Torn Labrum Surgery

J

jamesroberts

"Unheralded Amateur"
Silver Member
I have to go in for surgery on a torn labrum and rotator cuff next week.
The Dr said it was a bad tear and I needed surgery asap. He said I should be back 100% in 4-6 months. He is the orthopedist for the Rays so I trust that he knows what he is talking about
Anyone have any experience with a injury like this?
 
I think this belongs in the NPR forum.

Recovery from shoulder surgery is tough to gauge. I've had multiple shoulder surgeries and the recovery time has varied with each. The first surgery I had was an arthroscopic labrum repair and felt about 90% about 5 months after. Never really got back to 100%.

Make sure you follow through with your Physical Therapy. It is crucial to your recovery.

Good luck
 
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Table Top Joe said:
I think this belongs in the NPR forum.

Recovery from shoulder surgery is tough to gauge. I've had multiple shoulder surgeries and the recovery time has varied with each. The first surgery I had was an arthroscopic labrum repair and felt about 90% about 5 months after. Never really got back to 100%.

Make sure you follow through with your Physical Therapy. It is crucial to your recovery.

Good luck
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What???? He is known player that is concerned about his surgery
Very pool related
 
I had this surgery while I was in the Air Force in 2007. I'm still not back at 100%. I'd say maybe 90% by now. I had 6 months of physical therapy. If I throw a ball more than 70-80% speed, I'll tear it again. I can feel it and it gets sore if I push the limits.

The good news is that I can break as hard as I want, and the surgeon told me I could/should play pool after about 2 months. It wasn't painful and he said it helped keep things from getting stiff.
 
Had a torn rotator, was off work for two months, had therapy every other day plus exercises . Mine was on my bridge arm, can't imagine it being the other with the vibrations of hitting a cue ball. Do as your docters say.
 
Obviously your doc knows more than I do but I'm a little surprised that he would say 100% ever, let alone in that timeframe if it includes rotator cuff. I'm about 4 years out from the same surgery. About 1 year post surgery I went in and told my doctor that I was doing some bench pressing and starting to get strength back and he said I was "light years" ahead of where I should've been. I feel my shoulder's about 90% now but waaay better than it was pre-surgery. I also know it's as good as it will get. I was able to start hitting some balls around, gently, I think a couple of months after getting out of the sling. Follow what your PT tells you to a T, get yourself a pair of slip on shoes, and take it on as a challenge to get yourself back to where you want to be. My workouts became my rehab until they could become workouts again. I still do internal and external shoulder rotation exercises every week just so I (hopefully) don't have to go through that again.
 
3 years later still not 100% for sure......

Mine was my right shoulder.

I dislocated it out through the front. Ai the time i didn't know I dislocated it. Waited for surgery for a year. By that time I couldn't even scratch my nose with that hand.

Had 2 bisep tears and all the ligaments had to be shortened allot. One he said he shortened one inch and the rest were way worse.

I had allot of work done and it took about 30 days just for the most horrible pain to stop. After that it just hurt real bad for about 2 more months and then I started therapy.

If your doctor says 4 to 6 weeks I hope he's right for your sake.

My doctor told me 6 to 9 months and maybe more being diabetic.

it's been 3 years and it's so much better but it still hurts and I have my limitations.

Do exactly what the doctor tells you and those physical therapy people are no joke either. they know their stuff for sure.

They will bring you along just fast enough but not too fast.

Good luck.
 
I had this plus a ruptured biceps head which was removed, won't lie to you, it is pure hell. Force yourself to do every thing and more that your therapist tells you, if you don't you will never recover properly. Rehab with a vengeance and you should be near 100% eventually, as I feel I am.
 
jamesroberts said:
I have to go in for surgery on a torn labrum and rotator cuff next week.
The Dr said it was a bad tear and I needed surgery asap. He said I should be back 100% in 4-6 months. He is the orthopedist for the Rays so I trust that he knows what he is talking about
Anyone have any experience with a injury like this?
Click to expand...

Depends on the degree of tear but recovery takes a while. I currently have a torn labrum (have had one for 5 years now) and will probably have surgery in the fall. Typical recovery for the labrum is 12 weeks. The rotator cuff adds more complications though.

I don't have experience with the rotator cuff but the labrum is very recoverable.
 
I feel your pain. Kinda.

jamesroberts said:
...He is the orthopedist for the Rays so I trust that he knows what he is talking about....
Click to expand...

Table Top Joe said:
...Make sure you follow through with your Physical Therapy. It is crucial to your recovery....
Click to expand...
Disclosure: I'm a Physical Therapist.

Yes, he knows what he is talking about.

Yes, you need to do everything your PT tells you. And it will suck. Rehabbing a labral tear is unpleasant. Rehabbing a rotator cuff tear is downright painful. Rehabbing both together will not be fun. At all.

Find out who your doc sends his pitchers to for rehab after surgery. Go there. Expect to do nothing for a few weeks post-op, then aquatic therapy, then land-based rehab when you're less likely to tear it apart again.

Be honest with your PT. If you're skipping out on your exercises because it hurts too much, let them know instead of lying and saying everything's jake. Because 1.) it will become apparent when you're not hitting your rehab protocol milestones, 2.) they can modify the exercises so you can get some benefit from them, and 3.) they can let the doc know if there's something not right in there.

Stay strong, be patient, and start learning how to do everything with your other hand.

Good luck.

E
 
jamesroberts said:
I have to go in for surgery on a torn labrum and rotator cuff next week.
The Dr said it was a bad tear and I needed surgery asap. He said I should be back 100% in 4-6 months. He is the orthopedist for the Rays so I trust that he knows what he is talking about
Anyone have any experience with a injury like this?
Click to expand...

This really sucks for you James, i know you are still young, so that being said everything should go well for you and you have plently of time on your side, i hope the best for you!

Iam 45 and have a tear in each of the three heads of my left delt, that came from years of working out with weights, now i think i have atlease 1 tear in my right one now, i will have another mri on that next week to see!

It hurts, but iam still able to work out and play pool (just cant get down as low on the que as years ago, bad pain when i try) i guess you get used to the pain after awile.

Its not over yet James, you will still have plenty of time left in your life to become the best pool player you can be!
 
About 20 years ago I tore the Labrum in my left shoulder. I really couldn't play pool well at all because I couldn't extend my arm over my head so that I could get down and aim. I actually think the injury was a direct result of playing pool a lot and pool certainly didn't help it get any better.

I had no insurance so I never had it operated on. I also worked as a chef at the time and not having the use of my left arm for several months was not an option financially. I did go to physical therapy and it helped dramatically. It took the better part of decade to heal on it's own and now it is 100% back to normal.

If it happened now I would have surgery and physical therapy. Physical therapy does do wonders.
 
Table Top Joe said:
I think this belongs in the NPR forum.

Recovery from shoulder surgery is tough to gauge. I've had multiple shoulder surgeries and the recovery time has varied with each. The first surgery I had was an arthroscopic labrum repair and felt about 90% about 5 months after. Never really got back to 100%.

Make sure you follow through with your Physical Therapy. It is crucial to your recovery.

Good luck
Click to expand...
this is definitely pool related.
 
FYI for those who are unclear, a labrum tear is a cartilage tear. A rotator cuff tear is muscle/tendon...usually the supraspinatus.



I had no insurance so I never had it operated on. I also worked as a chef at the time and not having the use of my left arm for several months was not an option financially. I did go to physical therapy and it helped dramatically. It took the better part of decade to heal on it's own and now it is 100% back to normal.
Click to expand...

Very nice, thank you. Outside the US, in the UK for example, this would be more common. They lean on physical therapy more than surgery and very often achieve results that the surgeons here don't really want advertised. I would like to point out that out of all the responders you are the only one that claims 100% recovery. I would also point out that you have claimed the longest recovery time.

Perhaps the quick fix is not always the best answer.

If it happened now I would have surgery and physical therapy. Physical therapy does do wonders.
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I am curious why you would choose surgery in retrospect when you have achieved a 100% recovery without it, and thus far you are the only one here to claim 100% recovery.

The vast majority of surgery is elective, including this surgery. Always seek a second opinion, and that should always include non-surgical alternatives.

Yes, he knows what he is talking about.

Yes, you need to do everything your PT tells you. And it will suck. Rehabbing a labral tear is unpleasant. Rehabbing a rotator cuff tear is downright painful. Rehabbing both together will not be fun. At all.

Find out who your doc sends his pitchers to for rehab after surgery. Go there.
Click to expand...

One caveat...surgeons and the paraprofessionals that serve professional athletes habitually violate standard of care for the purpose of putting the athlete "back in service" with the generally short term goal of making money for the team organization. This is obviously not always in the best interest of the athlete's health and well-being. They generally accept this as the consequence of a high paying short career. What is done for professional athletes isn't always really ideal. Yes, this flies in the face of the fame of the ortho-gods that earn their reputations serving these athletes. That attain celebrity status. But think for a moment about how and why they do that.



I have to agree with the general advice of "Do what your doctor and the PT tell you.". If you don't you will most likely find your recovery unsatisfactory.

Please don't interpret my response as being anti-surgery. I am actually surgically trained myself. I merely attempt to offer some additional realistic perspective.



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It's awesome we have some professionals in the field on the board. I'll probably be looking for the same info this fall and hope I find this thread.
 
Chopdoc said:
FYI for those who are unclear, a labrum tear is a cartilage tear. A rotator cuff tear is muscle/tendon...usually the supraspinatus.





Very nice, thank you. Outside the US, in the UK for example, this would be more common. They lean on physical therapy more than surgery and very often achieve results that the surgeons here don't really want advertised. I would like to point out that out of all the responders you are the only one that claims 100% recovery. I would also point out that you have claimed the longest recovery time.

Perhaps the quick fix is not always the best answer.



I am curious why you would choose surgery in retrospect when you have achieved a 100% recovery without it, and thus far you are the only one here to claim 100% recovery.

The vast majority of surgery is elective, including this surgery. Always seek a second opinion, and that should always include non-surgical alternatives.



One caveat...surgeons and the paraprofessionals that serve professional athletes habitually violate standard of care for the purpose of putting the athlete "back in service" with the generally short term goal of making money for the team organization. This is obviously not always in the best interest of the athlete's health and well-being. They generally accept this as the consequence of a high paying short career. What is done for professional athletes isn't always really ideal. Yes, this flies in the face of the fame of the ortho-gods that earn their reputations serving these athletes. That attain celebrity status. But think for a moment about how and why they do that.



I have to agree with the general advice of "Do what your doctor and the PT tell you.". If you don't you will most likely find your recovery unsatisfactory.

Please don't interpret my response as being anti-surgery. I am actually surgically trained myself. I merely attempt to offer some additional realistic perspective.



.
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The only reason I would elect for surgery is because I lived with pain for several years. Sometimes the pain was severe enough that I wasn't the most pleasant person to be around. And I wasn't able to play pool for at least a year anyways because I couldn't extend my bridge hand straight and sight the shot and it was painful to attempt. Playing pool probably slowed down my recovery with all the stretching.

I also went without gall bladder surgery for about 8 years which was fine when I wasn't having an attack. Now that I have had the surgery I wish I had done it earlier. The attacks were debilitating and I always had to be super careful what I ate especially when not at home.
 
James;

I am not familiar with the specific problem that you are dealing with other than what is written here, but I just wanted to say good luck to you in your recovery.

It sounds like you took care the most important part, which was getting the best doc possible on board.

Looking forward to seeing you back at 'em very soon. :thumbup:

Take care.

best,
brian kc
 
efirkey said:
The only reason I would elect for surgery is because I lived with pain for several years. Sometimes the pain was severe enough that I wasn't the most pleasant person to be around. And I wasn't able to play pool for at least a year anyways because I couldn't extend my bridge hand straight and sight the shot and it was painful to attempt. Playing pool probably slowed down my recovery with all the stretching.

I also went without gall bladder surgery for about 8 years which was fine when I wasn't having an attack. Now that I have had the surgery I wish I had done it earlier. The attacks were debilitating and I always had to be super careful what I ate especially when not at home.
Click to expand...

Indeed, pain relief can be one good indication for surgery. But there are other ways to perhaps relieve the pain during a protracted recovery that relies on physical therapy.

I do understand what you are saying though. For sure.



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