I have seen many clients with post-operative shoulder labral repairs. It is a frustrating injury that takes time to recover from. Being the recipient of two labral repair surgeries myself, it is my opinion that the key to recovery with a labral injury is managing expectations.
Figure 1. A and B) Uniaxial loading of biceps tendon leading to SLAP lesion in the neutral position (Bey et al. 1998)
The shoulder labrum is a fibrous, or rigid type of cartilage. This type of cartilage is found only around the attachment of the socket. The two main functions of the labrum are to deepen the socket (thus providing added stability) and to be an attachment for other structural tissues such as the biceps tendon around the joint.
The labrum is typically torn from one of the following.
1. Damage to attaching ligaments of the shoulder resulting from repetitive actions or over-use.
2. A subluxation or dislocation of the shoulder, usually occurring from trauma. Dislocation can occur anteriorly or posteriorly.
Figures A and B show the subluxation uniaxial loading seen when holding a dumbbell. Figure two shows a throwing motion: Notice the detachment of the bicep tendon with the labrum. There are four types of SLAP classifications, which can be a factor in the recovery process.
I wanted to touch on how this injury occurs in order to point out the degree of recovery needed. Recovery depends upon many factors, such as lesion location, severity, and the quality of surgical repair. The Johns Hopkins orthopedic surgery website reports with regards to recovery that:
Figure 2) during the late cocking phase of throwing (Rodosky et al. 1994).
“It is believed that it takes at least four to six weeks for the labrum to re-attach itself to the rim of the bone, and probably another four to six weeks to get strong. Once the labrum has healed to the rim of the bone, it should see stress very gradually so that it can gather strength. It is important not to re-injure it while it is healing. How much motion and strengthening of the arm is allowed after surgery also depends upon many factors, and it is up to the surgeon to let you know your limitations and how fast to progress. Because of the variability in the injury and the type of repair done, it is difficult to predict how soon someone can to return to activities and to sports after the repair. The type of sport also is important, since contact sports have a greater chance of injuring the labrum repair. However, a vast majority of patients have full function of the shoulder after labrum repair, and most patients can return to their previous level of sports with no or few restrictions.”
The Johns Hopkins orthopedic surgery website does leave recovery time open for interpretation and dependent on each case. I feel that recovery typically takes longer than expected.
The recovery time can be separated into three stages. The first is acute pain stage (difficulty when sleeping), which usually lasts 4-6 weeks. This time usually involves a formal physical therapy process.
These elastic bands are great to use once your doctor clears you for resistance training.
The second stage is continued strengthening and stretching with slight discomfort (minimal to no pain). During this stage the patient/client will report “I still feel like I am going to dislocate and have this funny crackling in my shoulder”. This stage can range from 12-16 weeks (therapy to post rehab transitional stage). Don’t be alarmed. The labrum repair tightened the joint and likely causing minor pressure on the repaired tissues that are unfamiliar. This feeling will recede over time.
The final stage is the transition to your “new normal” lifestyle and exercise. This stage varies and could be 6-12 weeks of feeling “normal again”. Realistically, many patients are looking at 9 months to 1 year of total recovery time before they feel “normal” again.
I hope this information helps you when managing expectations. Frustration is common, and patience is key. The time frame may indeed be longer than you may expect, but it is better to manage your expectations and realize that you will have a “new normal”. Do not rush your rehabilitation, as many people find themselves re-injuring their shoulder.
Once you are in the resistive training portion of your rehab, these exercises are a must!
For more information on recovery after shoulder surgery, check out these two articles: Sleeping Comfort after Shoulder Surgery and When Can I Get Rid of My Shoulder Sling?
By: Phillip Godfrey MES, PFT
Note: This article was originally written in 2011, and the content still rings true! Our author had gone through multiple shoulder labral repair surgeries and has some great advice in terms of the realistic time frames for rehabilitation and goals. In the physical therapy clinic, the post-operative protocols that came out around 2005-2010 are holding up well with time and are still commonly used.
Read More About Shoulder Issues
• What Does a Shoulder Labral Tear Feel Like?
• How Do I Stabilize an Unstable Shoulder?
• When Can I Start Working Out After Shoulder Surgery?
• How Do I Deal With A Shoulder Dislocation?
• Is Sleeping On My Side Bad For My Shoulder?
• Why Won’t My Shoulder Rotate?
Hi is it “normal” for a repaired shoulder to feel like it’s “slipping” when fully relaxed? Mine feels like it’s sliding down a tiny bit when I totally relax it and it’s a bit concerning. My surgeon said its likely just the muscles are weak and can’t hold it in place but I’m coming up for 5 months now and have been rehabbing.
I guess the essential question here is if there is actual slippage of the head of the humerus. A PT or the doc should be able to simply asses if you are showing what is called a “sulcus sign”. I have seen patients who thought that the shoulder was slipping when in fact it was just the new position of the shoulder and the shoulder ligaments telling the brain that the positioning was off. There could of course also be slight laxity in the shoulder due to lack of strength. I would have your PT assess the shoulder.
Hi doc ..
I just ha a full hyperextention and hyperabduction 3 weeks ago .. i felt my humeral head was dislocated from its socket and i sat down immediately and hol my injured shoulder by the other hand when i felt my shoulder comes back to its socket spontaniously ..
Iam a doctor .. and i immobilized my shoulder in arm sling for about 17 days and started penular movements ..
Then i did a MRI for my shoulder that told i have an anteroinferior labral tear with hillsachs ..
Am asking about what to do ???
Should i continue for conservative ttt or should undergo a surgery ???
N.B .. iam a general surgeon aged 30 years old .
I suppose it depends on the level of instability in the shoulder. Some shoulders will only dislocate once, if that is the case and you have no real pain once everything calms down you could elect to not have surgery.
I am just over 4 wks post op from a posterior labrum tear. I am still in my sling and only doing pendulum exercises at home. Week four has been my worst week pain wise and every time I yawn, the muscles in my shoulder spasm and cause even more pain. Are these things I should be worried about?
This is probably stemming from the arm positioning in the sling. It is a necessary evil to allow the anchors to heal. The yawning thing is a new one for me, to be safe please let the doc or your PT know about this.
Hi Dan thank you for being so patient with the patients! I’m sorry if this has been covered already but is (severe) bicep tendonitis normal during rehab from surgery? I started lifting weights again per ortho instructions but my right shoulder bicep tendon is horribly painful all the time and the surgery didn’t even include that part!
thank you for this advice, as i am having this surgery done in a week and a half. However, i think you should also consider hairstylists when making your recommendations. My injury is due to being a hairstylist for 26 years, and the repetitive motion that goes with it. Not sure if you have just not encountered stylists in your practice, but it could be very helpful for other stylists to see/hear information as it might relate to them as well. I am terrified at the prospect of the amount of time off i might need, and possible expectations from you as a doctor might help ease those fears. Thank you.
hey doc thanks for your time firstly.
anywho i am almost 7 months post op on a posterior labral slap repair. I am told at this point in time there should be no pain at all. IS this correct? i am having a considerable amount of pain in certain movements (i would say 2-4/10 as a reference) and sometimes its hard to replicate the movements to onset the pain. I also cannot really sleep on the shoulder at all as it does hurt and feel somewhat uncomfortable. I am really leaning towards getting another MRI athrogram just for closure as i do feel personally that something is not right. would you recommend me getting another scan at this point?
Is your strength back to normal? If not, that can easily be contributory. It is fairly common to have these glitches until a year or so post-op. A PT could give you a good assessment of what is going on mechanically. You could certainly get the arthrogram, but if it were me I would have the mechanics checked out first.
Hi doctor .. i have been diagnosed with hill sachs lesion and mild fraying of labrum.. but i have full ROM with no pain.. there is also no issues with my shoulder stability .. I dont feel any pain while sleeping on shoulder aswell.. but sometimes the pain triggers at my rear delt part of shoulder and the pain seems to travel at the back side of forearm.. should i go for surgery or not.. i will thankfull for your advice
It sounds to me like the pain is not much of an issue with you. I would try the conservative route: physical therapy and stabilization exercises might give you all of the stability that you need long term. I always think that you should try the other options first, and if pain is not an issue than I don’t see the need for surgery unless if you dislocate the shoulder.
Hi doctor, I was struck by a side mirror to my shoulder while working on the road side on March 30th 2016. I caused me to undergo surgery for a torn labrum on September 14 2016. Went to physical therapy and all that good stuff and recovered pretty good. Working full time, excersing, lifting weights all the usual. It’s now August 2017 and I’m beginning to feel pain in my arm and shoulder again. Even when I stretch in certain ways. I’m getting kind of nervous because they realesed me on full recovery in June. Do you have any suggestions and do you think ill feel this pain for the rest of my life?
Have a PT check it out, this may just be a mechanical issue due to strength or flexibility. The shoulder blade really does need to be ideal in terms of how it is controlled by the surrounding muscles. A trained eye should help.
Hi, I had labral tear surgery 8 weeks ago and I fell on my back, heard some cracking around the shoulder and had immediate pain – the surgeon performed some tests on my shoulder yest and said that the joint is not falling out and i should expect to be in pain for up to a week; he stated that I would know if i had retore it and would be in terrible pain. I am worried bc I am in pain – its about 48 hours since I fell, everything is tender and sore with some sharp pain at times?!could the surgeon be wrong and could I have in fact torn it again? I am terrified and so worried of having the same surgery for the 3rd time! I have previously injured this shoulder 9 years ago; this surgery was a slap tear and my whole humurus head was falling out of socket — please advise
I agree with the surgeon with the exception of one thing: you are probably going to be in pain from this for much longer than a week. (Maybe more like a month.) If you fell directly on to your back (ouch) the shoulder is probably okay, but inflammation is to be expected.
Yes, i have lots of inflammation and swelling all around, you can see the difference in both shoulders by looking in the mirror, although my shoulder does appear on the same level as the healthy one and not dropped like prior to the surgery …i fell on my back but def have some pain around the top of the shoulder blade and arm muscles : ( — ill live with this pain just didnt nor do I want to reinjure the new tear!!! I am not doing any shoulder exercises this week and letting it all rest by icing and getting plenty of rest. I will resume therapy next week.
Thank you for the prompt response ..
Dear Dan
I am 8 weeks post-op with anterior ( 3 anchors) and posterior (1 anchor) laberal repair.
My questions:
1) How easy is it to damage the anchors, sutures and labrum again post op. I am have some stressful times with this recovery as i have walked into door handles ,touched a hot pan and flung arm out, slipped and had to stretch out and get balance, plenty of jerking motion especially in a car. All were all done out of the sling.From some of this incidences my shoulder would go stiff and give pain for about 5 days. 2) Is this normal?
3) When i keep my arm in a still position and then move it clicks and gives small pain and discomfort. Is this normal?
Thank you
All of those things that you mentioned can certainly increase the inflammation, sometimes for weeks. The slip that you described could possibly dislodge an anchor if it was done early on after the surgery. I wouldn’t worry about the clicking sensations. Your shoulder supporting muscles are weak and this can cause minors shifts of tendons as you start to move the shoulder.
Hey Dan,
All the feedback you give is very helpful. I’m now roughly 20 weeks post op posterior labrum on my left shoulder. I play baseball, so when I swing it is my lead shoulder. I have been told to begin doing swings with a PVC pipe before I start swinging a bat. I still feel the same pain I felt before surgery when I swing 100%. Another thing I have noticed is that when I push the head of my shoulder back, it will move and make a cracking sound. Thank you again.
Side note: I am not sure if this pain is problematic or soreness, as I have returned to lifting weights with little restrictions and have started to do workouts I haven’t done for a while.
Keep working on the strength, it does sound like you are getting there.
Hi,
I had surgery about a 3.5 weeks ago. I am a baseball player and i dislocated and tore my labrum while diving for a ball (non throwing arm). I had 6 anchors put in but I’ve had no pain for about 2 weeks and I have about 95% of my ROM according to my therapist. I was wondering when i would be able to start the strengthening of my shoulder and biceps again?
Thanks
I would say at least not until 12-16 weeks. Protocols vary, so you need to ask your doc that question. It is great that you are feeling good at this point. Remember that those anchors don’t heal into place entirely until 6 weeks, so you are still in somewhat of a vulnerable position. Don’t let your excellent recovery thus far change your timelines.
I had labrum surgery march 23. Dr said I had two tears one from the 2-5 o’clock position and the other 9-12. He said I had ligament and cartilage damage that he took care of as well. It is August 12 and I cannot raise my arm up when raising it away from my body, i can raise it in front amd behind pretty easily though. I have burning sensations from time to time and about the last few weeks I’ve had a slipping sensation. Is this normal?
I would say this is not normal. I would have the doc or PT do some movement tests to get to the bottom of it. One of your rotator cuff tendons might not be working properly?
My pt therapist has mentioned some of my pain sounds like rotator cuff. Do you think may need another procedure?
Hi Dan,
First off, thank you for the informative post!
A few quick facts about my situation in point form for easier read:
-36 years old, left handed; injury in left shoulder
-Very athletic (or at least used to be lol)
– Activities: basketball, tennis, skiing, biking and weight lifting, though haven’t been doing thorough lifting in a while cuz of the injuries.
– MRI main findings:
— Degenerative posterior superior labral tear from 2:00 to 4:00
— Moderate supraspinatus tendinosis with interstitial tearing within the distal posterior fibers
— Moderate infraspinatus and subscapularis tendinosis without evidence of tear
— Mild tendinosis of the intra-articular portion of the longer biceps tendon
– Saw ortho: recommended the conservative approach (physical therapy) first, if not effective, said I can do surgery
– Been doing physio for about 2 months regularly, but haven’t seen much improvement
– Every time I go to the gym the labrum area feels sore the next day, though engaged in “safe” exercises for my injury
My goal: go back to doing the exercises I used to do and play tennis and basketball no problem.
My question: Is that achievable?
If so, how? Should I stick with physio or do surgery?
Thanks a lot for your time in advance,
Kash
Thoughts:
You have chronic tendonitis that involves several tendons. This is probably from the overhead sports in conjunction with perhaps some faulty mechanics. This condition will not go away overnight, I would think that this would take many months to manage, with slow progress. I would give it at least another 2-3 months of scapular stabilization exercises. Stay away from overhead exercises and activities.
Your labral tear does not sound like it is particularly large. You may be able to dodge surgery, but like I said, give it more time.
Got it! Thanks! I’m going to continue doing PT then.
Are you saying I may be able to dodge surgery, because it may do more harm than good? If not, why not do both? (tackle tendinitis with PT and fix the labral through surgery)?
Last question: Do I have a chance of getting back to the activities I used to perform including heavy lifting. really miss those days :(
Sorry to buy you again. However, your educated opinion is of high value to me and I was wondering what your thoughts are on my question above. Thank you again for your time!
Hi Dan! I’m 6.5 months post labral repair with two anchors. I had a very slow recovery as I developed a bit of frozen shoulder and just had a treatment that worked amazing for it. Unfortunately, I fell while rollerblading tonight. I know, I’m stupid. I had my arm in a sling for protection and I fell directly on my bad arm (but with it tucked in at the side). Of course it’s sore now. What are the chances of damaging the repair at this point? I’m also worried the frozen shoulder will return. I had near full flexion and abduction and about 70% external rotation but it was still pretty tight in the end ranges. Thanks.
At 6.5 months I think that the anchors have totally healed into place. If the arm was tucked, this is probably more of a blunt trauma type deal. My concern would be more along the lines of re-inflamming the frozen shoulder symptoms. I would give it a good week or two to heal.
Hi Dan
It’s been 5 months since I had my slap tear sugery on my left shoulder. I got really good motion all around but I keep getting this burning pain on my bicep. This pain is really bad and I get it at least once a month. You could say I’m starting to freak out cause I don’t want another surgery. Can you please help with your thoughts.
I guess the question here is, what are you doing just prior to getting the burning biceps pain? I would regardless bring this to the doc’s attention, as the long head of the biceps does attach directly on to the labrum.
Dan,
I had a SLAP tear repair 12.5 weeks ago, 5 anchors. My AROM has been returning to me rather slowly (I’m probably 80% of where I should be) but it is at least getting better at least. However, I have noticed that two motions have not gotten much better, if at all, and actually cause me a decent amount of pain. I am having a hard time producing flexion at the shoulder when my hand/forearm is supinated, and I am also having a hard time producing the motion of bringing my arm up and pressing over my head (kind of like a clean and jerk, but obviously not with weights, just the motion). Is this indicative of anything to you? A flaw in my PT protocol or a failed surgery? These are also 2 of the movements that caused me the most problems before my operation. Thanks for your time!
If that was happening 8 months after the surgery I might be slightly concerned. This is still too early for you to have idealized strength back, so it is very easy for you to have a bit of impingement pain from lack of rotator cuff or scapular control. Stick with the rehab program, and give adequate rest times after your workouts. You should get there, it will take some more time.
This thread is an incredible resource. Thank you for all the time you spend helping the recovered deal with the pain & mental struggle of post-surgery life.
I am only three weeks out of surgery and have already had a series of setbacks. My doctor doesn’t seem concerned about these incidents, but he also hasn’t done a physical exam to inspect the site. As such, wanted to check here to get your opinion:
Rotator cuff repair for full tear + bicep tenondesis
– Day 4: flailed after a nightmare while in my sling. Flexed quite hard and tried to reach, but was caught by the sling and immediately stopped moving after waking up. Some additional pain after but not too bad.
– Day ~10: Sling slipped out of place with the belt on, but I still had to “catch” it with my operated bicep. Felt shooting pain while under strain, but pain mostly subsided after 24 hours.
– Day 17: Was hit really hard directly in operated shoulder by a car door getting out of passenger seat. The door swung while i was exiting the car and hit me directly in the front of the shoulder, pushing me backward a bit. Pain wasn’t too too terrible, but there was swelling and new pain that’s lasted until now.
Day 21: Dropped my ipad and accidentally tried to save it from falling. Was in my sling, so I was only able to lurch a small bit. Still, I definitely moved for it quickly and felt a shooting pain after. Pain has continued to linger in the form of a dull ache. It’s not terrible but definitely there.
Oddly, my ROM feels good and I’m not experiencing any sort of excruciating pain during PT (yet).
Thanks again for your help/insight. Looking forward to hearing your opinion.
**I should clarify that my pain isn’t as bad as it was immediately after surgery, but’s definitely gotten progressively worse after these incidents..
I would say that you are indeed accident prone. It does not sound like any of those incidents would definitely dislodge an anchor (with the exception of the nightmare), but they collectively would inflame the heck out of the joint space. I think if the first incident pulled an anchor you would have been in much more immediate pain.
It is a very good sign that the PT work is not killing you pain-wise, this makes me think that everything is intact. You probably need to take it easy for a week or so and let things calm down.
Awesome- thank you so much for your prompt response doctor!
For future reference (because certainly these wont be my only setbacks over the next few months), it’d be helpful to know how I can tell if I’ve done damage to my repair/when it’s time to call to doctor. I know pain should be the guide, does it have to really bad & new? any other signals you’ve damaged your repair?
(worth noting, i work at a desk all day long…)
Hello, I am a 43 yr old female who hurt my shoulder lifting unstable patients (I’m a dialysis nurse).
I am 3 days post-op from left SLAP repair (he said it was a large tear) with cyst decompression, rotator cuff debridement (was frayed), and AC joint decompression (he said was quite arthritic).
It’s quite painful and stiff.. but i feel like I constantly have to keep my shoulder tensed because as soon as I relax it, it feels like it’s ‘slipping ‘ downward out of joint.. which hurts.
Just wondering if this is normal or something to be concerned about? My first post op visit isn’t until 9/7 . I am barely getting any sleep and feel like I got hit by a truck! I’m worried this recovery is not going to go well. I’m doing the ice machine and some pendulums, and just resting. Almost out of pain meds and doubt he will give more because Doctors seem to only care about their license rather than patient comfort these days 😞😣
Thanks in advance!!
9 times out of 10 that feeling comes from the lack of muscular support in the shoulder from swelling due to the surgery. It will pass, but it may take several weeks. I would maybe adjust the sling so that you feel a bit more supported.
I am a 47 yo female with a right superior labrum tear anterior extent. My job is at a desk. I am active but not a heavy weight lifter. I tore my labrum lifting a clothing basket I had overfilled and then dropped it. The tear is in my right shoulder and I am right handed. It has been 5 months since the tear. I have regained my ROM with PT and injections but have pain at certain positions. Doing things like holding my daughter, doing housework, and typing at my desk all day aggravate my shoulder and I have horrible pain. I have done 8 weeks of PT.
I have an appointment on 9/21 to discuss surgery. I have read all the work and pain the surgery will entail. I am alright with all of that if long term my pain is gone and I can do all the things I could before without pain. From your experience will the pain long term be less with the surgery or without the surgery?
At 47 I could handle the surgery and recovery. Also, I have great medical and disability insurance right now. I feel if I wait and decide to have the surgery later, I may not recover as well and will not have the great insurance I have now. Currently I have a desk job. Though my job responsibilities change frequently and next year they could have me doing heavy lifting and physical work.
If it was you what would you do, surgery or no surgery?
The main question to consider when weighing these options is whether or not you can deal with the pain. If you having no relief after doing extensive PT, then surgery is probably a good option. If you cannot bear doing your daily activities then it may be a good idea.
Hello,
I am a few days away from the five month mark after having labrum surgery because my shoulder dislocated and subluxed almost 3 times everyday from wrestling but I continued on for so long. I’m about 5 months out and I’m still feeling a lot of tightness posterior. For example if my back is up against the wall and I bring my elbows out and then try to bring the rest of my arm to the wall I only get to about 50 degrees. My therapist thinks it is just because they tightened it up a lot and that my posture is kind of bad so it is rotating my shoulder forward in the socket instead of bringing it back.
I had my labrum repaired about 6 days ago now and a few days ago I was in the pain they said I would be experiencing post surgery, but now I feel as if I have a very wide range of motion with little pain, I get my stitches out today, but I think I might have torn the stitches on the inside. How would I be able to tell?
It would probably hurt like hell if you tore an anchor. I don’t think you disrupted anything, but of course fill the doctor in as to how everything is doing.
Hello, I posted once early into my surgery and your advice was great!
I’m 7.5 months post-op left shoulder SLAP, 4 anchors
I’ve gotten back in moderate weight lifting and activities. I noticed earlier a pinching/stinging sensation in my left shoulder just medial – around the very upper left corner of my pec – that lasted a few minutes.
I noticed now that if I palpate around that area, just under the end of the collar bone, I can feel that same pinching sensation, but if I let off pressure it goes away.
I’m wondering if perhaps one of my anchors could have slightly moved out of place; and that sensation would be me pressing on it and it pinching tissue? Or am I worrying about nothing?
I’m also wondering if it’s even possible to move the anchors without immense strain or accident like falling/car crash etc. because I am now worried about weightlifting moderately and causing one to move/pop out of place.
Thank you very much!
Highly unlikely, this sounds more like a slight compression of the collarbone into the shoulder or something mechanical like that. Bench pressing or military lifts might typically bring something on like that. I would make sure that you address the muscles that support the shoulder blades with some of your workouts. (Middle traps, lower traps in particular)
Hi Dr.,
I am a 28 year old male diagnosed with a type 2 slap tear in my left shoulder back in January. I’m not quite sure how it happened other than I’ve had shoulder pain for years and have always been an active weight lifter; I have no known dislocations. I had surgery at the beginning of February which only required one anchor. Did 6 weeks in a sling and then started PT. My results were amazing – years of shoulder pain gone. My range of motion came back very fast as I am abnormally hypermobile in all my joints.
It wasn’t until I realized what a good shoulder felt like that I noticed my right shoulder didn’t feel that great. In may I was diagnosed with a slap tear in the exact same location, however, in the right shoulder. I went ahead and had surgery on that at the beginning of July. I fully stopped PT on my left during the post-op 6 weeks in a sling on my right.
Weeks following post op right shoulder, I started to have deep aching in my left similar to before surgery. I assumed it was nothing more than maybe overuse to compensate for my right being in a sling. This went away for a few weeks. Since then I’ve had episodes of this aching/minor burning at the front of the left shoulder that gets wose when I actively use it, especially when turning the steering wheel of a car, lift my arm out in front of me higher than 90 degrees etc.
I’m extremely concerned that I may have screwed up my repair in my left shoulder but I have no idea how I could have. I’ve tried to be conservative and the only activities I started doing post op on left are – starting back in May I was using it to help lift my dslr camera for photography, usually for a few hours at a time however I only did this maybe twice a week, lift groceries, and drive.
I’ve been taking Aleve and icing which hasn’t helped. I saw my doctor’s PA who ordered a MRI-A of the left. Is my level of concern overreacting? Will an MRI-A provide a definitive answer as to whether the repair was a success at almost 8 months post op? My PT said the pain I get when I left my arm in front above 90 degrees is rotator cuff impingement which is just due to a week rotator cuff. However at this point almost anything irritates the shoulder and it feels weak/fatigued and achey.
Thank you so much
It does sound to me more like an impingement than a labral issue based on what you describe. I would let it rest for a bit. The MRA will shed light, but that might be a bit premature?
Also I forgot to mention but think it’s worth noting. Prior to surgery on the left surgery I was getting extreme poppy on internal and external arm rotations. I no longer have that at this time.
Thank you
Hi
Thanks for taking the time to respond to all these queries, as others have suggested it provides a fantatic resource.
I’m 8 weeks post op following a SLAP repair (10-2 o’clock with 2 anchors) and a sub-cromial decrompression.
All seemed ok until 2 weeks post op when i began PT, I started doing some passive ROM with stretches and active flexion, 3 days into this I woke with significant bruising anteriorly on the shoulder (worse than post-operatively) and a significant increase in pain. I wasn’t aware of any acute incident & didnt feel anything ‘go’. The pain has gradually reduced but is still considerable particularily at night (and still worse than pre-operatively). My ROM has gradually increased since stopping the sling at 5 weeks and seems to improve daily.
I spoke to my consultant briefly who suggested it was too early to tell if anything had gone awry and didnt seem too concerned.
Just wondered what your thoughts are on the liielyhood of having damaged the repair and at what stage an MRI might be advisable,
Many thanks for your time
Mike
In my opinion the PT at 2 weeks may have been a bit early to start. It sounds like you only bruised it a bit, if there was an anchor dislodged you would probably be in severe pain. Ask the doc about the MRI, but I bet that it wouldn’t be advisable for some time to come.
I had labral surgery almost 6 weeks ago and just got my sling off yesterday. I’ve had increased pain since I got the sling off. I was just wondering if this is normal pain because I’m moving my shoulder more instead of it being immobilized all day.
Thanks for your time.
I think you hit the nail on the head. Your shoulder is weak, and that will result in pain for a while. It should slowly improve as your strength improves.
Hello Dan,
I hurt my shoulder while working, and the injury happened in October of 2016, with multiple MRI’s they found that i had torn my labrum, and that it was caused by a bone spur, My ortho operated on my shoulder in the beginning weeks of April this year. and told me i had quite a bit of scar tissue and bicep tendinitis and that i should have fast recovery. and I am currently 5 months past the operation and due to complications with approvals and all that, there was about 1-2 months in between therapy sessions. i am still in pain and cannot hold any weight that is 5lbs or more without my shoulder feeling like its going to rip out of its socket, but my ROM is significantly better! i just would like to know why is that after almost 6 months there is still popping and pain for an easy operation? and not to mention there is still inflammation and just recently received a cortisone shot for the inflammation.
Thank you
My guess is that there is still a significant deficit in strength going on. I would hone in on rotator cuff and scapular strengthening, every 2nd or 3rd day and to fatigue. Make sure that the PT has given his or her blessing in terms of the type of exercises that you are doing. With some people the recovery of strength takes up to one year. When there is a lack of strength the popping that you describe is fairly common.
Hello ,
I had a shoulder labral repair 2.5 months ago had been wearing a sling for 2 months and have been doing PT for almost 2 weeks. I’m very concerned about some movement I cant do right now like I can barely reach behind but cant bend my elbow when reaching behind also cant do outside rotation! PT gave pulley with a cord to do some shoulder exercises I cant do any behind exercises !!!! is that normal? does that mean I have frozen shoulder?
Appreciate your answer
Thanks
D.J.
When your shoulder is in a sling for that long, the ranges that are typically lost are exactly the ones that you described. I would expect the ranges to slowly improve over time now that you are out of the sling. I would do a bit of stretching each day under the guidance of the PT.
Dan,
I had labrum surgery 3 months ago to the date. I still have some soreness, but nothing out of the ordinary. Currently, when I do anything that involves my tricep, I feel a sharp pain behind my elbow. Is this something to be concerned about?
My PT has me doing rows, and I feel a lot of pain in that area (none in shoulder) when I do them.
Thanks,
Tanner
Hey again I have had my labrum repair in January and have been complaining of niggling pain when sleeping on the shoulder and some random movements. Everything else felt rather good. I have just woken up out of my sleep now with a severe pain in my shoulder with loss of strength and cannot lift my arm in all directions properly without it hurting a shitload. Do you think I may have damaged something in my sleep while laying on it and should get another scan ?
Hey again I have had my labrum repair in January and have been complaining of niggling pain when sleeping on the shoulder and some random movements. Everything else felt rather good. I have just woken up out of my sleep now with a severe pain in my shoulder with loss of strength and cannot lift my arm in all directions properly without it hurting a shitload. I can lift my arm out to the side (abduction) without any problems or pain. But lifting my arm in the front plane of my body is where is currently hurts. Having my arm in the sling position stationary also hurts a fair bit and lessens to almost nothing when slightly away from the body and/or externally rotated slightly. Do you think I may have damaged something in my sleep while laying on it and should get another scan ?
That sounds like it may have to do with sleeping position. I would avoid sleeping on that side for a while, as it often can force the head of the humerus forward and cause impingement. If the pain does not subside I would talk to the doc about it.
Thank you for the awesome article!
I am 22, and 27 weeks post SLAP repair (3 anchors). Recently, I’ve been feeling numbness in my pinky and ring finger when I lie down. My recovery protocol says that I should be able to return to playing sports and lifting weights, but I still get pain in my shoulder that also refers to my tricep and forearm. Should I be concerned that my shoulder hasn’t been healing properly?
Something is up. I would have it evaluated by a PT to see how the lengths and strengths of everything measures up. One of the nerves is being annoyed by something that you do as well.
Wow!! This is the best article I’ve read about the recovery process. It’s 4:13am and I’m up once again from some shooting pain from the swollen area, glad to hear that what I’m experiencing is normal. I’m three weeks in and I’m trying to be patient. Your article has calmed me. Thank you!!
Hey,
I had labrial repair on my left shoulder a little over 3 weeks ago. I also had a repair on my right shoulder when I was 17, 23 now. With this surgery I’m experiencing a good amount of pain in my shoulder blade. I don’t remember experiencing this with the first surgery. Only difference in the surgeries is that I waited over a year to have this surgery from the initial injury and the first surgery I got injured and had the surgery right away. I’d like your input on this.
There are so many variables involved with this it would be exceedingly difficult to put our fingers on one thing that explains what you are feeling. You could for example have had a more substantial labral tear on the left side, there could have been slight involvement of the long head of the biceps this time around, or the time from injury to surgery could play a minor role. As long as it gets a tiny bit better from week to week you are on the right track.
Hi,
I am a wrestler who is about 7 weeks post-surgery for a near full labrum tear in my left shoulder that required 12 anchors. I am yet to have my other shoulder looked at yet. Should I wait until I am 100% in that shoulder, or should I have I have it looked at sooner?
If things are going well you could certainly have the other shoulder imaged. I wouldn’t have another surgery until the original shoulder is highly functional though, given that it might become very difficult to drive or do other tasks effectively.
I had a slap tear repair nov 29th, 2016….I stopped physical therapy about 2 months ago and my ROM is great, still a little stiff in some areas though, and have just been at the house doing bands and stuff and I recently went back to the gym a few weeks ago, and it feels good, granite I’m not lifting heavy at all, but it is sore and about a couple weeks ago I started stretching and like locking my shoulder and flexing and whenever I release the tension and lower my arm there are some pretty loud pops in my shoulder, and now it’s really sore and achy these past couple days, I really hope I didn’t re injure anything after 10 months of recovery, anybody this far along with this issue?
I would give it a week or so of minimal activity. Let it heal, it doesn’t sound to me like you damaged anything, just strained a bit.
I’m 2.5 weeks out from an arthroscopic SLAP repair and bicep tendon repair. Today I had a messenger bag under my injured arm that pushed up on the arm when I sat down on a couch to a position that caused considerable pain. (7/10). I sat up immediately and the pain went away in few minutes back to the level it was before. The shoulder just feels a little more sore and its improving. Should I be worried about damaging the anchors from this motion. What are the symptoms of damaged labrum anchors?
Thanks,
Jason
You are probably fine. When anchors dislodge they hurt quite a bit and the pain does not relent. Phillip Godfrey comments on this type of thing in the podcast that is attached to the article.
I’m 11 days after slap surgery and wondering how do you know if you are doing damage to your shoulder? The pain discomfort almost feels the same with or without the sling so at times I’ve gone without the sling for an hour or two…am I putting unnecessary stress on my labrum by not wearing my sling? My labrum was torn through trauma along with my Acriom, they assumed all my pain was from the AC, not,…the labrum tear was found 8 months later.
You are probably not placing unnecessary force through the labrum without the sling on, but I would stick to what the doctor recommended. It might be a better idea to remove the sling only when you are sitting down etc..
Thank you. I have my follow up tomorrow.
I am 6 months post labrum tear and bicep tendon tear surgery. Still I feel stiffness and the front of my shoulder feels like a bad bruise, all the time. I started back in defense tactics but have been gentle. I can’t seem to lift more than 3 pounds over head. Does this sound normal?
This is not uncommon. It can take up to a year to get full strength back. Make sure that you hit the scapular and rotator cuff exercises several times weekly and allow for at least one day of rest in between work outs.
Hello!
I am 8 months post-SLAP, 4 anchors.
I have been lifting arms and back regularly but nothing chest or shoulder related yet.
I sometimes notice during more strenuous exercises, say 25 pound strict curls, I feel almost somewhat of a “tugging of a string” coming from what seems like my pec tendon on the surgical shoulder. It quite literally feels like a string is being stretched.
3 months post-op my surgical doctor noted that my pec tendon was very atrophied/string-like and quite small in comparison to the other.
I’m wondering if the atrophy/weakness of my pec tendon is causing this “tugging” sensation. I’ve never felt it prior to operation or in my “good” shoulder.
If so; how can I let the tendon get stronger while maintaining a lifting routine. Is this possible? I can’t see myself foregoing lifting for several more months, it is my life passion. Thank you!
Hi Dan,
At 6 months post op my surgeon cleared me for everything including contact sport.
Ive been back in the gym and am at about 50 percent of my former strength without much pain.
While trail walking I had a slight fall and landed on my knees then slipped to a semi pushup position.
There was no immediate pain but 24 hours on my shoulder feels a dull ache. Should I be concerned? My surgeon keeps telling me at 6 months a repair should be rock solid and its likely nothing
Sounds like a rotator cuff strain, I agree with the physician. It will likely ache for several weeks.
Hi Dan! Thanks a lot for the article. I had a 3 suture labral repair 12 years ago, after which my injured shoulder regained full function and felt even more stable than the other shoulder. Five months ago a dislocated it again and I am still feeling instability. I lift weights frequently but have avoided throwing and contact sports. If it has not regained full stability in five months, do you expect I need another surgery if I want the ability to throw a ball or play contact sports again?
If a dislocation has happened again, it is highly likely that the labrum is involved. The shoulder would have to be imaged in order to assess the labrum. The easier answer here is to simply stop overhead throwing and ballistic sports.
I had SLAP Repair (Kim lesion) on left shoulder almost 4 months ago. 5 anchors. Did PT religiously and am now working on strength training in PT.
I fell down yesterday as I foolishly quickly walked up a flight of steps, and I used my bent arms to cushion my fall so I didn’t land face first. I didn’t land on my shoulder; it was more my forearms and maybe just above my elbow. My arms were not straight or outstretched at all.
Now one day later I feel a dull ache in my back and arm. My shoulder makes popping and grinding noises, but not much different from how it always is. I’m really worried I possibly damaged the surgery.
It’s in the part of my back and neck that would hurt before I had the labrum repair.
It actually is my shoulder that is also hurting. It doesn’t feel right. It isn’t constant.
I basically landed in like the lowest position of a push up, arms bent.
I think that this warrants going to see the orthopedist. It sounds like you compressed through the shoulder, which might have caused some damage?
Could my PT give me good info about whether or not it’s fine? My shoulder surgeon is far from me.
Also that shoulder is feeling better this morning. Is that a good sign? And I still have the same amount of ROM.
Also, on Jan 11, 2015 you replied to the following with:
“Al says
January 11, 2015 at 5:20 pm
Hi,
I had a slap (two anchors) tear surgery four weeks ago. I was walking down stairs to get my sling after a should and slipped on my stairs. I fell on my right elbow which ultimately was absorbed by my right-repaired shoulder. I was in pain for about 30 seconds where I was screaming at the top of my lungs. I immediately put ice on my shoulder after the slip and fall. I was wondering If I should be concerned even if my shoulder feels okay? What are your thoughts?
Thanks!
Reply
Dan Baumstark, MSPT, CHT says
January 11, 2015 at 9:28 pm
Al I would at least let the doctor know what happened. In my experience pulling, or traction type injuries are more likely to damage surgical anchors than compression type injuries. It sounds like you compressed the joint. I would be more concerned if you tried to hold on to a bannister with the surgical arm when falling down the stairs.
Regardless, you are bound to have more soreness because of it for a while.”
I’m at just about 4 months, and it wasn’t very painful at that moment. Now it’s just sore. I didn’t try to grab onto anything with my arm. Do my symptoms really suggest a strong likelihood that I damaged my labrum repair?
I’m just about 2 weeks from a labral tear fix, along with some cleaning up of minor tearing near the SLAP region. Doctor has me in a pillowed sling for at least another 2-3 weeks, especially for sleep and being out in the public. I’m wearing a lighter sling when I’m at home working or sitting around. Is that ok? I know the doctor was adamant about it healing properly, so I’m wondering there’s anything I’m doing/not doing that would be beneficial. Doctor also has me working on external rotation (30 degrees) and forward flexion (160 degrees) to keep from keeping stiff. Just wanna know more about what I’m doing right/wrong or what i could be doing differently.
In terms of the lighter sling, I don’t see why that would be a problem. Keep the passive ranges very gentle for the first four (4) weeks. It should not feel as if you are bending your shoulder to the point of sharp pain. The first four weeks are pretty boring, so hang in there.
Is it common to have pain that feels like still small bouts of instability or just aches that happen intermittently?
Hi I am 5 months post op from a slap tear repair 2 anchors, and have just returned from an appointment with a new shoulder specialist as I was unhappy with the way my shoulder and down my bicep muscle is still hurting. This was a follow up.to a mri anthrogram 2 weeks ago but unfortunately they had mislaid the written report and only had photos.
He mentioned he was unsure on the quality of the s repair on my labrum.(PERFORMED BY A DIFFERENT SURGEON AT A DIFFERENT HOSPITAL)
Can you tell.me if the s means surgical repair in medical language as he did not clarify.
This us my 4th operation on my right shoulder so as you can imagine feeling very UPSET and did not ask what he ment by the s.
Yeah, that sounds like fun.
I have no idea as to the nuanced meaning of what that surgeon said, but with everything else being equal, I would take it at face value. This means to me that the anchors are probably neither torn nor in a state of disrepair. This is good.
Having said that, it is also worth noting that it is going to take appreciably longer to recover from a fourth surgery that it would for a first or second surgery. I would give it a good year before making any large decisions about being cut open again. I would also work on scapular and rotator cuff strengthening a couple of times a week (no more than three times weekly), with at least a day of rest in between sessions. Have a good PT check out your mechanics if you need guidance. I know that you are totally frustrated with your shoulder, but patience I think is your friend. Good luck.
Hi Dan. I am a professional BMX racer and 3 weeks ago I crashed and suffered a posterior dislocation on my right shoulder. I had an MRI 1 week ago and finally had my results today. There was unfortunately some fluid in my shoulder which wasn’t ideal but I have a Superior Labrum tear, a SLAP lesion and a reverse Hills Sach lesion. The weird thing is, ever since the injury I’ve not had any pain with it really. For the first week it was stiff but after 2 or 3 days I took my sling off and didn’t need it anymore. I have about 80% ROM back and already started on thera bands in pulling, pressing and raising exersises along with rotator cuff exercises, knelt down press ups.
I don’t feel any pain when doing these things. Maybe just some slight stiffness.
Is this normal with the stated injuries I sustained? And from what I’ve been reading, 6-12 months out from competition would really almost put me into retirement as I am 33 years of age now and a short shelf life in my sport as it is before this injury. Thanks.
If surgery was required ^^ and is there any outcome where I wouldn’t need surgery?
That is a tough one to answer. My thought is to always try the conservative management first. Because of your high level of fitness you may be able to rehab it back to a point where it is barely noticeable. Posterior dislocations tend to be a bit more stable because there are more structures that support the shoulder posteriorly. I would do some PT for a month or two and see where it gets you. If the shoulder feels painful and unstable when you get back on the bike then you have your answer. A repair would take a good 4-6 months to recover from.
I actually rode my bike last week just in the street and I didn’t feel any pain, however I could tell that it was strong enough or stable enough to push it further so I was very careful with it.
I also fell going up a steep set of stairs at a soccer game and landed both arms out straight full body weight and again no pain.
Pretty
Much everything below sort of head height feels pretty normal, as if I never even had an injury. I feel strong doing bicep curls and driving is fine, and everyday normal things is fine so I’m quite baffled as to the extent of my injuries. I haven’t taken a single pain killer since my crash and had no pain at all really. I will see the surgeon next Tuesday to talk about my options so thank you for giving me some options to talk with him except surgery as to be honest I really can’t afford to be out for a year at this stage in my career. Luckily this season is over and we begin again in March with world championships in June, which is where I will be aiming to peak for.
So will these Labrum tears and reverse Hills sach lesion not increase the risk of another dislocation if I was to fall again?
Btw..I dislocated my other shoulder 4 years ago in a ju jitsu contest posterior. My doctor said for both shoulder to dislocate posteriorly means I have some sort of deficiency in my shoulders to allow this? Does that put me at further risk in the future?
Many thanks for your reply, this site is a great read for people like me who are searching for answers
I am coming into 7 months post surgery where I received 4 anchors in the repair. I am in the military so regularly exercising is important. I am just now starting to get back into pushups and was doing them on my knees to keep from putting too much strain on my shoulder. After the workout where I did reach muscle failure after an estimated 50 or so pushups, I felt fine. The past 2 days, however, I have experienced significant movement restrictions, very tense muscles/soft tissue near the front of the army pit that I can feel are hard when I touch them, and the area is extremely tender to touch. Is this normal or should I be concerned that I injured myself on one of my first workouts post surgery?
I think that you probably just overdid that muscle group. Wait for that to recover, then decrease your repetitions next time around.
I had surgery on June 22, 2017. My shoulder feels great most of the time and I have begun to throw. Throwing does mot hurt unless I try and throw the ball a little harder than normal, or a little longer than normal. When I do this I have a sharp pain in my shoulder that last for about 2 minutes then fades away. My fingers do not go numb or anything like that, so I assume this is normal. But at what time will I be able to throw hard again, or at 100%?
It is in my opinion a bit early to be throwing full force. I would say 6 months is when I have seen a lot of athletes be able to put some more power behind their throws. Build very slowly and allow for rest days. Be patient, you are getting there!
Hi, my name is Joe and I had surgery just over three weeks ago and just came out of a sling. It turned out to be a 360 larval tear in my left shoulder, and partial bicep tendon tear.
The surgeon did the labral repair and performed a tenodesis, and shaved the frayed rotator cuff muscles.
I had pulled my shoulder out of joint 8 months ago at work, and this was the result.
My question is being 50 yrs old, what is the prognosis for full recovery and return to my preinjury employment? I am an ironworker/ rebar installer of 20+ years.
Thank you.
Hi sorry, my autocorrect changed the word labral into larval. It was a complete labral tear.
A 360 tear is a big one. I would say that within six months to one year you should be able to do most of the things that you were doing pre-injury. I don’t think that it will be 100%, but you should be able to lift moderately heavy objects and manipulate them. I am not versed at what your day to day work activity would be, but I imagine that you should be able to get back to it. You will certainly have to take the rehab seriously and safely get back as much strength and mobility as possible.
Almost three weeks post-op from a left shoulder labrum fix. What is a fair timeline of when I can start driving and weening off the pillow sling to a regular sling? I use it primarily when I’m sleeping and outside in crowds right now, but it’s just a lot of pain to use when I’m outside and is just really limiting. I typically don’t wear it when home and only use a regular sling when the arm is feeling tired.
I was also given the ok to travel in 2 weeks (5 weeks post-op) and was basically told I could interchange slings then. Any thoughts?
I was given a normal sling for my 360 labrum tear and tenodesis. Wasn’t even offered a pillow sling.
In fact, at my 3 week post-op surgeon appt he told me to completely ditch the sling and start physio. Yesterday at 3.5 weeks post-op had first physio appt gentle range of motion exercises.
I had a SLAP repair with four anchors 4.5 weeks ago. I started PT this week with them moving my arm. I am having constant nagging pain still and am unable to move my arm on my own straight in front of me. As well as get to nuetrel with arm bent at elbow trying to turn it out. I’m really discouraged.
This is not uncommon to have a total lack of strength at this phase. I would start with something far less demanding that trying to lift your arm in front of you. I have recommended the “towel exercise” #14 in the shoulder exercise prompt on our website. Make sure you get permission from the PT to try this!
Thank you, just so hard not having any streangth in my dominant arm. I started the towel exercises this week along with walking the table.
Thank you for your response. I returned yesterday for a 6 week follow up. Was prescribed 12 days of tapering prednisone along with very light duty, no driving , ice multiply times a day all due to the amount of inflammation. Physician explained my extremely low range of motion is due to inflammation and that strength building would come later. From your experience Will the prednisone be a band-aid or will the inflammation truly subsided after the tapered dose?
Thank you!
Hello, I tore my labrum playing football in high school. I had my surgery in 2013, followed my dr.’s instructions, and returned to football after I was healed up. I had little spurts of pain every now and then once I continued football. It’s been about 4 years since I’ve had the surgery now, and due to my type of career I do rigorous lifting/working with it daily. In the last 3 months it’s been starting to bother me a lot, I have a sharp pain that shoots through my neck into my shoulder, my fingertips on that arm get numb often and also every now and then when I wake up (even when I sleep off of my shoulder and on my back) and my forearm on down is numb and my fingers feel really swollen. What do you think might be the problem/and what do you think could be done to fix the problem? Thanks a lot for any answer!
This sounds to me more like a nerve root problem that is coming from your neck. I would have the neck checked out by the MD. I would keep the neck from any extreme positions in the mean time.
I am currently 17 weeks post op for a bankart lesion tear with 3 anchors. Is it normal to be experiencing discomfort slight pains at this time. Pains and discomfort started at 13 weeks post op.
This is not uncommon, but I would have the PT check things out. I think that in general one mistake that patients make is stringing too many consecutive days of strengthening together. Your shoulder is probably still not ideal in terms of strength, so giving it a day of rest (at least) in between sessions of strengthening is key.
Coming up on 4 weeks post-op tomorrow from a labrum repair and I’ve noticed some weird pain whenever I lower my arm from an upright position. I’ll raise it up about 140 degrees, but there is this pain towards the top of my arm when I lower my shoulder and that general area just feels really tight. I don’t have any pain if I’m laying and letting my shoulder stretch though, it’s only if I’m sitting/standing and when I lower the arm. Any idea what that is? I want to believe it’s just scar tissue, but seems very consistent in that part of my arm.
I had rotator cuff surgery along with repair of slap tear. I am 5 months out and I have a constant pain in the end of my shoulder, front of my shoulder and shoulder blade. When will this go away?
I would have to look at the shoulder to tell you what I think. I am wondering if the positioning of the shoulder blade or the strength in the shoulder blade support is still off. Remember that some people don’t get max benefit from this type of surgery until up to a year.
Hello I am 12wks since the surgery and tend to move my I arm a lot. I have felt a good amount of pain on the inside of my arm and sometimes the pain goes to the peck. Is this normal? Almost sounds like a pop but it is not bone.
The shoulder muscles are probably still a bit weak given the recentness of the surgery. It can take six months or more for the strength to normalize. Tendons (pectoralis for example) can shift quite easily with arm movements. As always, it is a good idea to keep the doctor in the loop.
Thank you Dan for answering all of these questions! I am 3 weeks post latarjet procedure on my R shoulder. Started PT last week, only passive ROM allowed at this point. Anyway, first couple visits were fine, wasn’t too sore after. They started increasing the range of the stretches and it’s been okay except for the fact that I’ve been getting some deep sharp anterior shoulder pain during the end ranges of internal and external rotation. They are stretching the shoulder within the guidelines at this point (no more than 25 degrees external rotation allowed til 4 weeks post op), just getting that pain at the end ranges. Anyway, wanted to know if It was normal to get these types of pains at this point. Thank you.
If they are staying within the protocols, this is probably okay. I would let the doc know of course.
Hello,
I had slap surgery Sep 8, 2017 in my left surgery. (Non dominant arm) I am a Police Officer and wondering how long will it be before I am able to have full function to do the work I do again. I only had 1 anchor placed.
Hello,
I had slap surgery Sep 8, 2017 in my left surgery. (Non dominant arm) I am a Police Officer and wondering how long will it be before I am able to have full function to do the work I do again. I only had 1 anchor placed. Thank you
One anchor is not too involved thankfully. It usually takes about eight (8) weeks to start working on the active lifting of the arm, and another four (4) weeks until light resistance is phased in. You should be able to do most things by about 16 weeks? Heavy lifting and heaving might take a bit longer.
Hey Dan. I am exactly 5 months post labrum tear, the surgery was for a posterior and anterior tear requiring 6 anchors. I have been doing PT for a couple months, and got cleared by the doctor to start working on throwing and heavy lifting exercises. I have started to get back into my sport from beforehand (dodgeball) and I want to know if you have a recommended throwing program for getting arm strength back and helping reduce shoulder soreness and pain from throwing? I tend to throw with about 70% effort and feel no pain, but if I push it up to around 90% effort I start to feel some issues but they subside fairly quickly (after a minute or so).
Some other questions I have:
1. Should I be concerned with it hurting while giving more effort?
2. Do I need to wait longer before I start throwing more?
3. How long should I expect it to take before I’m throwing at pre-surgery levels?
Thanks!
I would purchase a “body blade CXT”, I love those devices because of their focus on rotator cuff stabilization. It sounds to me as if you are on course for a good recovery. If the pain is short lived with the throwing, you are testing it at just about the correct level. Don’t progress until the pain is gone at the 90% level. I would allow for AT LEAST a day of rest in between throwing sessions.
Throwing at pre-srugery levels? 6-12 months. Make sure that the doc / PT is okay with your program!
I am an avid tennis player. I just had an MRI where i was diagnosed with a SLAP tear, i also have tendonopathy as well. I am awaiting my consult with the orthopedic dr. (In 2 weeks) Should i keep my arm protected and immobile in a sling. It feels unstable and through out the day seems to feel heavier and more painful. Thanks for your many informative posts.
JC
I would have to look at your shoulder to give you a definitive opinion, but in general I think that wearing a sling should only be done for a short period of time. Maybe a few days? Longer durations than a few days starts to mess with the mechanics of your shoulder by drawing it forward. We don’t need you to start having neck pain on top of the shoulder tendonopathy. I would however avoid any overhead activity or general stress to the shoulder until you see the ortho.
hi
i seem to have a slap tear and the doctor says it should have a surgery
the thing is will this surgery in the future limit my shoulder flexibility and mobility ?
It will probably not be 100%, but if you are under the age of 35 you will probably get most of the mobility and flexibility back. Outcomes start to diminish a bit with the over 40 crowd, but there still is evidence of good outcomes.
thanks for the answer
will i be better than what i am now ?
because i dont have any serious problems meanwhile
Had my surgery when i was 17 currently 20 and never had a problem with my left shoulder until now, I lift weights everyday and do proper stretches and take caution when doing certain excersises so that i don’t externally rotate my shoulder. My strength is all there in all of my lifts and i feel little to no pain except for my shoulder feels like it is overcompensating for when im trying to hit a different muscle group when i do an internal proper lift with moderate weight, but as soon as i stop or am not actively engaged in a workout i will have a strange almost “unsecured” feeling that i got before i had gotten my surgery. My range of motion is great and i have zero problems with it. But when i do certain stretch routines my shoulder will pop in multiple places immensely with no pain. It’s an annoying inflammation feeling that is hard to describe. Is it normal to reverse this “feeling” or is this normal for a post labrum surgery? I had gotten the same surgery for both of my shoulders due to football but my other shoulder has zero signs of my one that is having the problem , thank you
Hi Dan- my wife was diagnosed today with a labrum tear with multiple loose bodies (result of a dislocated shoulder and car accident 26 years ago). She’s heard a lot of horror stories about poor outcomes from joint surgery, and is strongly inclined against any sort of surgical intervention, but I’m worried about letting her shoulder continue to deteriorate. Can you please point me to any studies on long-term outcomes from arthroscopic shoulder surgery/labrum repair?
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749806305016348, Long term results of arthroscopic bankart repair for traumatic anterior shoulder instability
Gerard WW EeEmail author, Sedeek Mohamed and Andrew HC Tan. No Advantages in Repairing a Type II Superior Labrum Anterior and Posterior (SLAP) Lesion When Associated with Rotator Cuff Repair in Patients over Age 50
A Randomized Controlled Trial
Show all authors
Francesco Franceschi, MD, Umile Giuseppe Longo, MD, Laura Ruzzini, MD, …
Google scholar has some good articles Seth.
Hello I’m 40y old, 17 weeks post left shoulder labral repair with 3 anchors. My injury resulted in 30% glenoid bone loss and hill Sachs deformity no bone reconstruction done, my physician said I should be careful because I have higher chances to dislocate my shoulder again. I’m a registered nurse and a technical scuba Instructor and I do boxing and weight training. I have finished 30 sessions of physiotherapy and doing exercises on my own, range of motion is good but still stiff in some places it’s not yet back to normal and I feel that it’s still weak not able to lift weight and still feeling pain on the anterior side of the shoulder and around deltoid and scapula. I’m back to Diving but not like before and it’s increasing the pain. Even pain is waking me up from sleep. Is all that normal or should I be worried. even sometimes I feel numbness in my elbow and fingers.
Given your age and the type of surgery I would say that you are doing decently. It may take up to a year to get the full positive result. Take your time with this.
Hello Dan, I’m almost 9 months post OR now and pain still exist on the anterior side of my shoulder preventing me from a normal sleep, my PT says it must be inflammation on the supraspinatus so I’m day 4 on antiinflammatories with not much of improvement, though I was doing forward flexion on the bench with 2 kgs because my arms are not even in movement, I felt like my shoulder is gonna dislocate but I managed to hold it with my right arm, do you think It might damaged the labrum.
I had labrum surgery on August 1st. I was only told that the labrum had torn away from the biceps tendon, so I am assuming that there is only one anchor. Range of motion is still not back to normal and my doctor and PT say that everything is and has been very stiff. My doctor says that there may be a car tissue built up but my PT is concerned because it has been stiff from the start. Any ideas?
Some people have a more inflammatory / scarring type of reaction to surgery. If the doctor does not think that this is a frozen shoulder / adhesive capsulitis, then stick with the stretching routine. It may take some time to get the range back.
Left SLAP August 11, 17. Still having a lot of tightness in trap and infraspinatus in a knot 24/7. Any ideas. Still need more time? Doing therapy and having right done next week, SLAP, Cuff and scar tissue.
How is the positioning of the shoulder blade? This sounds as if it might at least partially have to do with a shoulder blade that is sitting a bit out to the side?
Not sure of the
not sure how it’s positioned. But almost feels worse, like it did before surgery, or torn. I’m having Right SLAP and cuff on Tuesday.
Hey again,
I am currently 10.5 months post op and have had pains sleeping on the shoulder and certain movements even sometimes while sitting up doing nothing.
I had another mri athrigram which supposedly didn’t show anything wrong with the shoulder. Yet I still can get considerable pain when my left arm for example crosses over to the right side of my body also while heightened diagonally across my body.
Is there a possibility that the mri could have missed something or that it won’t actually show what’s wrong with it?
I also saw my physio and he said that my scapular is weak and my shoulder hinches when my arms are raised. How much impact if any would this have on the current pain situation ? Could this be the sole reason for pain 10.5 months post op?
Thanks again .
That could indeed explain the situation. It does sound as if what you are describing might be more of an impingement (which is a mechanical issue) rather than a tear or other structural issue.
24 hours post labrum surgery with one anchor/cut bicep. Heard a pop while slightly moving and the muscle no longer feels tight… should I be concerned?
Probably not. There is lots of gliding of tendons that typically goes on. They can make those types of noises. As always, ask the doc if you are worried.
Hi – I had labrum surgery almost 3.5 years ago. I am a high school swimmer, and throughout each season my shoulder starts to hurt in the same area it hurt before the surgery, but not as intense. Also I still have the popping and clicking in the area where my sutures are. Should I be worried?
I would have the orthopedist check it out. Repetitive overhead motion is probably going to irritate the shoulder, particularly if the strength and mechanics are off even slightly.
me too. I like to swim and tore both of them three years ago. I just hope for a long-range half-assed recovery. my herniated neck seemed hopeless but it slowly healed.
I had surgery on my right shoulder almost three years ago. I have two anchor screws in my shoulder. I still get sharp pain going down my bicep and a dull pain in my shoulder blade. I don’t know if it hasn’t healed properly. It still hurts as bad as it did before the surgery.
I would think that a visit to an orthopedist would be a good idea. I would see a new orthopedist as I think a new opinion is a good idea.
My son just had surgery Wednesday. He is a 17 year old athlete. His follow up is next Monday. I noticed his pain level increases a lot at night time. Is there anything more we can be doing: pain meds, propped, ice, etc. to help alleviate the pain. His tear was significant – 90% and five incisions for the repair. I know we are in the very beginning stages of recovery. Patience is hard to come by for a 17 year old.
Sleeping in a recliner seems to be the best way to maximize comfort during the early post-op process. If you don’t have access to one, pillow placement will at times also help. Talk to the doc about the pharmaceuticals, sometimes it is a matter of finding the right one to help him sleep.
Hey Dan,
I had labrum surgery close to 7 weeks ago. I am out of the sling currently. Sometimes I am paranoid about damaging the repair that my doctor did. There have been sometimes early in the recovery process when I put my socks on or when I have put my clothes on that I feel what I think is the arm bone in the socket move around and it feels like a click. It feels like I have damaged it sometimes but I have been told it’s normal and it is part of the healing process. Do you think it is very difficult to damage a repaired shoulder as long as I’m not pushing, pulling, overhead motions, or lifting? How can I tell if I have done any serious damage to the shoulder again?
This is pretty typical, I do not think that you need to be worried about what you are describing. Clicking is common due to the weakness in the rotator cuff and scapular muscles. This may persist at some level for many months. If you have seriously damaged the shoulder, you would probably have disproportionate and constant sharp pain. As always, keep the doc in the loop!
Hi, I had labrum surgery 7 months ago and let’s just say my pain has gotten 10x worst. For some reason I have pain in the tricep area which is triggered by a simple touch. I get non stop muscle spasms in the tricep area. Can anyone help or give me some advice.
Hi, I am 5 months post op. I believe recovery is going well, although i just wanted to check that at this stage, you would NOT expect full range of motion in the joint?
I am having pyhsio, but its very stiff.
I have read recovery is 9 months to 1 year, which i have set my head at now.
Also, would you still expect the area to be painful at certain range of motions? and also quite achy some days?
I do have the clicking as described by others above, which i now understand is normal. I do have a lot of muscle wastage which i am trying to rectify with light resistance training
I look forward to hearing from you
As long as the range of motion is slowly edging forward from month to month you are probably doing well. End-ranges are often painful as are reaching type motions. Keep at at, and allow the muscles time to recover in between your resistance training sessions.
I had a labrum repair with four anchors on September 20, 2017…. on November 24th I had a manipulation procedure do to PT only getting to about 50 degrees when moving my arm. I was put on a 2 week prednisone as well as 5 days of tornados prior to manip. After manipulation I still have no movement of my arm, PT is able to move it 10 around 100 degrees after 45 minutes of stretching. I am still having very intense pain during PT as well as at night. Im having a very hard time understanding why I can’t move my arm. My surgeon did say that after the manipulation he felt as if he did break up some scar tissue but believes that the reason of minumum Rom is do to inflammation. I am unable to move my arm out in front of me or to the side.
Any questions you would suggest I ask my surgeon or ideas of what could by causing the lack of movement.
My bet is that you might have adhesive capsulitis, or a “frozen shoulder”. This happens to a small percentage of people when the shoulder is traumatized with a surgery. I would ask the doc if this is the case (I can’t diagnose this of course). If it is, treatment depends on where you are in the inflammatory process. I would not stretch the shoulder aggressively, as this may actually be increasing the inflammation if you indeed have a frozen shoulder.
Hi Doctor,
I had my labral repair surgery in early July and am currently still experiencing some pain. I am 15, I still have pain if I put my bookbag, which is somewhat heavy, over my shoulders. I am still currently strengthening my shoulder, but even during some of the movements while I was still doing pt I experienced pain. I told my orthopedic surgeon about it, and he thinks it is just tightness, but my range of motion is fine. I have pain when bench pressing, shoulder pressing (which I only did once as a test), and I also had pain during pt when I was on my back and had my arm at shoulder level in front of me, where my physical therapist gave slight pushes in different directions, I did not feel it in my shoulder muscles. It feels similar to as it was before surgery, just a little tighter. Do you have any ideas as to what I may be experiencing, or if I should get an MRI done? Thank you so much in advance.
Anas
It can take up to a year for some people to get their maximum benefit from the surgery. My guess is that you still have some ways to go with this. Keep working on strengthening the rotator cuff and scapular muscles while allowing at least a day to recover in between sessions.
Thank you so much for your reply, will do!
I’m trying to decide whether to get surgery or not. I have a torn labrum and a partially torn rotator cuff. Surgery would involve a biceps tedonesis and rotator cuff repair, perhaps more, depending on what the doctor sees when he operates.
It’s been several years and I’ve been through PT, two PRP shots, and several cortisone shots. I’ve gotten a few opinions from several docs who I think are skilled.
The pain and discomfort are mostly mild as I live my life. Certain things like reaching can aggravate things to more than mild.
I’m concerned that I’ll go through surgery, go through the long and difficult recovery process, and then be back to where I am now. On the other hand, I’m 52 and don’t want to be limited forever.
What has been your experience with patients’ pain after completing the year long rehab process? Any thoughts that might help my decision making?
Thanks
Well, if you have gone through all of the conservative management and pain is preventing you from having a normal life, that would be an indication that the surgery could be a good idea. The rehab process will likely take up to a year. Most people your age who have this type of surgery are generally not happy about it until about one year after the fact.
Scott, I’m 50 and just had the same surgery you are describing. I also had one of the largest bone spurs my Doc had seen shaved down. I am actually 4 weeks post surgery today. The rehab process has not been bad at all. I have very little pain other than soreness from pushing it in physical therapy. I am a meat cutter so going back to work is not a possibility for another 6 -8 weeks because I am constantly lifting , pulling, pushing a decent amount of wait. I feel like I can do more but the arm definately lets you know when you are putting to much stress on it. I know I have a while to go but dont regret the surgery or the rehab process thus far. Good luck with everything.
John
My son had a labrum tear 1-4 and surgery Sept 19, 2017. He had 1 anchor and 2 stitches. He is a 17 year old healthy, active teen. He has already started conditioning. He has full range of motion and beginning to work on strengthening while at physical therapy. His therapist says he is way ahead of schedule. He is hoping to get to finish the basketball season this year. Do you think he could possibly be back on the court by mid to late January?
Even at his age and his great recovery thus far, I would say that playing full contact basketball at four months is probably pushing it, slightly. I am a crabby old person, so my answer will always be the conservative one. I would play it safe.
Hi
I had a labrum repear 4 weeks ago and i Still use the sling for everything except taking a shower, but i feel pain when i move my arm even with the sling put on. Is it normal?
Thanks
This is pretty common. Hopefully with the doc’s permission you will be able to wean off the sling soon? The sling does put you shoulder in a forward position which is not ideal in terms of the postural muscles. I would talk to the PT about this and get a plan of action in regard to transitioning out of the sling and in to more normal movements of the shoulder.
Hello,
I just had a labrum repair/ socket tightening on the 21st of November. I swam distance and butterfly for my college team until I could no longer lift my arm. I intend to return to swimming. After a little over two weeks I have been exhibiting that “Crackling” feeling that is to be presented during weeks 12-16. I am concerned.
I have very loose shoulders (socket) and I also have bicep tendinitis and major scapular winging. My Teres minor has always been extremely tight. With all the prior issues to account for, could the crackling/grinding sensation I feel be a normal part of the healing process at 2 weeks out?
Best, Katie
I would guess that the cracking sensation is normal for you at this point. If you are concerned you can always schedule a follow up with the surgeon.
Hello,
I had a labrum repair 6 days ago. I only had 1 anchor put in. How easy is it to injure the labrum again? For example, I sneezed and jerked my shoulder, would this be enough to tear it again?
Thank you
If you dislodged it with a sneeze, that would probably be a first. It usually takes quite the jarring motion to cause damage.
Hi doctor ,
I just had a labrum surgery on 13 December….. for my labrum tear.
Which was 1 o clock to 5 o clock tear .
Currently I m in hospital and major issue I face is of severe long head bicep pain near my elbow part.
My surgery was conducted by 2 surgeons and my doctor told all went successfully. Even before my surgery I told him I had a Severe pain in my long head of my bicep And ask him to check for bicep tendonitis ,he said that I will check it during the surgery and after the surgery he told everything was fine.
I Love going to the gym and do weightlifting and I asked my doctor how much would be the recovery time… he told me that it would take around three months and after three months I would recover please tell your opinion about my recovery time , and about again returning to lifting weights and about my bicep pain!!
The long head of the biceps does attach right on to the labrum, so it wouldn’t surprise me if that pain is a secondary effect of the labral pathology. It is probably going to take many months for that sensation to go away. Be patient with this and FOLLOW THE DOCTOR’S PROTOCOL. No cheating and starting activities too early. You should be starting light weights probably at about 4-5 months.
So I had a labral tear from doslocating my shoulder during a wrestling match in February. I got my surgery during the second week of March and had 3 anchor screws put in. I’m kinda worried since it’s been basically 10 months and I still get this kind of popping around my collar bone and my shoulder kinda slips in and out every now and then with a lot of pain. I have a feeling that I may have tore it again at some point but it’s taking a very long time to heal even with physical therapy 3 days a week. Is there anyway to just speed up the process or make it better?
There really isn’t a “magic pill” for this. My guess is that you may naturally have an excessive amount of mobility in your shoulders to begin with, which doesn’t help matters. I would stick to strengthening the rotator cuff and scapular support one day, then taking the next day off. Too many people stack too many days of PT or workouts in a row without allowing proper recovery time.
I would see the doc and ask him or her about the pain. At ten months it should be considerably better, although I have seen some patients who take a year or more to fully recover.
I am currently 18 and had labrum surgery on June 22. How long does it normally take for someone to begin to add velocity back to throwing after surgery?
Hey, so it’s been about 5 years post op for me. I returned to football, played the rest of my career year after my surgery. I do not play sports anymore and now my shoulder seems to get super sharp pain after I sleep on it or lean on it too long. It’s pretty painful. Sometimes unbearable. Clicking/ripping stretching sounds come from the shoulder when I listen close. Wondering what your thoughts were.
That definitely sounds like something that an orthopedist needs to look at. There might be some pathology going on with either the labrum or the RC tendons. My guess is that a diagnostic test would need to be done.
I fell at work and an MRI showed a 50% tear in the supraspinatus. But once in there I had a full thickness year, slap repair and biceps tendon tear as well as grade IV humerus cartilage tear/loss posteriorly. I didn’t start PT for 4 weeks post surgery due to insurance issues and had terrible spams until week 11 poetic. Now getting better. I’ve just finished 18 sessions of PT at 3 months (waiting for approvals). On average how much time is it until I’m fully functional. I’m used to lifting 25-50 lb boxes at work and being quite active but I still get a great deal of pain after doing an hour of housework or cooking.
Probably at least six months to eight months, maybe longer? I would say that you certainly had a lot done, and your job requirements necessitate a good amount of strength.
Hey doc, a reply would be greatly appreciated! I am currently 19 and have gone through two surgeries (one jan 16 2016 and one jan 31st 2017). With the second one I went through 6 months of PT just to be sure I was getting the proper recovery in. But I am very concerned because with it being 11 months post op of surgery 2, I hear popping/cracking/ripping sounds coming when I rotate my shoulder then it starts to become sore. Also, lately I’ve been sleeping on it and it’s been hurting throughout the next day. I talked to my surgeon and he said it was all normal and should go away after awhile but it just really concerns me with it being 11 months out from my last surgery. I haven’t done much strength conditioning after my PT ended in July but I can do pull-ups, push-ups, lay pulldowns, etc without pain (haven’t tried overhead press yet bc I don’t want to mess anything up). Thank you in advance and Merry Christmas!
I wouldn’t worry about the sounds unless if they are accompanied by pain. A second surgery will always add to the recovery time in my opinion, you may have several more months to go. I would make sure that you have a good maintenance routine that works on strengthening the rotator cuff and scapular support. I would do this type of routine a few times per week.
I had an arthroscopic bankart repair on 11/29/17 with 4 anchors from 2-6 o’clock. Everything was going fine with minimal pain and I had completely weened off the painkillers by week 2. At about the 2 week mark, I slipped walking down my stairs, fell on my butt, and slid down about 5 stairs on my butt/back. I had my sling on and don’t think I directly impacted my shoulder or arm, but it caused considerable pain in my shoulder for about 5-10 minutes. I experienced increased soreness after this and went to PT later that day and told them about it. They proceeded to stretch my arm and the pain was much worse than the previous session. After a couple days of continued soreness, I went in to see my surgeons assistant who x-rayed me and advised me that everything was fine because if I had damaged anything he would be able to see that bone had been pulled up by the anchors and he saw no signs of that. Is this completely accurate?
I’m now at the 4 week mark and I have returned to taking the painkillers as needed for pain as the PT continues to be extremely painful and not in a tightness/stretching way but a sharp labrum pain way. I am concerned that I have in some way damaged the repair. I go back to the surgeon on 1/11/18 for my 6 week follow up and to have the sling discharged. I am frustrated that my pain seemed to be minimal but is now very intense during PT, especially considering the fall that I took. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Hmmmmm, if you were my patient I probably would have laid off the stretching for a week or so following your fall. It sounds like you protected it well though, I think that you just strained the heck out of it. I would take the week off and stick to just very basic movements. Let it heal.
An x-ray will pick up boney detail, but I do not think that it is 100% conclusive in terms of showing anchor and soft tissue detail.
I am now at the 4 week mark and have continued PT sessions 3 days/week with no break and have advanced to wand exercises and static strengthening pushes against walls in different ways. This is all putting me in a great deal of pain still. The fall was 2 weeks ago. Should I still take a week off? I am 4 weeks out from surgery and am in way more pain than I was pre surgery.
Hi, I’m a 16-year-old football player and I had surgery on my labrum October 17, 2017. It was a bankart repair for a 3 to 5-o’clock tear. I’ve gone to physical therapy twice a week since the surgery and I am now starting to feel as if I have a full range of motion and a good amount of strength back, is it too hopeful that I will be able to start lifting weights again soon? Hope to see a response in the coming days, thank you.
You are going to recover more quickly because of your age, but I will still be very careful about adding the weights in. Most docs aren’t going to let you start until about 16 weeks. Get permission from the doc, and start with very light weight.
I had a thorn bicep on my right shoulder 2 years ago. I still wake up sceaming in pain some days and can not sleep on the side of the surgery. I had a slap slab repair and still do not have full motion on my right shoulder. If I move my shoulder a certain way it feel like it is going to deattach, is that normal?
This is not ideal. I would see the orthopedist about this.
I had surgery on 12/26/17, I had a SLAP repair from 9oclock to the 2 oclock position with 3 anchors, distal clavical excision, subacromial decompression and bursitis removal(?). I have been icing and taking pain meds as they prescribed for me. I had a nerve block that was removed on 12/28. When I take my arm out of the sling, I feel like there is a tearing feeling in the joint. I know I am going to feel pain, i just want to make sure that this is a typical pain to be feeling and how long I should expect it. I am a 34yo healthy male and work for me is physical labor, lots of lifting and pushing/pulling.
I would say that this sensation is common post-op. You have very little strength in the shoulder right now, so the muscles are not really helping to secure the shoulder in the socket. This will probably abate over the next month or so.
I had labrum surgery 4 weeks ago and about 4 days ago I have wat feels like a lump in my armpit and it is very painful. It almost has a burning stretching sensation when I stretch it out a little bit my actual shoulde feels fine but my armpit is killing me
I would let the doctor know about this. It could be tight muscle, or a blocked hair follicle, etc..
I am 11 months out of my SLAP repair 10-2 with 4 anchors.
My range of motion is good except for the furthest of degree. Whenever I attempt to high bar squat, I get some shoulder pain just above the armpit and front of the shoulder from the weight of the bar and being at the degree of external rotation that I am at.
I’m wondering how I can get rid of this pain, what sorts of exercises to do to help with this range of motion so it can stop hindering my squats. Just 95 lbs on the barbell is almost too much to handle.
Thanks!
Just to add, I believe it to be the pec tendon that feels to be pulling/straining
I would have the strength of the rotator cuff and the scapular muscles assessed. You do want to make sure that the internal and external rotators are as strong and healthy as possible, especially since the shoulder is in a good deal of external rotation with that type of squat. I have seen people with only minor deficits in RC strength who have trouble with that positioning.
I was diagnosed with a 6mm slap tear in an mri in November. Bicep intact, no rotator cuff damage. Pain hadn’t disrupted my life for a year since initial injury (tore it doing light shoulder presses but it was soreness, not traumatic), but recently started feeling some pain/sensations when putting on a coat or reaching to the side. Just started PT and I know these don’t heal on their own, but how realistic is it to avoid surgery if I strengthen the shoulder in PT and avoid weight training moving forward?
My issue isn’t so much the procedure but I’m a working drummer and DJ and not only don’t get paid for time off, but also can lose jobs. When the sling comes off is it okay to do light practice with drum sticks or is my arm basically unusable for an extra month or two? Also need time to regain muscle memory/strength, so 4 months not working/earning income is financially disastrous for someone in my field. Figured if anyone out there has lived with this with no surgery and it didn’t get worse, it could help my decision. Thanks.
With a surgery like that, you will likely not be drumming for at least 8-12 weeks. The anchors take six weeks to heal into place, and after that there is a very gradual re-training of the shoulder range of motion and strength. The return to activity really doesn’t have much to do with when you can ditch the sling. I would ask the surgeon for a post-op protocol so you can get an idea of the timeline.
I wouldn’t recommend a labrum repair to anybody now that I’ve had mine for 13 months. It’s frequently said in these circles and scenes that if you can manage w/o surgery and physical therapy is keeping you afloat then simply stick with the PT. I now see that I should’ve taken that advice more seriously.
After deciding to proceed with the standard orthopedic anchor treatment (common to so many suffering patients), I thought I would optimize my strength and physiological well-being. I was wrong. I was better off without this surgery. It has taken away my ability to play guitar in exchange for increasing my weight lifting abilities. That was the trade. That was my pact with the devil. Although I was naive and unaware at the time, otherwise I never would’ve agreed to this sh*t.
The way I see it, if you’re a musician or naturally physiologically tense limbed by default (think ectomorphs) then this surgery will do you few (if any favors). fuck this surgery. I’m planning my life accordingly to get superior health insurance thru a new career path. Although I’ve experienced pain, bereavement, ridicule, and isolation in my life, NOTHING COMPARES TO THIS BULLS*HT mutant arm status I’ve landed myself in. I can tolerate most grieves and burdens the world throws at us mortals, but this tightly cramped lame shoulder has placed true suicidal thoughts in my head.
What good is a man without two good arms? It’s part of the essential identity.
What good is a nation-state without a sense of people-hood? It’s part of the essential identity.
I don’t wish to alarm the blogger or the article host, but yeah, if we’re being completely honest, this labrum repair has caused me to question whether or not I actually have any remaining options. I’m not giving up yet, as stated above, because if I get premium deluxe grade-A health insurance then I’ll be set up nicely w/ a personal trainer PT several times a week, but self-management formulating my own PT weekly routine has had mixed results, and I’m just so pissed because GODDAMNIT I HAVE A LOT TO LIVE FOR. I’M PERCEPTIVE KEEN MINDED. CAPABLE OF COURTEOUS AND CONCRETE SPEAKING PATTERNS IN A POST-MODERN ERA OF FODDER AND FOOLS. I’M EXTREMELY HANDY AND CREATIVE. I’D MAKE A GREAT EMPLOYEE. I’D MAKE A GREAT BUSINESS OWNER. I’D MAKE A GREAT HUSBAND. I HAVE SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR AND OFFER THE WORLD.
I knew I should’ve listened to my intuition when that orthopedic doctor looked demoralized and depressed when I studied him at our first appointment. What kind of man is this, I asked myself. What does he REALLY think about the operations he performs? WHY OH WHY DIDN’T I REMAIN WITHIN THE NATURAL ORGANIC PARAMETERS OF UN-TAMPERED HUMAN FLESH.
I’m sure the surgery has helped many people, but I doubt this surgery is suited for people with my body type. I have naturally loose limbs and high-flexibility. My theory is that the operation is fundamentally in-congruent to how our bodies are supposed to work, thereby rendering me at odds with the rest of my anatomy. So that’s where I’m at in life. clearly I’ll need physical therapy for the rest of my life…and if that works, then fine, I’ll cut my losses and be happy and productive in society, but if not, keep an eye out for me on the evening news.
Thanks for the input John. I do think that people need to see both sides of the coin when considering this type of surgery. Your post is valuable.
Hello i just recieved labrum surgery three days ago it was a pretty extensive repair with 7 anchors put in my rotator cuff and bicept tendon were in perfect shape though. How long of a recovery am i looking at and will my shoulder ever go back to normal. I am really concerned about this considering the shoulder a significant joint that is used often. Ill be in the sling for 6 weeks. My main question is will my shoulder ever go back to feeling normal and how much strength will return 80-90%?
Also i am 19 years old and the tear was in my non dominant shoulder
Probably at least six months until you get close to a full return of function. With some people it is more like a year. The strength will probably be at least 90%??? You are going to need to be patient about this and follow the doctor’s protocol.
Hi! I am about 6 months post op. I recovered with full ROM in less than 4 monhs. I am a dancer in hip hop and constantly am doing flips and swinging my arm around. I tore it from dislocating during a flip. I recently started having pain again. And a couple days ago while doing a flip it felt as if it may have dislocated again but mot seriously. It has hurt more even with the littlest movement. Should I go see my orthopedic? Should I worry that i may have retorn it. It was a lower January tear nothing else just labrum lower half and I have 3 rods in it to keep it secure.
I would definitely go and see the ortho.
Just had labrum surgery yesterday on my right shoulder and I’ve had a few times were I feel it wanting to dislocate or maybe even slightly coming out if the socket. This caused even more pain. I called my doctor and he said it’s normal but he didn’t sound convincing. Is it normal? Did he botch my surgery or is there anything I can do to prevent this? One episode happened when I was asleep and woke me up from the pain .
That is tough to answer without feeling how the joint moves. I have seen people though who have complained of similar symptoms, especially early on.
Hello,
I had shoulder surgery 3 1/2 years ago to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff. Neither were major tears as I still had full range of motion, but I did have enough persistent pain (mainly a constant dull ache after use/exercise) to get it checked out and have the surgery.
I felt the surgery was successful and my physical therapy went smoothly, but my question is this – should I still be feeling a difference between my good shoulder and my surgery shoulder? When I work out, the repaired shoulder is sore in a different, internal way from my good shoulder. At times I worry the repair didn’t fully “take” because of the soreness and twinges of pain I feel with certain movements (it’s nothing that persists when I stop moving). It usually feels better a day or two after my workouts or activities, but the repaired shoulder is always different and more sore than my good shoulder, even years later.
If this is normal, even for a successful surgery, I can live with that. I would appreciate your opinion on whether or not I should get it checked out, though, because my biggest worry is further injury with exercise.
Meh. You might be able to improve that, IF there is some detectable muscular weakness or stiffness in your scapular muscles or rotator cuff. To see if this is the case, I would see a PT to get a fresh set of eyes on the problem. Having said that, I do think that it is quite normal for the surgical shoulder to feel slightly “different” with many activities.
16U Son had successful labrum surgery (superior to posterior requiring 2 anchors)on December 28, 2017. My son is an outfielder and occasional pitcher, so have some baseball specific questions. First off, his pain level has been almost nil, went off all pain meds at day 4 post op, no trouble sleeping and just minor discomfort so far during PT sessions–I hope this bodes well for the recovery as a whole. I know that no two recoveries are identical, but in general at what point do you think my son can start throwing as part of his recovery? What is realistic as far as swinging a bat? Our goal is for him to be able to play fall ball this year, so that would be 9 months post surgery. We know he will likely be limited to 1st base then and hitting. We are hoping he is close to 100% by his surgery 1 year anniversary. Are these realistic goals? Also, my son is a lean 170#, 6’3″ player who is still maturing and building muscle. We see references to realistic expectations after surgery being to return to 90% prior strength. My son, who threw 80 pre-surgery, and had aspirations to throw 90+ one-day, is now scared he will never throw 80 again. Any reason, if the surgery and recovery are successful and if we don’t push things too quickly that he shouldn’t still pursue that 90 mph arm? Appreciate your blog, it’s got some great info I can’t find anywhere else!
It does depend on the ortho’s protocol, but maybe some light throwing and bat swinging around week 16 (depending on how things are going)? It is likely that he will be able to start the baseball season on schedule.
In terms of total recovery, with very high level performance like what you are describing, it is difficult to predict total outcomes. I would honestly say that in most cases the recovery for young people ends up being close to 100%, but it does take at least a year. It is also noteworthy that the incidences of re-injury with the highest level activities is significant.
I have a posterior labrum tear in my left shoulder and my doc said no surgery. I’m 17 and very active, so with that said will I still be able to bench heavy and continue with over head motions? Can it get worse even if it doesn’t dislocate?
I am guessing that this is not a big tear. There is potential to tear it more with lots of heavy repetitive action overhead and otherwise. I would minimize this possibility by making darn sure that your rotator cuff is super strong. Get yourself a “body blade” and have someone (like a PT) show you some stabilization exercises.
hey there! I had a tear of the anterior labrum extending to superior to inferior! got it repaired everything went great in my 10th week post op I went to gym and lifted 6platesb 45 lb weights on to the leg press very slowly with no pain and knew I had a 5 lbs weight limit so my right arm lifted most of the weight I felt weird so I stoped and lifted the plates with just the right arm! then the next day I pissed it off feels like theres something moving in the front part of the shoulder/bicep its been six days now and still feel this weird tendon movement that is annoying/slight discomfort. do you think I restore my repair or just pissed it off?
You probably just strained it a bit, although lifting that kind of weight at ten weeks was probably not the best idea in the world. I would keep it light for a week or two and let it heal. I would of course keep the doctor in the loop as to what is going on.
19 year old college freshman son had surgery for bicep tendon subluxation 11/2017. Coming up on 10 weeks post op & he now has zero pain and full range of motion. Scheduled to start some light throwing in a little over 5 weeks. He was able to extend his PT out additional 6 weeks, he believes it’s very beneficial. He does PT twice weekely and does his prescribed exercises religiously twice daily. He was also recently cleared to start running again so he’s started back. He’s a baseball pitcher and will not attempt to pitch competitively in the spring or the summer (getting a redshirt). Surgeon said prior to the surgery he should make a full recovery with no ill effects. The surgeon said his bicep tendon was “shredded” but no damage to rotator cuff. He did do a “bursa cleanup”. I noticed on a previous post you indicated the incidence of re-injury is high in competitive sports. Based on my sons injury do you believe he will likely suffer the same type of injury in the future? Thank you very much for the forum!
Fast pitching is inherently a high risk activity in my opinion. If he has already “shredded” the long head of the biceps tendon I would think that this would have been due to his pitching. I would have as part of his rehab a consult with a pitching specialist who can dissect how he throws. Anything that he can learn to make him more efficient mechanically speaking would be a great idea.
I believe his biggest issue has been solved, he’s out of high school & away from a program that abuses arms. 2017 grad, total of 4 of the pitchers in same class have already had surgery since graduation. Two elbows and two shoulders. A fifth would’ve required shoulder surgery if he wanted to continue to play beyond HS.
I let the Doctors assistant know about what I did she said if you lifted above your limit you run the risk of re injury! so let us hope and pray you didn’t damage it ! I feel a pulling sensation light but still its not fun I don’t know if this is a pain I should be worried about or if I’m just overthinking it ! My hand tingles off and on but its possible when I hurt it the next day I went into PT and lifted threw the pain and the 2nd session at PT that week about two days latter I told my PT…. I was sore and needed to take it easy ! so PT was not happy about my pore choice but said you should be fine since at that time I thought I was getting better turns out ive been not doing much with it but ice and a pulley system and use it twice a day for range of motion so I don’t get stiff and such but my question is (A) should I discontinue my exercises for a week ?I canceled this week from PT to see if things get better plus I cant afford for me to pay big bucks for going “easy on it ” if you know what I mean ! To be safe or considering I don’t have full range of motion yet although I’m almost there just have a hard time reaching behind my back but I can do it! and (B) at what point should I be concerned with this set back? Like I said I hurt it last mon ??? going back to my DR, I see my surgeon on 2/12/18 for my 3rd month follow up vist they said whatever happened happened and its to early to tell what happened……. apparently its also too early to get a mri done on it so I pray and hope if I just lay low this week with ice and try not to move my arm around much considering going on week 2 still not much reduction in pain although it doesn’t feel like theres anything moving anymore however now its more of a burning sensation errrr ive come so far I really hope I didn’t screw my self what a costly mistake but maybe ill make it out of this mess ! Thanks for your input on these matters God bless you for taking the time with me!
Chase
I am 8 weeks post op from bankart repair with 4 anchors at approx 2-6 oclock. I took a fall down the stairs week 2 but the ortho x rayed and said I was fine. I was wearing my sling and protected it. I was not satisfied with my PT and switched to a different PT week 4. At that point the new PT (who I had “prehabbed” with before surgery) told me she felt I was still very tight and thus agreed with my ortho that I hadn’t damaged the repair. The sling was discharged at week 6 and I was told I was still at week 2 range of motion per the protocol. I was told to be less apprehensive and stretch more so I did and made significant ROM gains. I went to the surgeon for 6 week follow up and he told me I could reach out in front of me but not behind my back. I stupidly reached behind my back as far as I could later that night and felt a weird popping but not painful sensation. Multiple PTs and my ortho office told me I only irritated it bc I wouldn’t be able to damage the repair at 6 weeks unless someone physically pulled my arm back or I fell on it. I have been going through a lot of severe deep pain/aching in the front of my shoulder just like I was before surgery except worse. It is extremely frustrating to me that I am in such worse shape 2 months post surgery than I was pre surgery. I can only sleep 5-6 hours at a time because the pain wakes me up. I asked my ortho for a refill on my pain meds but they said I’m too far out. I find this ridiculous bc I opted for this surgery to reduce my pain and now I am miserable half the time… I wasn’t even having dislocations, I just wanted my pain free shoulder function back. My PT insists that she does not believe that I have a structural issue and that an MRI would be a waste of money. She says my external rotation stretches are stopped by my pain not tightness at this point… I have had to regress from certain exercises (resistance bands, 1 pound dumbbell exercises, etc) bc of the pain. When I lift my arm to 90 degrees, I feel the same sharp catching pain that I had pre surgery. When I do scapular squeezes or rows it lights up the front of my shoulder. Does this sound normal? I just find it very concerning that my pain is so similar to pre surgery and not a different kind of pain and that my ortho apparently thinks I should be ok just taking Aleve at this point. I am having a very difficult time coping with this mentally and emotionally and don’t know what to do.
hey rick we are in this together hang in there bud … I too think I damaged my repair I called the ortho office and I cant even get in to see the dr. tell feb 12 th so I too am losing my mind its very frustrating to say the lest guess this is where we just have to ride out the storm and jump threw the medical hoops tell the problem is resolved. Don’t give up rick we will get there one day !
Chase-
Thanks for the encouragement! I have been reading lots of forums and spoken to others who have stated that through out the rehab they also felt that they reinjured the repair but everything ended up fine in the end. The peaks and valleys of this rehab are so difficult mentally and emotionally, especially when you mix in taking a reinjury scare! I am trying to remain patient and trust my medical team but these bad days are tough.
My 15 year old son is scheduled for surgery on his torn labrum due to dislocation. The doctor said he will be in a sling for 4 weeks. Will he have limitations on writing and working on his computer? He is a high school student.
Thank you.
For the first week or so I would say that he will be limited. The doc will probably want him in the sling nearly 24-7. I do think that if the keyboard and writing surface is kept low and right in front of him, he should be able to do some typing early on. I would of course run this by the doctor and see if he would be allowed out of the sleeve for these activities.
Thank you.
What about driving a car?
Hey Doc. I’m about 8 months post surgery and my shoulder has been feeling really good as of late, even had the chance to throw a good number of times without pain. However I made an awkward throw last night while playing dodgeball which made my shoulder ache for a bit but nothing unbearable. It’s still sore this morning and sort of radiates into the bicep area. Any idea if I should be concerned?
I would take a few weeks to let it heal up. Probably a strain, but those things can take a while to calm down. If it is no better then I would talk to the doc about it.
I Tore my labrum in my right shoulder and still have pain in my right shoulder and left shoulder now I had surgery four months ago and still have pain to this day not all the time but sometimes if I use my shoulders alot it hurts I am a diesel mechanic and I’m just worried that I’ll never be the same again just wondering how long it will take to heal be it 100% wool will I ever be 100%
It can take up to a year. I would guess that the shoulder will be much better than it is now in a few months. I would make sure that you are doing some of the shoulder exercises a few times a week as well.
Hey Doc-
Thanks for everything you’re doing here on the blog!
I’m 6-months post op for a torn labrum & rotator cuff. Recovery has been going well- I have most of my ROM back (still some restriction at the top end of my movement), little pain during PT, and have started more challenging movements like push ups and assisted pull ups. My doc has cleared me for any/all activities (within reason).
I’m a lifelong competitive swimmer and surfer. Given where I am, if I were your patient, would you allow me to get back in the ocean for an hour or two? For reference, I am 30 years old as of a few weeks ago.
Again, thanks for everything you do for the community.
-d
6 months? I would guess that if everything has gone well you could start with some basic maneuvers in the water. Nothing crazy, and I would of course ask the doc and / or your PT.
I had an anterior labrum repair back in October and I have regained ROM and strength in my surgically repaired shoulder, is it possbile to start wrestling at week 16 or should I wait longer?
Thank you
Wrestling is definitely a high risk activity with the shoulder movements. I would get the doctor’s seal of approval before starting that. You want to make sure that the strength is ideal. In most cases that I have seen I would typically say six (6) months.
Dan, thank you so much for this discussion board. It has helped me understand a bit more about my pending surgery. I wish your clinic was close to me for my recovery.
I am a 41 year old female and very active and athletic. I am fit and of ideal weight. I love exercise and do not miss a day off it. I have tried all types of endurance activities but love running the most. I saw you tell another person that running should be avoided or reduced. I hate to think that that is my future.
I have a nearly circumferential labrum year in my right hip and more than 60 % on left that seems to be exercise induced due to my anatomy.
Besides long term exercise, I have several worries.
1. Concerned about lack of exercise during recovery. I have an intense need to move. I would be happy with just 20 minute cardio videos or even hot yoga. I’ve been told no repetitive lower body cardio for 3 months and even after that it will be slow. Can i do pool running or anything?
2. I am worried this will not fix my pain. I have pretty dull but constant pain in hip and low back on affected side. The pain is mostly in my psoas. This discomfort keeps me up at night on bad days. I have been told by others that if i am in pain at rest it’s not labrum but rather spine or arthritis.
3. I am concerned about early hip replacement if i don’t proceed.
Any feedback is truly appreciated and suggestions for excellent therapists in SE Wisconsin would be wonderful!
You are really going to be restricted in terms of cardio exercise during the first 3 months. I have talked to some patients who started using an “upper extremity” bicycle / ergometer at the gym to get their fix. Once the doc has cleared you, I think that water walking is pretty safe and it does offer a good cardiac benefit. In regards to the pain, it is probably going to take at least six months for you to have a decent idea of how the surgery went. Patience is a virtue. I do think that long term you ought to start replacing the running with other activities. I am not saying to nix the running entirely, but any one activity done all of the time tends to have a degrading effect on the joints.
Don’t even worry about a hip replacement yet. You are probably a long way off from that. The key as I said is modification. The only PT I know who is perhaps in your area is Kelly Regan, but her last name may have changed? She is a Washington University graduate and if you could find her I would think that it would be worth it. Good luck!
Hello and thanks for this discussion board! You’re doing an amazing service.
I’m 55 weeks post surgery left glenoid labrum. Everything is pretty great with one or two exceptions.
1) Whenever I do the wall slide exercise, after about the first half of the upward motion my left lat will begin grinding, almost a cheese-grater(ish) feeling where I can feel it “grating” or sliding across maybe my ribs(?) several times consecutively all the way to the top of the motion. There’s no pain but it sure is odd. It’s also hard to feel good contractions during my workouts too in that last. It gets sore easily as well.
2) my left shoulder (anteriorly especially, like during dumbbell chest presses) fatigues extremely quickly. Like, very very quickly and with light weights. Is this just an expectation that will get better over time?
Thank you so much!
Thank you!
If there is a bit of a strength deficit in the muscles that surround the shoulder blade, there will often be irregular contact of the shoulder blade with the rib cage (and hence grinding etc.). Here at the clinic in DC we will typically put people through a battery of stabilization exercises for this (serratus anterior, lower trapezium, middle trapezium). It does depend on how the shoulder blade looks with observation.
I would nix the dumbbell presses and replace it with a straight bar. I just don’t like the end-range position that the dumbbell places the shoulder in. Build slowly, that should improve over time.
Yeah I’ve been doing serratus anterior, and mid trap exercises. I’ll add some lower traps and cut out the DB press. Thank you!
Dan,
I’m 8 weeks into work related labrum injury and waiting on insurance to OK a MRI, I haven’t gotten much explanation on my pain. My bicep feels like it’s going to split in half and shoulder pain into my neck and back and I also have a lump as if I have a rotator cuff Tare. After reading the article I wouldn’t be surprised if I hadn’t partially dislocated my shoulder multiple times after the injury in the days following the incident.
The biceps does attach to the top portion of the labrum. In some cases the biceps will detach with traumatic injuries. It also sounds like you strained some other muscles and structures with your fall. I would push the insurance to get the ball rolling on this. Sometimes getting an attorney helps this process……
Good afternoon Dan, First off, TY for a great forum as there is limited info out there in regards to glenoid labrum surgery and recovery. My 16U son started to develop shoulder pain last summer and we were fortunate to quickly identify it as a labral tear. We were also fortunate that after 2 months of conservative PT, our Ortho surgeon was able to get him in for surgery just after Christmas. His surgery revealed a relatively small lesion requiring 2 anchors. Surgery went well, and the recovery thus far has gone MUCH better than any of us expected. He never had trouble sleeping and was on pain meds for first 3 days and nothing since. His surgeon was very happy with his 4 week checkup and told him he could lose the sling at 6 weeks, which is today. My son is a baseball player and still hopes to play in college, so getting him back on the field is important, though obviously less important than a recovery that gets him back to as close to 100% as possible. He plays primarily OF, though he is a secondary pitcher. We have conceded his sophomore HS season obviously, but still optimistic he can play in some capacity in summer ball. His Surgery was Dec. 28th and his first summer tournament starts on June 8th, which puts him out to about 23 weeks. I believe the plan is for him to start a throwing program at 16 weeks. Is it realistic for him to work towards being able to DH at the start of the season, and then sometime later in the season, play some 1st base? Again, really appreaciate the forum!
Probably yes, but I would have a PT who is experienced in this area give him an assessment prior to playing. It is very important that he is doing a throwers routine with a PT or trainer prior to a return to sport.
Good morning Dan,
Hi Dan,
Many thanks for your article above, it’s most informative! I’m a 37 yr old male of reasonable fitness and am about to go in for shoulder labrum surgery next week. It’s torn from top to bottom on the anterior side leading to shoulder instability and frequent subluxation. I’m hyper mobile which had something to do with the tear. Post op, I’ve been told I will need a sling for the first 3 weeks night and day and then for the 3 weeks after that, a sling at night, with an expectation of no driving for 2 months.
Do you think for the first 3 weeks I will be able to take the sling off for computer typing / writing and delicate hand movements (I build small wooden models which require hand dexterity but v limited shoulder use.) I’m trying to plan what i can do with the downtime as I obviously wont be able to drive.
Secondly, how many weeks do you think it will be on average before I can start jogging? It doesn’t use the shoulders but I’m guessing the up down movement of running will put some strain on the joint.
Many thanks for your help.
Kind Regards
Rich
I would give yourself a good 1-2 weeks of doing basically nothing with that arm / hand. After that you could probably start using the hand in a very limited capacity while it is resting at your side or slightly in front of you (keyboard etc). Jogging will probably be at least eight (8) weeks of all goes well. The jarring motion with jogging is the issue.
Hi Dan,
I am 18 weeks post op. I had a sub acromial decompression, and a posterior capsuloraphy ( to fix a posterior subluxation). My forward flexion is almost 180 but my external/internal is very tight still. How long do you expect the tightness to be present? I am doing PT everyday and I see my PT three times a week. How long do you think until I can do pullups, squats and start working hard again? Will my shoulder feel normal again?
Thanks,
It probably will return, but this can take months, sometimes up to a year for full mobility and pain-free. In terms of work-out activities, this can usually start in some capacity by about 16-20 weeks.
Dan,
I also forgot to mention I have pain in my scapula area. Have you heard of people experiencing similar pain from shoulder surgery? the pain is aggravated worse after weights. I never had this pain before shoulder surgery.
Thanks,
I am 4 weeks post-op from a SLAP tear (on the front) repair procedure on my right shoulder. At my post operative appointment I was given the okay to spend a good amount of time at home out of the sling and was told I so not have to sleep in the sling anymore either. I am doing pendulums and walking the wall at home but have not started PT because my surgeon wants the anchors to settle a little more. About a week ago I was standing in the shower and my repaired shoulder popped out of nowhere and I experienced a throbbing pain for about a day, better with ice and rest. I called my doctor and explained what happened, fearing I had damaged the repair. He assured me that this happens and that I shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Yesterday I went to my monthly massage (got okay from surgeon as long as they didn’t touch my right shoulder, was told to place arm at my side) and when I laid flat it was extremely uncomfortable, to the point that we ended up reclining the massage table. After a hot shower and ice I’m feeling better but I’ve had some dull burning pain that comes and goes in my bicep as well as the area above my armpit, the same area and type of pain I experienced prior to the surgery (since the pop in the shower). I have an appointment with my surgeon later in the week to check it out. I’m terrified that I’ve damaged the repair somehow and would like some input, perhaps some peace of mind. Would it be obvious that I damaged it? What if anything would I feel? Etc. Any feedback is appreciated!
If you were moving the arm aggressively in the shower when it popped I would be more concerned. This sounds to me more like strain that is coming from the weakness in the shoulder at this time. It is kind of unavoidable in the early stages.
Hi Dr Baumstark,
I am 9 months post labrum surgery on my throwing shoulder (6 anchors).
While my strength and throwing speed has almost fully returned to what it was, I was informed by my surgeon that I also have a worn/frayed cartilage near the top of my shoulder which is giving me pain and pinching when throwing at 90%+ intensity.
He explained that this is something that isn’t going to go away, which honestly is a problem for me physically and mentally. I was just wondering, is there anything I can do? Will extensive rotator cuff strengthening and stability or anything help at all or will I have to get additional surgery? Can you even get surgery to fix a worn away/inflamed cartilage? Just looking for a second opinion.
Any response appreciated,
Ryan
You can minimize the progressive irritation to the cartilage by having the RC and scapular muscles idealized in terms of strength and flexibility. I would see a pitching coach or a PT who specializes in throwing as well. I think that it would be a good idea to have your throwing style analyzed. That should also help in preserving the structures as much as possible.
I’m 2.5 weeks post op slap repairs for both posterior and anterior dislocations. I’m full time in a pillow sling for 6 weeks with physical therapy set to start at week 4. Several times while changing shirts in the past couple days minor arm movements have triggered strong feelings like the shoulder is starting to dislocate again. I’ve frozen my motion each time and only minor pain followed, but it felt exactly like the beginning of a fresh dislocation. I’m being careful and following the surgeon’s instructions for dressing. Is this normal or should I be concerned that something is wrong? Thank you for this message board.
Too early to tell, but I would expect there to be feeling of instability early on. Your RC muscles are probably super weak right now and cannot stabilize the head of the humerus in the socket.
Hey, I was really happy to see that somebody is actually doing good out here for us with shoulder troubles. I’m 9 months in a right partially torn labrum from basketball, shoulder surgery repair and I have so many questions that are being downplayed by my physical therapists. I do a lot of bands and I am on the black band which is pretty easy and everyone is saying go to a gym but realistically I don’t have time for. Whenever I pretend like I’m throwing a ball my right shoulder feels like it locks in a place then it slowly lets
Go, this was dramatic before but it’s very slowly decreasing the amount that it locks in place. Also when I lay down on my back and extend my right arm out to a 90/90 position or sometimes overhead, my shoulder locks in place and sometimes jerks out of place and it really scares me because i Feel the actual ball moving. I am trying to regain my overhead strength so I can play basketball again but its not coming back and I have imitated grabbing a I rebound and my shoulder is just not ready, it would jerk a few ways and I feel it moving. I’m definitely way better before surgery but could the fact that I still played basketball for many months after the initial tear where I would suffer multiple dislocations that went back in right away a day and still played through it make my shoulder damaged beyond repair? My left shoulder is also unstable and I can feel the ball move around too and if I was to get into a trauma incident, I know it’s possible it could tear, I am trying to work it out but with little improvement. Thanks a lot.
Many people cannot get back to full sport until at least a year post-op. I think that strengthening is key for you here. I would do a routine every 2nd or 3rd days that addresses the RC and the scapular movements. I would also simulate basic overhead movements, very carefully at first. Overhead passing with a basketball for example might be a good place to start. I would definitely have the PT look at the overhead simulated motions to see how they look.
It doesn’t sound like the shoulder is damaged beyond repair.
Thanks for the response. I still feel it moving around when throwing but I physically feel my shoulder getting stronger, however it makes very loud weird noises when I imitate throwing and it locks in place a little bit. My upper arm also feels tighter than my left one and the back side of my armpit area and the muscles around it, I don’t know how to describe it, I feel like that’s a really weak part but i don’t know what muscle that’s is. I went to the orthopedic and he said I had tendinitis, is that why my right shoulder feels generally tighter? Any workouts you recommend? Thanks so much
Thanks for the reply, I already replied once to this post but im not sure if it went through properly so here I am again. Basically, the locking in place is the one thing that i am really concerned about. It is getting better but it also makes a weird noise as if things were rubbing against eachother inside the shoulder. My upper arm generally feels tighter than my other arm. Could that be the shoulder tendonitis the ortho said i had even though i have no idea where that came from? Also the back part of my armpit, that area and the muscles around it feel the weakest. I dont know how to describe it because its a general area including the back upper arm and a bit beyond that. Whenever i stick my hand out, then i nudge it more forwards by sticking out my shoudler blade, thats where i feel the most compromised and where a lot of the locking happens, and i am to scared to even grab a rebound for a fear of dislocation. Do you recommend any additional workouts? Also i read somewhere that external rotation workouts with weights while laying down on your arm compromises the labrum? Is that true? Because i go really hard in the external rotation workouts because i am weak in that area. Thanks a lot.
Hello,
I tore my labrum around February of 2017 during a college softball tournament from a shoulder subluxation and didn’t have my surgery until August of 2017 beacuse I had to finish out the season. I couldn’t work for 6 months because of the fact that i work a fairly high risk job training and starting two year old horses. i did physical therapy for four months and started weight training again in November. i havn’t seen my doctor since November becasue they didn’t see a reason to keep seeing me beacsue I was doing very well. i was just wondering if I fall off a horse in a way that I dislocate of subluxate my shoulder again what are the chances that I would tear my Labrum again? I have still been doing my exercises with my therabands to keep my shoulder strong but I’m not sure how much strengthening would actually protect me from those types of falls. i’m very good about staying on, but two year olds are very unpredictable and there’s always a chance it could happen.
Thank you!
Anytime a shoulder dislocates there is a good chance that a labral tear occurs with it. Do yourself a favor and don’t fall off the horse. You could also use one of those shoulder neoprene sleeves to provide a bit of extra compressive support to the joint. These can easily be found online. Be careful out there Sarah!
Would you recommend a shoulder compression sleeve in general? My son will begin swinging a bat again soon and then throwing a baseball after that. Would a compression sleeve provide extra support as he begins these new motions, or should we move forward without? I’m also wondering if maybe the extra support might help with the VERY difficult mental hurdle many baseball players have in their recovery trusting their shoulders again.
Hey, I am around 8 months post surgery. I can throw reasonably well with out pain most of the time. But whenever I begin to try and add some velocity behind my throws, I have pain in my shoulder. Tends to be sharp pain and gone relatively quick. Our athletic trainer and my orthopedic doctor believes it is just some inflammation and I am still building my muscles back up to throwing. Lately I’ve felt better and began to add some behind my throws without pain. So you agree with them? Also how long do you believe it will be before I am back at 100%?
It will probably improve. You just need to listen to what your body tells you. I would space out the shoulder work outs so that you have enough time to recover. Having the throwing mechanics looked at is probably also a good idea. You may need some fine tuning.
Hi, I had surgery to repair a labrum and rotator cuff tear approx 9 months ago. I also have thoracic outlet syndrome (subclavian steal syndrome) from a car accident) so now it’s hard to tell if some of the symptoms are from my shoulder or the sss. As of a few weeks ago the only symptoms I was still having was extreme weakness in my shoulder and arm, but now I’m having a lot of pain in my shoulder with the clicking sounds. No injury since surgery and did physical therapy for a long time. Any idea what could be going on? Thank you in advance. Brenda
The clicking sometimes has to do with less than ideal muscle strength around the shoulder blade. I would have your shoulder blade mechanics assessed, someone needs to look at how the shoulder blade moves when you lift your arms overhead.
I had a slap tear on my right shoulder fixed last June. Everything went well and PT was pretty good for my recovery. However, last November I started having slight pain in the shoulder after waking up and was told I should try to minimize rolling around while I sleep.
Since then I’ve been wedging a pillow on my side. However, it’s now February and I still have some slight pain here and there and even on my other shoulder too. My guess is I’ve overcompensated with my other shoulder. I’m concerned that I’m not pain free yet and it’s been so long. I don’t really do any vigorous athletic work or anything, mostly computer work. You recommend seeing the Ortho again or maybe doing more PT? Or is this just a recovery time thing?
My guess is that the ortho won’t have anything super important to tell you. I would maybe get a fresh set of PT eyes on the problem. If the scapular alignment is off a little bit, or if the rotator cuff strength is off, it could be contributing to your pain. I would also trying really hard to not sleep on that side.
I’m seven weeks post op from a labrum repair and bicep tenodesis and am curious about massaging the muscles around my shoulder, lat, and shoulder blade. Is this ok ? Thank you
If it is the muscles only, then you should be fine. I would not have a massage therapist dig into the shoulder joint itself and move the tendons around etc.. I would also not have the massage therapist move your arm all over the place. keep it in a comfortable fixed position. I would also run this by your doc or treating PT.
About five weeks post SLAP surgery. Just got the bulky part of the sling off and ever since I’ve been using the normal sling my deltoid has been killing me as well as my bicep burning and back knotting up. Almost worse then the earlier weeks. Thoughts?
Wean off the sling with the doctor’s permission. Your shoulder is not used to holding its weight. I would try to increase (gradually) the amount of time out of the sling.
I had surgery done about 5 months ago on a torn labrum and torn bicep. I have been regular in my PT and just got cleared by my doctor two days ago to resume all sports activity. I play a lot of flag football and basketball. I decided to go play basketball yesterday, I was wearing a shoulder brace, while playing I had constant fear of my shoulder disloacting as it had happened 3 times before I needed up getting surgery. I didn’t play to aggressive because of the year but was still playing some aggressiveness. After I was done playing my shoulder had swollen up and it was really sore all day today. Is that normal? Should I still wait a little bit longer before playing sports?
I would maybe start with just shooting around a few times and doing light drills. Work your way into it gradually. I would also keep up with shoulder stabilization exercises.
Hey doc, I’m currently scheduled to get surgery for my labrum on March 19, doc said the tears weren’t that bad. I have a shoulder harness from sully that keeps my shoulder stable and I was wondering if it would be ok to return to football in August with my team while wearing my harness/ brace wit special shoulder pads
August? You are cutting it close, but probably yes. Of course you do need the final blessing from the surgeon, and I would use the stabilization brace. Football by the way is not a great idea for shoulder trauma, but you probably know that.
I am 3 1/2 weeks post op for a Right Labrum repair that was torn from the 6-11 o’clock position. No rotator damage or damage to the bicep tendon. My doctor told me it was ok to take the sling off some while at home. My little boy picked up my cell phone and when he went to give it to me he pitched it to my left hand. I was standing when he did and I dropped the phone from the left hand and instinctively reached for it with the right to tap it back up to be able to catch it. There was no movement out to the side or anything it all happened below my waist. I dipped the shoulder reaching for the phone though and there was a sharp pain in the front part of the shoulder; same place I have been feeling pain during stretching at PT. Now for the last couple days I’ve had a dull aching pain in my bicep and shoulder area. I also went back to PT today and had lost a small amount of the ROM I had gained previously. My doctor said since the move wasn’t to the side or above the shoulder he didn’t think it would be enough to tear anything loose, that it most likely just aggravated things. What would your opinion be? The PT said to just let it rest and take it light on any stretching and if it didn’t get better in a week or so she would recommend having some images of it again Just scared I may have reinjured it. Thoughts?
Most likely just strained. Relax. Let it heal.
I’m a 16 year old who is 3 months post op from a posterior labrum tear and I’m having little to no pain at all and am getting cleared for all activities next week. Should I throw this year for track and field?
Hooray for track and field (I am still obsessed)! I guess it depends on what you are throwing. The javelin is the toughest on the shoulder and would probably necessitate ideal strength and range of motion. Regardless of what you are throwing, I would have the strength assessed by a PT prior to throwing. I would start very, very easy: simulate the motions without the weight of the throwing object first. Once that feels good you could feasibly start loading the throwing motions. Take your time. Even with high school athletes I would give it a good 5 months before being fully back into it.
Hi Dan,
I had four anchors put in the labrum on right shoulder approximately 3 years ago due to many dislocations. Last summer I had a few times where it felt like I wanted to dislocte again after injuring during basketball. After a recent mri it showed I have a tear of the anterior inferior labrum at the 4 to 5 o’clock position, cleft in superior labrum, a small bony bankhart lesion with blunting of anterior inferior glenoid, and a moderate sized hill-Sachs legion. I’m due to have surgery the end of the week, mainly because my arm has just been sore and feels unstable again and I definitely don’t want to dislocate again.
My doctor said he’d have to remove a small piece of bone and place a plate and two screws into the labrum to repair, he also said I would not receive full range of motion again.
My question for you would be is this going to affect me playing golf, it is the one activity I still want to do, also is the healing time going to take longer or shorter than when I had the four anchors put in 3 years ago. This surgery will not be arthroscopic this time also. Also if I elect to wait til fall to do this, are my chances of tearing it more and causing a lot more damage pretty high?
Thanks in advance
Kurt
Hi Dan –
Thank you for taking the time to answer questions. Two questions for you.
First, I’m six weeks following right posterior and anterior labrum surgery (9 anchors in total). I’m now out of the sling and I’ve just reached the 90 degree mark to the side and out in front, and can push a little past that. My first question is whether this progress is normal/okay. I ask because my surgeon’s instructions had me at 105 degrees by week six which has me concerned.
Secondly, I noticed that when I do my “cane exercises” pushing my shoulder to that 90 degree position my should moves very differently from my ‘good’ shoulder. When I move my ‘good’ arm into that position my shoulder lays flat with the rest of my arm, but when I do the same movement (using the cane) with my right shoulder, the shoulder is raised and much closer to my neck. Is that tightness permanent, or does that tend to fall in line with the other shoulder over time?
Thank you so much for taking these questions. Very helpful,
TOM
My guess is that the capsule of the shoulder is a bit tight on you. This often happens after surgery, particularly in cases such as yours that likely involved a bit more work (9 anchors is a lot of repair). I would expect ranges of motion to come back a bit slower in your case.
Hey Doctor. I’m currently 3 months post op from slap tear surgery. I had 2 anchors put in and have been diligent with my PT. My problem is I still don’t have full range of motion. I have a pinching at my end range. The pain will radiate all the way to my elbow. I have been kinda stuck inching from 75 degrees to now just over 81 on anterior rotation, over the last few weeks. What are your thoughts?
It does sound like you are getting there, the external rotation should continue to improve slowly. It is not uncommon to lack that range for quite some time after this type of surgery.
My 16 year Son started experiencing pain in his bicep a few months ago but nothing major. After his Fall Season, he took 2 months off completely. He then began working with a Pitching instructor and a PT to improve his mechanics and velocity. After his second game, he experienced more pain in his bicep. We went to see two (2) othopardic surgeons and ended up getting an MRI .. they said that nothing came back “definitive” but one image showed a (potential) partial SLAP tear.
What should we do?
Should he take the house go school season off and continue PT? He says his arm is no longer hurting but he hasn’t pitched in 2 weeks.
Please advise.
Thank you.
Pitching is a very high demand activity on the shoulder. If there is a definable labral tear in the shoulder, pitching again will most likely fire it up. I would go through an entire course of PT (6-8 weeks) and then see if there is pain with throwing. If the same pain is there, in my mind he has two options….either stop pitching (in which most cases small tears really won’t cause much trouble long-term) or have surgery with the goal of returning to pitching. The return to pitching in that case would take at least six months.
Hi Dan,
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.
27 yo healthy, muscular/athletic male (weightlifting and competitive sports), SLAP and rotator cuff tear. 3 “nylon anchors” for the labrum and 1 for the rotator cuff. Injury was overuse over time and caused little-no pain except certain movements before surgery but decided to get the surgery done now.
Currently <1 week post-op.
Reading through some of these questions I'm a little concerned with how quickly I've been cleared to do certain things. Surgeon said:
-I can be around the house with no sling and can do light pendulum exercises.
-I have a PT eval scheduled for one week post-op.
-Don't lift my arm behind or overhead (can't anyway).
-Cleared me to do electrical stimulation to promote blood flow
I'm all about getting the rehab process going as quickly as possible but not at the cost of a weaker end state. Do you think I'm moving too quickly? Will the labrum not re-attach if I start PT a week after surgery?
Thanks again.
I neither know your doctor nor his post-op protocols, but my thought is that your PT is starting a bit early. The current, evidence-based protocols as you may have read here usually don’t start any major interventions until 4-6 weeks post-op. The PT could of course work on your ribcage, the scapular muscles, the pect. minor etc.., but I would not have the PT pin your arm behind your head this early. The easy solution here is to talk to the PT about this when you see him or her.
Light pendulums are fine, ESTIM is fine, sling protocol sounds fine too. In terms of strengthening and stretching, take your time Hunter. Better safe than sorry.
Thanks a lot – I’ll definitely discuss my concerns with my PT. Absolutely better safe than sorry
You guys said that the sling is more to protect against a fall. I’m at 2 week mark with do pain whatsoever, can I take the sling off to use the computer?
In general I would say yes, but please get the ok from your doc.
Hello, 5 day ago I had subacromial decompression, distal clavicle resection, labral debridement, and bicep tenodesis on my right shoulder. Today I tripped over my own two feet wearing sandals and bounced off my right shoulder when I hit it against the concrete wall . My concern is just from that shoulder hit could I tear my shoulder again and loosen the anchors . I did experience pain and it’s sore but nothing excruciating.
Thank you
Kelly
If it was a blunt trauma, you probably did not tear anything. But……you probably irritated the heck out of the acromioclavicular joint and the subacromial space. I would expect an increase in pain for a while. I would keep activity minimal and let the doc know what is going on. Sorry to hear that.
Thank you for getting back to me. It was blunt force so I was really concerned. I am relieved to hear I probably just irritated it . Thank you so much for your feedback. I will let my doctor know what happened.
Kelly
Hello,
I have experienced multiple sublexations throughout the past 10 years and early this February I had a full dislocation when I extended my arm to show the lift operator my season pass while snowboarding. It wasn’t a controlled motion and I suspect an earlier fall the week before as the culprit, although I felt no pain in the oroginal fall. I had surgery on March 9th 2018 and although it’s extremely early in the recovery phase, I felt slight feelings of sublexation post surgery while my arm was in the sling. Is this muscle memory? Is this normal? It happened the first 2 days, but hasn’t happened since. It really scared me and put me in a very paranoid state, because the dislocation was terrible (it was dislocated for over an hour before the ER put it back in). I just need some reassurance to set my mind at ease. I have my first appointment tomorrow, so we will see what he says. I had 5 anchors and a labrum tear from 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock, amongst other issues. At this present time, I haven’t returned to my job as a teacher and was planning on returning this Monday. I’ve never had surgery before, but I expect that the weakness is normal?
Thank you so much for your time Doctor!
Ryan from Pennsylvania
Here is my take on what you are describing, and by the way what you are describing is fairly common. The muscles of your rotator cuff are super weak right now because of swelling etc.. When muscles are not providing resting tension, the result is a feeling of laxity or “looseness”. It can be quite scary. MY guess is that this will abate with time. Just make sure that you are not doing any wild motions with the shoulder.
Thank you Dr!
Originally, I wanted to get back to work this Monday (I’m a teacher), after having 9 days at home, but i do not feel ready due to tightness and fatigue in my neck and shoulder blade cause I’m on my feet all day. I had my one week post-op appointment today and he said the surgery went very well, but he advised me to wear the sling for another month (i wore it for a month waiting for surgery). I suppose I’ll start PT after the next appointment? Is this normal? It seems like a long time. He said “Its not coming out “, but man it feels loose. Guess I need more time to tighten up and heal.
Thanks again!
Ryan
I am 5 months post SLAP repair/bankart
About a month in I reached for something that was falling (without immbolizer) and it hurt so bad
. Doc brushed it off said it was nothing. 5 months post op I still have a decent amount of pain when moving arm up and behind head.
I have been slowly working out mostly cardio and started using machines for weight resistance and a few push ups here and there plus planks.
I did several chest presses at low weight high rep and a few over the head lifts on machine. I felt no pain or weakness until about 5 hours after.
I would describe it as nearly what I experienced pre op That annoying ache with weakness. It’s been 2 days now of consistent aching and weakness and when called doc they told me to ice and take Motrin and not to lift any weights and start slow when ready.
I honestly feel as if the doctor keeps brushing it off but I also take into account that he is the expert here. I’m not sure how much is impatience and frustration mixed in with the fear of a re tear or if it is something i should worry about.
Anyone going through this injury knows how crappy the entire process is.
Any help or suggestions aside from docs recomendations?
I would probably give it a full year from surgery date to make an accurate assessment. The overhead press thing could easily cause some issues if the mechanics and strength are not ideal. Keep working on strength (I would nix overhead presses, dips, etc.) and see how things are doing around 10-12 months. If the same pain is there, I would get a second opinion.
If things get super sharp and / or unbearable you could of course get a second opinion earlier than that. I would also ask your PT these questions given that he or she can assess you in person.
Hi doc, so I had labrum repair 4/1/17 and having difficulty with my shoulder .it’s wc and had to do one time doc change. Anyway he told me to wait at least a year which I’ve seen you say but he may do mrI then next thing I know he closed my case and put me at 4 % mmi. I can’t lift anything away from my body, when arm is behind me it hurts so bad.oh he hadn’t measured me in months before 4% thing .how successful is slap I had 2 anchors
I would suggest that you get a second opinion given the amount of time that it has been. These things are usually tricky because of the WC situation, your case manager should be able to help with that. It does sound like the MRI is a good idea. A two-anchor slap repair typically is not from a massive tear, probably only mild to moderate.
Hey Doc, I’am residing in India and i had an slap tear surgery on 8th of feb 2018 with 1 titanium anchor. The first 4 weeks were better i was recovering better but when i went to PT she tied a half kg weight on my wrist and asked me to perform pendulum exercises within a minute my arm started paining and from that day my arm is paining a bit and my shoulder is stiff iam taking medicines, Just wanna know is there anything serious ?
I would doubt that 1kg with pendulums would dislodge the anchor at 4 weeks. It may have irritated the tissue a bit given that the shoulder muscles are weak. Stiffness and soreness is to be expected, but please make sure that the doc and PT are informed about how things are going.
I’am afraid that it may not have tear the labrum again, although i dont feel a lot of pain but it does pain.
Is there anything to be worried about a lot ?
Hey,
I had a quite substantial larbral repair in 2016 with removal of bone spurs and reattached the labrum and removal of the scar tissue. The original injury took place in 2007 and was told by a surgeon not to do the surgery until it’s toast. In 2017 I had a second surgery for a debridment and small repair. I did physio therapy for the whole year in between the surgeries and for 7 months after the last surgery. It has been 13 months from the last surgery and I have tingling and numbness in my hand and pain constantly since. Is there anywayto help it?
The doc needs to figure out where the nerve is being caught up. It is possible that it is coming from the shoulder, but it could also be the elbow or the wrist. Maybe a second opinion from a neurologist?
I had a neurologist look at the nerve and I was told that it’s muscle pressure on the nerve. So I still have little answers on that. And the pain is getting worse.
I am going on 6 weeks post op for a Labrum repair with 5 anchors in the right shoulder. I am still having a lot of pain in the front and top part of the shoulder with movement that doesn’t seem to be getting much better if any. I have been seeing on here that PT other than light pendulums shouldn’t be started until about 4 weeks? My PT started me on pendulums (back and forth as well as circles), sliding my arm across the table both to the front and side, and also was checking my range of motion with me lying on my back within a week or two of the surgery. My doctor is adamant that it isn’t reinjured, although he is going to run another MRI this week, but I’m not so sure. If it takes 4-6 weeks for the labrum to reattach to the bone, would them starting me on that type of PT be enough to prevent it from reattaching? And what’s the likelihood of that being the reason I am still having so much pain, and lack of progress?
Hi Doc, I had a posterior repair just over a year ago, and seem to have recovered reasonably well, I’m back to pressing 120lb dumbbells (for slow reps with a parallel grip) pain free
one thing I’ve not really done is any overhead work since the surgery, the other day I started back with a 15lb dumbbell doing ‘arnold presses’ (to reduce the stress on the joint at the bottom of the lift) – My first rep was quite painful, a sharp stabbing which went away immediately but was very concerning
today I have some tingles in the back of my hand and forearm and a sporadic dull throbbing in the back of the shoulder – do you really think it’s possible to have re-injured the repair with just a 15lb weight at 14 months post surgery? Like I said, I’ve been pressing the 120s pain free for slow, paused reps for a few months now
Or did I likely just irritate something by doing an unfamiliar movement?
I would ditch the dumbbells. If you are doing 120 pounds dumbbells with each arm that frightens me. The shoulder can be put in a compromised position with a bench press, especially if the weights come down too low or while you are ejecting them off to the side after your last rep. Straight bars are safer in my opinion. From what you said it sounds like you might have irritated the radial nerve in your arm. I would nix the Arnold pressing at least until those symptoms are gone. My guess is that you probably have some sort of muscle imbalance that might be contributing to this (chest and arms stronger than middle and lower trapezium for example). A good PT should be able to look at you and tell you what is up.
Hi I had a right side SLAP repair in late 06..not a typo..over 10 years ago! Did rehab back then, e.g.
I stopped weigh training in 07, so I don’t know how long this existed for, but in 2016, I noticed weakness when moving furniture…right shoulder fatigues faster than the left.
I get tightness also in the outer shoulder and a slight pulling sensation down my biceps when lifting.
Also, on most days even with no activity, my right trap and scapula muscles are always sore/bunched. Left is perfect.
Some of the original symptoms pre surgery!
Sports Dr did non contrast MRI which showed the labrum in tact with anchors apparently. Found a labral cyst, but nerve tests were fine.
Saw a top shoulder therapist and had me doing these modified shrugs..haven’t helped at all. That’s all he suggested.
I read studies that the MRI needs contrast to really see labrum tears though.
So, I’m thinking to get an MRI with contrast and to switch therapists.
If there is any advice, I’d hugely appreciate it! Getting desperate.
Regards,
Mike
This sounds to me like a mechanical or strength issue. I would find another PT and get an impression of the scapular strength and rotator cuff strength. A contrasted MRI is more accurate, but I would bet that if there is a tear it is small. A particular place too look at with the MRI would be where the long head of the biceps attaches to the labrum.
hello doctor i am iranian i surgery my shoulder 42 day ago
slap tear repAir
hill sachs repair
capsule repair
lebrum repair
when i can to com back to my work biking
i am 27 years old 74 kilo gram male
right shulder front diclocation 9 times in 6 years
used 5 jugger knote anchor
Maybe 12-16 weeks from surgery. It does depend on how things are going.
I have a bike repair shop