I don't know. I can't advise you because I don't know your case.
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Shoulder rehab
I had my shoulder surgically repaired for repeat dislocations yeaterday. The surgeon has placed 3 anchors in my shoulder and I am wondering how soon post op can I begin the shoulder rehab protocol detailed in your YouTube video?
TMPHBITEU
I don't know. I can't advise you because I don't know your case.
Member
I would suggest taking your time and progressing slowly. I also have 3 anchors but needed two more surgeries after that. I am still super conservative with my weights. I was told to find a new hobby but that was never going to happen.
I am 4 years out but I still get pains now and again, especially if I do something out of the ordinary. I cleaned house last weekend and it's only now not feeling pissed off. I still can't bench press at all.
A few days ago I tested a 1rm press (I guess I'm an ex-strongman now but I use a log because of the neutral grip and decreased ROM at the bottom) I hit 230 which was surprising since my pre surgery max log was 250.
As Rip said, hard to suggest because so much can be happening but I personally believe you can't go wrong with slow(er than normal) progress and just test things out. Sometimes I push it a bit and see how it feels. I try a barbell on my press and see how it feels etc. Currently I know pressure on the shoulder(barbell squat/SSB/heavy weight vest for conditioning) and laying down and pressing pisses it off for weeks so I do other stuff then try again.
Good luck with recovery. Shoulders suck lol
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I assume due to anchors you mean repairing a labral tear in your shoulder. I had SLAP repair surgery right before thanksgiving 2016 (2 anchors). Deadlifting was the first thing I added back in, around the 3-4 week postop mark. I don't have my records accessible since I'm in process of moving, but from my recollection, I started the shoulder rehab from the video (stick on rings/straps, start with top-end only range of motion, etc) somewhere around the 5-6 week mark. The first bit in the gym before that when in the sling was basically leg presses and one-handed cable-pulley "deadlifts" until it was time for the stick. For me, bench pressing came back (i.e. didn't hurt) way before OHP. It was probably 12 months before overhead pressing more than 65 lbs didn't feel wrong. Even to this day, the shoulder is a bit creaky, though totally stable.
FYI, my ortho told me that many generally lose range of motion after the repair w.r.t. external rotation with abduction (i.e. arm back throwing a ball position). Can't remember if he said 5-10 degrees or %. And most people's off-hand arm has about 5 degrees (or %) less ROM for that as well. So for me, my left arm (repaired shoulder) has about 15 degrees/% less ROM than my right, which makes getting under the bar for squatting low bar a bit trickier (it's tighter now).
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Thank you, John. I am intent on using the starting strength method of rehab but I am concerned if there is an special considerations with shoulder anchors?
Member
As Rip indicated, every situation might have unique aspects so the standard disclaimer of this being general info, not any kind of specific medical or rehab advice, applies.
I had a nearly complete circumferential labral tear that required 7 anchors to repair. They did an acromial decompression at the same time. So the thing hurt like hell. Given the nature of the labrum repair and anchors, I did wait longer than the standard cuff repair to begin the ring protocol, but did everything I could prior to that point: pendulums starting around 3 weeks, and passive ROM pushing the stick held in the injured hand side, with the non-injured hand, to increase ROM starting about 4 weeks. I started deadlifting (very light) and doing the ring protocol at around 6 weeks, by which point I had been so diligent with the other stuff that my ROM was already quite a bit improved. I did the ring protocol pretty much as described, starting at that 5-6 week point, and it worked incredibly well.
The details can be found on my log, starting here: Wolf's Log: From Cub to Direwolf
By 3 months post-op, I was pressing 170x8, and was just able to low bar squat again after a thorough warm-up. I had started using the SSB after something like 7-8 weeks, and high bar another couple weeks after that.
When I went in for my 3 month follow-up - more like 15 weeks out due to scheduling conflicts - the surgeon was hoping I could get my arm to shoulder height without any assistance, and I showed him I had already had overhead ROM, his jaw dropped. Said it was the best, fastest recovery he'd ever seen from such a big repair. Didn't ask me anything about how I did it, and I didn't volunteer the info because I didn't get the sense that he was open to this new info. He did a great job with the repair, but I just wasn't feeling his "sure, tell me what I don't know about rehabbing it" vibes.
Anyway, later that day I pressed 210x5, less than 4 months post op.
Being strong beforehand obviously helped.
Can I tell you exactly what YOU should do with your repair? No. But having 7 anchors didn't hinder mine. I waited 5-6 weeks to let the anchors set in and bond, and then went about doing things exactly as I would have anyway and otherwise - making SOMETHING a little harder each day. At first passive ROM, then active ROM, then actually pressing the PVC, then adding weight. Stress, recovery, adaptation.
Member
I don't think there are really any special considerations other than not going too heavy too soon so that the body can heal with them.Originally Posted by Mitchell1000128
I started with 1lb dumbbells for raises YTI's and just kept going up as pain went away, just to keep things moving. Later added in presses, pulls and other movements. It all depended on the pain.
Your goal will be "exercising" pain free before the focus is adding weight. I started with light weights and high reps. Basically if I could hit 50 reps in a row pain free I would add weight. Once I was up to a "good" weight for x exercise, I would up the weight more aggressively and go to 5x10, after that was fine down I went down to 5x5.
Hope that gives you some ideas to play with.
Member
Thank you all, for your help and advice. I'm 6 days post op now and just started doing super light squats hands free on a rogue ssb.
I'm hoping to start the rings by week 3.
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