Shoulder surgery - tips&tricks?

[Moccis]

I'm going through shoulder surgery soon, my labrum is separated and I'll get it operated in 2 weeks or so. If any of you guys have had the same experience I'd love to hear some thoughts about it.

How long did it take until you were in shape to ski again? What did you do while in recovery (training, hobbies etc)?

 

[codizzle]

i've had surgery on both shoulders for torn labrums.

your recovery will depend on whether you have open surgery or arthroscopic surgery. you will recover very fast from arthroscopic. your recovery will be really slow from open surgery.

you will spend about 3 or 4 months in physical therapy after surgery, regaining your range and strength. they will be having you do really boring exercises with a thera-band; but these are the only exercises that are important to stabilize the muscles and ligaments around your shoulder socket. normal exercises like bench press, pushups, pullups, triceps and biceps are useless in preventing you from tearing your labrum in the future. it's ALL about the theraband exercises. do them three times a day every day.

you will be ready to ski hard eight months after your surgery.

after you've completed physical therapy, I absolutely recommend skiing with this brace for your shoulder:
http://www.djoglobal.com/products/donjoy/donjoy-shoulder-stabilizer

if you wear a brace when you ski, it's highly unlikely you'll wreck your labrum again. if you don't wear the brace and ski aggressively, you're almost certain to sublux or dislocate your shoulder again. i'd bet money on it.

GOOD LUCK. do the thera-band exercises, and ski with a shoulder brace.

 

[Moccis]

Thanks for the info! I've done thera-band stuff before so I kinda know the deal there. I'll look into getting a shoulder stabilizer before getting back to charging the hill!

 

[elm.]

I got shoulder surgery in august to repair my labrum. skied hard for maybe 40 days and re-tore it a couple weeks ago. going back to get a different surgery soon. Next time i'm definitely gunna give it more time before i ski again and try that shoulder stabilizer.

recovery is shitty only for the first month. and when you get back on skis you'll probably be pretty timid so give yourself time to adjust.

good luck with your surgery

 

[Moccis]

I'm probably out until next season so I think there's plenty of time to recover. Having this happen again would suck pretty bad so I'll definitely be careful when I get back into sports. Good luck with your surgery too Elm. !

Any suggestions for something fun and/or useful to do in the meantime?

 

[freestyler540]

i've had surgery on both shoulders for torn labrums.

your recovery will depend on whether you have open surgery or arthroscopic surgery. you will recover very fast from arthroscopic. your recovery will be really slow from open surgery.

you will spend about 3 or 4 months in physical therapy after surgery, regaining your range and strength. they will be having you do really boring exercises with a thera-band; but these are the only exercises that are important to stabilize the muscles and ligaments around your shoulder socket. normal exercises like bench press, pushups, pullups, triceps and biceps are useless in preventing you from tearing your labrum in the future. it's ALL about the theraband exercises. do them three times a day every day.

you will be ready to ski hard eight months after your surgery.

after you've completed physical therapy, I absolutely recommend skiing with this brace for your shoulder:
http://www.djoglobal.com/products/donjoy/donjoy-shoulder-stabilizer

if you wear a brace when you ski, it's highly unlikely you'll wreck your labrum again. if you don't wear the brace and ski aggressively, you're almost certain to sublux or dislocate your shoulder again. i'd bet money on it.

GOOD LUCK. do the thera-band exercises, and ski with a shoulder brace.

That was accurate and well written! props man

 

[Skibumsam521]

Had surgery for torn labrum October 29th. Missed my senior year highschool ski racing season but third day on skis was in 6 in of new snow today. My surgery was arthroscopic and was super easy. If you do all the PT they tell you you will heal quick. At 4 months now and not able to ski 100% but still out there.

Get the surgery asap. Do the PT. Take it easy getting back into it and ur going to do fine. Also recommend wearing a evs neoprene support or other brace for a little mental edge.

 

[Moccis]

I'm hoping to get anthroscopic surgery too, I'll hear the specs tomorrow. Seems that some serious pt and brace are the way to recovery and skiing again!

 

[codizzle]

I'm hoping to get anthroscopic surgery too, I'll hear the specs tomorrow. Seems that some serious pt and brace are the way to recovery and skiing again!

Moccis, the brace is key when you ski. nothing else truly works like that. good luck. you will have a stable shoulder before next winter.

 

[elm.]

ya definitely get that brace. I made the mistake of not getting it (wasn't aware it existed) and now i gotta get open surgery. Arthroscopic is a breeze and leaves tiny marks.

 

[Moccis]

Update! I got the surgery today and it was arthroscopic. Now I'll spend 6 weeks with my arm in a sling and PT starts in 3 weeks. The shoulder should be fully healed and functional in about 3-4 months!

 

[elm.]

Update! I got the surgery today and it was arthroscopic. Now I'll spend 6 weeks with my arm in a sling and PT starts in 3 weeks. The shoulder should be fully healed and functional in about 3-4 months!

well done. enjoy that oxy

 

[californiagrown]

normal exercises like bench press, pushups, pullups, triceps and biceps are useless in preventing you from tearing your labrum in the future. it's ALL about the theraband exercises.

youre a goddamn moron. The more muscle keeping your shoulder where it should be the better.

 

[codizzle]

youre a goddamn moron. The more muscle keeping your shoulder where it should be the better.

and ... no.

 

[SkierPT]

i've had surgery on both shoulders for torn labrums.

your recovery will depend on whether you have open surgery or arthroscopic surgery. you will recover very fast from arthroscopic. your recovery will be really slow from open surgery.

you will spend about 3 or 4 months in physical therapy after surgery, regaining your range and strength. they will be having you do really boring exercises with a thera-band; but these are the only exercises that are important to stabilize the muscles and ligaments around your shoulder socket. normal exercises like bench press, pushups, pullups, triceps and biceps are useless in preventing you from tearing your labrum in the future. it's ALL about the theraband exercises. do them three times a day every day.

you will be ready to ski hard eight months after your surgery.

after you've completed physical therapy, I absolutely recommend skiing with this brace for your shoulder:
http://www.djoglobal.com/products/donjoy/donjoy-shoulder-stabilizer

if you wear a brace when you ski, it's highly unlikely you'll wreck your labrum again. if you don't wear the brace and ski aggressively, you're almost certain to sublux or dislocate your shoulder again. i'd bet money on it.

GOOD LUCK. do the thera-band exercises, and ski with a shoulder brace.

One shoulder done for me. This is spot on. I use a brace very similar and one of the first days without it I subluxed and re-tore my labrum. When actual physical therapy is done for you, get in the gym and do rotator cuff stabilization lifts. They are very quick and simple and can do what a thera-band does, just to a greater extent.

My shoulder is wrecked again now but I ski with my brace and work my SIT muscles (rotator cuff) and this year have only subluxed twice while skiing park. Both where very minor and I chill skied the rest of the day.

Also, if you are a gym guy, avoid anything overhead, probably forever now. No shoulder press, take it easy on incline press ect ect.

Goodluck! You'll be back in no time.

 

[californiagrown]

and ... no.

Building and strengthening you delts, pecs, lats, traps, rhomboids etc all contribute immensely to shoulder stability. But hey, keep exclusively relying on cuff exercises if you really want, just don't claim ignorance when the tiny cuff muscles don't keep your shoulder in place during a hard crash.

One shoulder done for me. This is spot on. I use a brace very similar and one of the first days without it I subluxed and re-tore my labrum. When actual physical therapy is done for you, get in the gym and do rotator cuff stabilization lifts. They are very quick and simple and can do what a thera-band does, just to a greater extent.

My shoulder is wrecked again now but I ski with my brace and work my SIT muscles (rotator cuff) and this year have only subluxed twice while skiing park. Both where very minor and I chill skied the rest of the day.

Also, if you are a gym guy, avoid anything overhead, probably forever now. No shoulder press, take it easy on incline press ect ect.

Goodluck! You'll be back in no time.

I disagree with the no overhead. It largely depends on the specific injury, the specific anatomy of the person etc. I had my shoulder reconstructed a few years back, tgen retore everything, and while I rarely barbell bench anymore due to pain and instability, heavy overhead pressing has hugely helped my shoulder health.

I think you just have to ease back into lifting, and really listen to your body- don't be afraid to eliminate, or alter movements to fit you specific needs. Getting strong, and getting a little "cushion" helps a ton with injury prevention.

 

[SkierPT]

Building and strengthening you delts, pecs, lats, traps, rhomboids etc all contribute immensely to shoulder stability. But hey, keep exclusively relying on cuff exercises if you really want, just don't claim ignorance when the tiny cuff muscles don't keep your shoulder in place during a hard crash.

I disagree with the no overhead. It largely depends on the specific injury, the specific anatomy of the person etc. I had my shoulder reconstructed a few years back, tgen retore everything, and while I rarely barbell bench anymore due to pain and instability, heavy overhead pressing has hugely helped my shoulder health.

I think you just have to ease back into lifting, and really listen to your body- don't be afraid to eliminate, or alter movements to fit you specific needs. Getting strong, and getting a little "cushion" helps a ton with injury prevention.

Yeah you're correct. My tear is inferior. Raising my arms above my head rotates the head of the humorus into a position, for me, is very unstable.

 

[Hellalit]

Hello, I know this is a super old thread, but I've been searching for folks who had the same injuries as I did.

I had shoulder surgery on my right shoulder last year for a torn labrum and a pothole (dent) in my shoulder. I had at least eight dislocations on this shoulder before surgery. Thankfully, I haven't dislocated this one since. Recently, I hit my left shoulder off a rail, dislocating it and tearing my labrum. It happened again from aggressive resort skiing, and since I had the same surgery as my right shoulder. I am currently in recovery and am having a brainfuck over the thought of re-injury on either shoulder when I return to skiing.

After your operations, what was your return to skiing and park skiing like? What does the shoulder brace do if it doesn't restrict the arm from moving in an outstretched position during a crash? (or does it?)

I'm keeping my head up and hoping that with continued PT (on both shoulders) and a brace on both shoulders, I won't encounter more dislocations from impact, as falling is inevitable from happening.

Best,

A Fellow shoulder injurerer

 

[Moccis]

Hello, I know this is a super old thread, but I've been searching for folks who had the same injuries as I did.

I had shoulder surgery on my right shoulder last year for a torn labrum and a pothole (dent) in my shoulder. I had at least eight dislocations on this shoulder before surgery. Thankfully, I haven't dislocated this one since. Recently, I hit my left shoulder off a rail, dislocating it and tearing my labrum. It happened again from aggressive resort skiing, and since I had the same surgery as my right shoulder. I am currently in recovery and am having a brainfuck over the thought of re-injury on either shoulder when I return to skiing.

After your operations, what was your return to skiing and park skiing like? What does the shoulder brace do if it doesn't restrict the arm from moving in an outstretched position during a crash? (or does it?)

I'm keeping my head up and hoping that with continued PT (on both shoulders) and a brace on both shoulders, I won't encounter more dislocations from impact, as falling is inevitable from happening.

Best,

A Fellow shoulder injurerer

OP here.

It's been so long since my surgery and eventual return to the slopes, that I unfortunately can't remember any exact details. I'll try to summarize the experience anyway!

For me the recovery was more annoying than painful or difficult, as naturally 6 weeks of sling and thus the weakened muscles made doing most things slow and uncomfortable initially. PT was definitely the most important thing about the whole process, and if I could go back, I'd take it even more seriously than I did back in the day.

I got back on the slopes as soon as they started to open for the next season, as the shoulder was healed and strong enough that I didn't feel like there was much risk of re-injury. After PT and starting to build up the muscles gradually I didn't feel the need to wear a brace, so can't comment on it. Continued to experience some discomfort every once in a while on sudden outward rotations of the arm, but it has never dislocated again. These days the shoulder is pretty much like nothing ever happened, but I feel the process would've been quicker with even more PT and training.

I did avoid jumps for a while as I felt like those had the biggest possibility of a harder crash that could hurt the shoulder, but had no issues on rails. Took things pretty slow and mellow initially, but it was more getting over the mental hump of a possible injury, and not really any physical limitations.

Good luck with your recovery!

 

[Hellalit]

OP here.

It's been so long since my surgery and eventual return to the slopes, that I unfortunately can't remember any exact details. I'll try to summarize the experience anyway!

For me the recovery was more annoying than painful or difficult, as naturally 6 weeks of sling and thus the weakened muscles made doing most things slow and uncomfortable initially. PT was definitely the most important thing about the whole process, and if I could go back, I'd take it even more seriously than I did back in the day.

I got back on the slopes as soon as they started to open for the next season, as the shoulder was healed and strong enough that I didn't feel like there was much risk of re-injury. After PT and starting to build up the muscles gradually I didn't feel the need to wear a brace, so can't comment on it. Continued to experience some discomfort every once in a while on sudden outward rotations of the arm, but it has never dislocated again. These days the shoulder is pretty much like nothing ever happened, but I feel the process would've been quicker with even more PT and training.

I did avoid jumps for a while as I felt like those had the biggest possibility of a harder crash that could hurt the shoulder, but had no issues on rails. Took things pretty slow and mellow initially, but it was more getting over the mental hump of a possible injury, and not really any physical limitations.

Good luck with your recovery!

Thanks for the reply. I hear you on all the points here! I have a positive mental outlook for my left shoulder labrum repair operation because of the success of the labrum repair on my right shoulder. Since that surgery two years ago, my right shoulder hasn't dislocated/subluxated even during gnarly crashes.

 

[Tin_Fish]

I got shoulder surgery in august to repair my labrum. skied hard for maybe 40 days and re-tore it a couple weeks ago. going back to get a different surgery soon. Next time i'm definitely gunna give it more time before i ski again and try that shoulder stabilizer.

recovery is shitty only for the first month. and when you get back on skis you'll probably be pretty timid so give yourself time to adjust.

good luck with your surgery

Did you just get the labrum fixed or did they do anything else to stabilize the shoulder? For example Latarjet or remplissage if that sounds familiar?

 

[Tin_Fish]

Thanks for the reply. I hear you on all the points here! I have a positive mental outlook for my left shoulder labrum repair operation because of the success of the labrum repair on my right shoulder. Since that surgery two years ago, my right shoulder hasn't dislocated/subluxated even during gnarly crashes.

Do you know what type of Labrum surgery you had on your right shoulder? I've been dislocating like crazy this season and am getting surgery in june and trying to decide on which procedure/surgeon to use.

 

[Hellalit]

Do you know what type of Labrum surgery you had on your right shoulder? I've been dislocating like crazy this season and am getting surgery in june and trying to decide on which procedure/surgeon to use.

Hey there! I'm not a doctor, so please consult a doctor for medical advice. However, I understand personally how important sharing personal experience is! I had laparoscopic surgery ("Shoulder Arthroscopy"?) on my right shoulder about 2 years ago to repair my labrum and a pothole in my shoulder bone (I forgot the medical terms, sorry lol at the hospital for special surgery Weil Cornell, NY. It is a more "annoying" procedure than painful. For example, I took no narcotics (oxycodone), which they prescribed me, and only took regular over-the-counter pain medication (the pain level did not warrant oxy, but that is MY experience.) I wore a sling for 6 weeks and started PT (around 3-4 weeks after the initial procedure?) Since the procedure, I have not re-dislocated or subluxated my right shoulder.

Three weeks ago, I had the same exact procedure as explained above on my left shoulder. I'm starting PT early next week, and I will be riding in Hood in August!

From personal experience, I will say that surgery will most likely be to your benefit (I am not a doctor!!) as once you start to have constant dislocations the joint is stretched/bone damage etc etc.

From personal experience, your shoulder dislocations will not go away on their own!

Good luck, my man! PT is your friend post-op, and so is surgery. Those are the key traits of success in patients post-op (from personal experience and friends; I am no doctor!).

YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS SHIT with your shoulder. Shoulder problems SUCK.

Best,

Fellow shoulder injurer

 

[Tin_Fish]

Hey there! I'm not a doctor, so please consult a doctor for medical advice. However, I understand personally how important sharing personal experience is! I had laparoscopic surgery ("Shoulder Arthroscopy"?) on my right shoulder about 2 years ago to repair my labrum and a pothole in my shoulder bone (I forgot the medical terms, sorry lol at the hospital for special surgery Weil Cornell, NY. It is a more "annoying" procedure than painful. For example, I took no narcotics (oxycodone), which they prescribed me, and only took regular over-the-counter pain medication (the pain level did not warrant oxy, but that is MY experience.) I wore a sling for 6 weeks and started PT (around 3-4 weeks after the initial procedure?) Since the procedure, I have not re-dislocated or subluxated my right shoulder.

Three weeks ago, I had the same exact procedure as explained above on my left shoulder. I'm starting PT early next week, and I will be riding in Hood in August!

From personal experience, I will say that surgery will most likely be to your benefit (I am not a doctor!!) as once you start to have constant dislocations the joint is stretched/bone damage etc etc.

From personal experience, your shoulder dislocations will not go away on their own!

Good luck, my man! PT is your friend post-op, and so is surgery. Those are the key traits of success in patients post-op (from personal experience and friends; I am no doctor!).

YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS SHIT with your shoulder. Shoulder problems SUCK.

Best,

Fellow shoulder injurer

Dude, really does suck, thanks for giving me some hope haha

Yeah I agree, surgery, at this point, is my only option. One more question on that though, that dent you mentioned was a dent in the top of the arm bone right? In other words, it wasn't a dent in the socket but a dent in the head of the humerus right? I think its called a Hill Sachs fracture so let me know if that sounds familiar haha

 

[Hellalit]

Dude, really does suck, thanks for giving me some hope haha

Yeah I agree, surgery, at this point, is my only option. One more question on that though, that dent you mentioned was a dent in the top of the arm bone right? In other words, it wasn't a dent in the socket but a dent in the head of the humerus right? I think its called a Hill Sachs fracture so let me know if that sounds familiar haha

Yeah Anytime homes. Also, You may be correct about it being in the Humerus, although I truly cant remember as awful as that sounds because there were multiple things/issues I was keeping in mind!

 

[milo-mcsenderson]

Had both shoulders operated on at 17 for rugby-related shoulder labral tears (bri-ish innit). Double sling for a bit, returned to the sport but it was too much pain/stress to enjoy but skiing was still there for me.

Dislocated the left one in 2016 and then had a few impact-related re-dislocations (it had only subluxed before the first op circa. 2014) until it was just coming out in my sleep in the summer of '21.

In April '22 I had a Laterjet repair - kinda the last resort reconstruction - on my left shoulder, hilsax lesions (technical term: it was fucked).

Been sending hard since about June 2022 - super fast recovery - and to this day *touch wood* it has been rock solid. DMs open for shoulder Qs, kinda my speciality :/

 

[elm.]

Did you just get the labrum fixed or did they do anything else to stabilize the shoulder? For example Latarjet or remplissage if that sounds familiar?

Just labrum