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Rotator cuff injury
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jgda



Joined: 19 Jul 1999
Posts: 130

PostPosted: Fri May 04, 2018 5:06 pm    Post subject: Rotator cuff injury Reply with quote

9 weeks out from grade 2/3 rotator cuff injury. Getting stronger everyday. PT says AC ligament takes 1-2 years to solidify type I collagen. Pulling down is good, pushing up is bad in general so I figure windsurfing might be ok at 4 months out if I am at full strength and pain free. Getting there now.

Any of you have any words of wisdom, ie been there done that...?
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Fri May 04, 2018 8:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you can control the enviorment, you could have been windsurfing months sooner. If you are still learning, or a go for it person, wait till you can do pushups.
I'm a bad example. I was sailing Hatch and Dougs 2 weeks after breaking a collarbone, raced AMA Motocross 3 weeks after a different break, and rode my BSA MX 500 in various practice tracks with a short cast on my left leg.
Go for it if you can handle, be cautious if you allow your surroundings to dictate to you.
We are all different.
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Fri May 04, 2018 9:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would say 6 months would be right. That's what my surgeon advised, even with physical therapy. After my surgery, I found that it was every bit of that, and maybe a bit more, but I was in my mid-60s.
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Mulekick84



Joined: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 407

PostPosted: Sat May 05, 2018 11:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had full rotator repair a few years ago on Feb 17 and was sailing on June 15, so yes, 4 months. I was really hitting therapy hard, though. Pulling down was pretty easy, but the ups came slow. I was doing 25 reps overhead starting with a soup can and working my way up to a 50 lb bar doing military presses. Low weight and high reps till you cry.

You won't think its coming around, but seemed to really ramp up the strength in that last month.

Good luck getting back on the water. Sorry to hear you are going through that. Really really sucky surgery..RIP
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Sat May 05, 2018 1:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Injury recovery is not a date and time thing.
It's recovery of strength and flexibility, a different time line for each different person.
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jgda



Joined: 19 Jul 1999
Posts: 130

PostPosted: Sat May 05, 2018 6:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks to all. I have been sailing for 25 years and was curious if those that had been there/done that experienced any issues once cleared for sailing. I know what to expect, but my shoulder wasn’t anything I even gave a second thought to prior to injury. In addition to a bunch of shoulder specific exercises, my PT has tried to come up with windsurfing specific exercises. PT says if I continue on my trajectory, I could test the waters on a light 5,0 day and see how it goes....
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scorpionfish



Joined: 14 Apr 2000
Posts: 36

PostPosted: Sun May 06, 2018 2:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just be vigilant. I've had 4 surgeries on mine and it will never be better.
But most go more or less as the 'book' says. 4-8 months depending on severity.
Be VERY aware during your physical therapy. Soreness is ok... continued pain is not. I was pushed for 10 months after my first surg and that was a mistake. The procedure did not fix my injury and it was made worse by PT. I was released to work as I could not improve. But I could not work. That's what the state can do. I had to attain an attorney. Not a usual outcome but it was mine.
After almost 9 years I am thinking of trying a mellow 5.0 somewhere for the FIRST time since injury. Still unsure, but the thought of a workplace injury depriving me of doing something I love most is hard to bear. I wish you the best.
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rswabsin



Joined: 14 May 2000
Posts: 444
Location: New Jersey

PostPosted: Mon May 07, 2018 7:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Had rotator cuff surgery last July for torn supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons in my left shoulder. Doc gave me the OK to try windsurfing at 4 months - sailed in shallow bay waters where the water was waist deep. I didn't think I had enough strength yet for deep water water-starts. Everyones' recovery period is different - I was about a month behind the norm (at age 55) for the typical individual which was frustrating. I did the PT and home stretching/exercises religiously and am still doing it at 10 months. The key is not to get discouraged by slow progress - keep at it and you will continue to see improvement each month. I found yoga particularly helpful along with all the PT. I like to surf as well as windsurf and the paddling motion for surfing was really hard (stiffness) at 5 months but now seems almost 100% natural again. So keep at it - it will get better. Below is a video series a chiropractor friend sent me to supplement my PT and gauge where you should be recovery wise. Hope it's helpful.

http://drmillett.com/shoulder-surgery-post-op-rehabilitation-video-series/

Rob
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ImmigrantJesus



Joined: 02 Jun 2012
Posts: 44

PostPosted: Mon May 07, 2018 12:48 pm    Post subject: Rotator Cuff Reply with quote

I appreciate all the advice here and have gone through the full range. As a repeat RC offender, my recommendation would be to give your shoulder some time to heal before taking on PT and then do it lightly for quite some time before getting more aggressive. IF you go at it too aggressively early on you will just create for yourself an ongoing problem.
And by the way - PT's are a mixed bag of good and bad - I've used many through the years and I would say that about 30% actually know what they are doing - get one that your doctor would go to - DO NOT listen to your friends...
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Mon May 07, 2018 1:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Regarding physical therapy, it is important to remember that each of us is a bit different when it comes to our overall flexibility. Speaking for myself, I've never been a real flexible person, so when it came to certain exercises, I could only go so far before things became too painful and difficult. Of course, you want to push yourself to extend and maximize your mobility, but there must be boundaries or limits that correspond with one's own nature and abilities. Physical therapists don't always know what we can realistically do, so there is a point where you need to be the judge of how far to push things.

Overall though, time has a way of making things better again. Best to be patient with your recovery and not to overdo it in untoward ways.
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