When to start rehab

[JohnStrangeway]

Hi Rip, I have a question about rehab and how slow/ fast to take it. I know you have strong feelings on the subject of rehab and physical therapy but I think I have crappy set of circumstances. I'd like your advice.

I will say my knowledge of my issues are limited from what I have tried to researched online(dangerous) and what I have been told from the surgeon and physical therapist.

Please excuse the mess of text below.



So my story is I had a damaged left shoulder from a young age, don't know what it was or what caused it but it wasn't too bad but I knew something was off. If spoke in another thread on this.

Fast forward to 2014 and I cause a full thickness tear of my right supraspinatus.

I have surgery in July '14 and it came up in conversation about my left shoulder issues. He checked it out and it was also a full thickness tear of the supraspinatus.

3 months after my right surgery he worked on my left. Fraying biceps tendon, tear in labrum and full thickness tear of supraspinatus (he left the labrum alone).
He said the tissue was bad and atrophied, warned me this may not go as well as my right. Back to PT and slowly building up to lifting again.

I had a re-tear and had it fixed in Feb '15 (I was still working up in weight and probably not hitting 40% of my regular weights)
PT again and weights with slow increases. It went well and actually had my first stretch of zero pain (3 weeks) but then the pain came back.
MRI said; perforation of supraspinatus and infraspinatus, thinning of the tendons of those two, almost transparent in parts.

Advised to do PT to strengthen the supporting muscles to take the burden off of those worn ones.
No luck, I also had a nerve test and my suprascapular nerve was trapped.

I had my 3rd surgery 2 weeks ago this Thursday. He released the nerve, said it was choked on one side and atrophied on the other. There was another tear in the supraspinatus that he fixed.

I hope I have gave you enough info to somewhat have a suggestion/opinion. Is my 'shoulder' super messed up and I should take it even slower in rehab and just do what they say? go through the physical therapy again or try and go it alone? I'm super nervous about how I'll be at the end and I hope this to be the last but it seems to keep going wrong.

Thank you

[Mark Rippetoe]

Shoulder Rehab Case Study - YouTube

[JohnStrangeway]

Shoulder Rehab Case Study - YouTube

Thank you Rip