Torn Labrum

[jkeith]

I have a Torn Labrum in my right shoulder, have to have surgery on it in the next month or so.

Any experience with this type of injury? I'm trying to figure out how long after surgery I can start to lift weights, and after so long will i be able to lift hard without re-injury (even a year down the road)

[Mark Rippetoe]

I have no personal experience with this injury. But folks reading this do.

[EIC]

I do. Recovery time will be a bitch, unfortunately. I had the surgery in Dec. '05 and wasn't back in the gym until June '06 (about 6 months). Even that may have been a little soon.

If you plan to train up until the surgery, I highly recommend dropping your upper body stuff and focusing on deadlifts. Without the labrum doing its proper supportive function, other structures (like your biceps tendon) will have to provide support for the humerus. Because they were not designed to do this, they may take a beating if you train on them. My tear went undiagnosed for 7 years and I am now paying the price in bicipital tendonitis despite having had the labrum reattached.

Again, the recovery will suck. There is no getting around that. I suggest you spend the time reading (may I suggest Coach Rippetoe's books?). You might also invest in a good weight vest and take weighted walks for GPP, as even running will be contraindicated for awhile post-op. It would probably be a good time to focus on trunk work (back extensions, sit-ups) and grip work with CoC grippers.

[jacob cloud]

I have a Torn Labrum in my right shoulder, have to have surgery on it in the next month or so.

Any experience with this type of injury? I'm trying to figure out how long after surgery I can start to lift weights, and after so long will i be able to lift hard without re-injury (even a year down the road)

I'm guessing your surgeon (or his assistant) told you 6 months before you'd be able to lift anything worthwhile. He's probably not far off, at least in terms of your upper body. If he hasn't given you time estimates, you need to ask a lot more questions and have a better understanding of what's going to happen.

I had my left AC joint cleaned out last December. I'm finally back to the strength level I was beforehand on press, and am still picking up the pieces on bench (getting close, though). And that's WITHOUT any real labrum work! They found my labrum to be "separated" once they got in and decided against re-attaching it, as that would delay my recovery even more. Unfortunately I'll probably have to get it worked on sooner than later.

The good news is that I was deadlifting within 3 months, and squatting soon after, but with a wider grip than Rip prefers, due to flexibility issues. I've also finally found swimming to be very helpful with improving ROM.

My insurance ran out the day after my surgery, so I didn't have the luxury of a decent therapist, which undoubtedly delayed my recovery. If you have insurance, use it to get a GOOD therapist that understands you want to lift heavy shit - interview more than one. Get massages if you can.

Drew Brees had his labrum and RC worked on in January of 2006 and was back in good form by that summer - but you can imagine that was with the best therapy money can buy.

Good luck. Be prepared to wake up at 4am the night of the surgery, screaming in pain when the nerve block wears off. It's not fun.

[Tiburon]

I too was diagnosed with a torn labrum, in my throwing shoulder.

I am trying to avoid the surgery by doing diligent PT. I have made good progress so far, doing the Starr rehab protocol for overhead pressing and also the bandwork and 2 lb dumbbell crap that is specific to my injury (though many people think the latter is a waste of time, they are good for me because I can do them at home).

I suggest you have a frank conversation with your ortho about the strength of your rotator cuff muscles and any structural damage you might have, to see if a good rehab program can "hide" the torn labrum and prevent surgery. And if your ortho can't give you answers about when you will be able to clean, press, and dlift post-op, then it might be time for a second opinion.

[David T]

I have had both mine repaired and both took about 3 months before I was back at it. It took awhile to get my flexabilty back but my strength came back very quick. FYI my right labrum was 50% detached and my left had a 1.5" tear.

[Blackjack]

I had a torn labrum repaired about 7 years ago. I've never recovered full ROM, but it's probably 90% - 95%, strength is easily 100%. It does not seem to cause any problems in the sports I play (Ice Hockey, Soccer, Softball).

I began SS about 2 months ago and it affects two lifts: the press and the squat. On the press I can't do the end of the movement, where you push your head forward to lock out your elbows. I'm working on it though and I'm confident that I'll soon be able to do a version of the movement that's at least tolerable. On the squat I have a major problem with my grip, although it doesn't affect the movement, and it hasn't prevented me from progressing.

I wouldn't worry about the pain, they'll give you some combination of nerve block, pain pump, and narcotics. I ended up throwing out half of my bottle of percocets because I didn't need them. The bigger problem for me was that I had to sleep on my back or my right side. I normally sleep on my stomach and I lost a lot of sleep in the first week after surgery.

In short, I think there's a good chance you'll make a full recovery, and in a reasonable amount of time. Good luck.