glass of water" type of injury that some rest, ice, gentle rehab and more surgery may be in order. And for any sports, check your form. Maybe you are aggravating it with the way you swing a racquet, etc, etc.

[Book]

I do know what you mean though. You set a balance in your life, a routine of great activities. However, perhaps this is your opportunity to discover something new to incorporate in your routine when you're back to full health.

[demonslayer]

I'm really sorry to hear that! I agree with wildross that you should get a second opinion -- also, talk to your doctor or physical therapist as frankly as possible about what exercises you ARE allowed to do. As far as I know, you don't have to use your shoulder for, say, hiking or cycling, so while those things might not be as fun as rock climbing, at least you'll be able to spend some time outside this summer. But I'm neither a doctor nor a physical therapist, so listen to them other than me -- but also definitely get a second opinion. A lot of doctors seem a bit quick to just suggest "don't exercise" as the only possible option without really looking into any alternatives. But if at least two doctors tell you not to do something, then better not do it, or else you'll end up with even worse down-time and pain in the future. Even so, there should be some things you're allowed to do.

[bprime]

If surgery is completely necessary, then I've read stories about people in similar positions, who have rehabilitated themselves using small weights, working on form, etc. to the point where surgery wasn't necessary. They went with the mindset, "well I'm already completely fucked, I can't do any damage," and came out of it amazingly

[StrengthIsBeauty]

::Offers Hugs:: Book has a good way to look at it 8^) Maybe this will just be a strange way of adding to your life. Sorry for the discomfort and disappointment, though.

[oystergirl]

Sending a big hug. my brother had to have shoulder reconstruction last year. It took him about 8 months but he still walked, ran with a brace, did lower body, did walking in the pool and range of motion on his upper body along with physical therapy. If you want to keep healthy, you will. You are stronger now than you have ever been to attempt this challenge. Think of it as any other fitness challenge and come up with modifications and apply a program to your recovery...look at sports figures who do major surgery in the off season. You can do the same thing. Second opinion with another set of MRI's is a must though.

[AsmodeusDM]

Thanks everyone for the support!

I'm having another MRI this week (this one with some sort of contrast) so that can be 100% sure the full nature of my injury; and I will likely seek another professional's opinion just to make sure; however this Doc comes highly recommened from several others who have been in a similar situation.. so I'm pretty sure he's giving it to me straight. He did mention to me that (while certainly not right away) lower-body cardio is fine during those initial months, he himself had shoulder reconstruction and used a stationary recumbent bike to keep in shape, eventually moving into leg presses and other lower body isolation exercise... As for somethign so upper-body/arm intensive as rball or climbing.. best to wait until 2013

['Roos]

Hey dude, I've totally been where you are. I've been through car accidents (Back injuries), knee strains (ACL FTW!) and all manner of minor shoulder, back and leg injuries, and you will totally get better. Take this as an opportunity to really clean up your diet (you don't have to worry about eating to lift, so take it as a challenge to eat super-clean!) and focus on stuff like range of motion, form, etc. It is a chance to really clean up the small parts of your form and life, and to do some back-to-basics exercises to get yourself really spot on.

Do I recommend getting injured? No. But I know that when I was injured, I did a lot to better myself in my various sports, through gentle exercise, finesse work (fine motor control!) and really slow exercises.

As far as missing out on summer, don't despair. First off, you can totally find someone to go out sailing with who will take the heavy load of shoulder work for you. Or go out on some lighter days, or get some more mechanical advantage on your most-used lines. Swimming: just take it slow and follow the doctor's advice - I have rarely heard swimming contra-indicated. Take summer to get some sun, catch up with friends and family and generally chill out, drinking in the vitamin D. Seriously, it may seem like the end of the world, but you will do your surgery, your rehab, and you will get back out there more awesome than before.

[CRM114]

I'm so sorry to hear about the news. I too had a SLAP tear (its what ended my baseball season early senior year) I'd HIGHLY suggest seeing a doctor, get a second opinion w/e, just do what they tell you though. I continued to play with my injury and ended up losing feeling in my right arm for a few weeks and injuring my UCL *elbow ligament* in the process (overcompensating by using a poor throwing motion). If you do get the surgery just see a sports rehab physical therapist after (trust me they will show you workouts that you CAN do while rehabbing *personal note: mine had me in tears... literally XD*) It isn't the end of the world, lots of athletes get these sort of injuries and they don't all get fat and out of shape (only the lazy ones), just keep eating right, do what workouts you can, and do what the doctors tell you. Stay strong, I know what you're going through!

[PenelopeRevelry]

I agree with everything above and maybe sit down and brainstorm a bunch of things you could do that have less work on your shoulder. Take them to your sports therapist or doctor and get an OK about what you are fine to do. Hopefully there is some space to try new things.

I totally get you though, I have an incredibly painful heel that I can't dance or run on at the moment, so even though I've picked up swimming I am sort of miserable hopefully this too will pass.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Yeah, that sucks. Looks like you'll have to take up running or something for the year to stay in shape. It's gonna be a grind, stick with it.

[Guest Snake McClain]

yup. same thing here. have a shoulder injury (except the pain isn't minor) and it is only when i turn my arm certain ways (like putting on a jacket). going to phys therapy this week and if it doesn't start getting better then i may need surgery as it seems to be (without an mri yet) a minor rotator cuff tear. The only thing i'm mad about is the delay in fitness and wrestling progress. totally lame.

[macnip78]

yup. same thing here. have a shoulder injury (except the pain isn't minor) and it is only when i turn my arm certain ways (like putting on a jacket). going to phys therapy this week and if it doesn't start getting better then i may need surgery as it seems to be (without an mri yet) a minor rotator cuff tear. The only thing i'm mad about is the delay in fitness and wrestling progress. totally lame.

I don't want to highjack the thread, but would a shoulder surgery do to your wrestling progress? I am guessing you are on kind of a set schedule.

Asmodeus, let us know what your second MRI reveals

[HughMannity]

Definitely get a second, and even a 3rd opinion.

One of the orthopedic surgeons who pioneered hip replacement surgery in the UK once told me "opening the joint capsule should be a last resort". He believed that any sort of invasive procedure from arthrograms to replacement surgery compromised the integrity of the joint capsule and weakened it.

Shoulders are particularly difficult because they have a very wide range of motion and very little bony support for the joint. (I guess the Intelligent Designer was having an off day ) That being said, shoulder injuries do respond well to PT. In fact PT and proper support when the joint's not being used can be a much better cure for many shoulder injuries.

See if there's an option for you to do PT for a few months and then review the situation and see if surgery's still necessary.

[m00se]

Definitely get a second opinion. Many tears of the glenoid labrum are partial. Some are complete. The important thing is knowing the difference, because they are managed very differently.

Partial tears of the labrum can sometimes be managed very effectively with conservative measures. Any complete tear will eventually require surgical repair: previously many centres have tried to manage these conservatively with physiotherapy and stabilising exercises, but there is now a lot of good evidence that they don't do very well in the long-term and surgery is better. Partial tears do sometimes need surgery to trim off the frayed bits, but I'd only recommend that if you had really bad symptoms that you can't put up with and your range of movement is badly restricted, which doesn't sound like the case with you.

By and large, it's unlikely to be a complete tear if you haven't dislocated your shoulder. It's possible, though. If it is complete, you'll need surgery to fix it. It sounds to me that you're very unlikely to have a complete tear, and given that you say you don't have a lot of symptoms, I'd think it even more unlikely that you'd need an operation.

At least in the UK, and with a decent surgeon. I hope this helped.