Following shoulder surgery earlier this yearI was told that I could be looking at up to eighteen months before my shoulder was healed and even then I wasn't guaranteed a one hundred percent recovery but four months later I am back playing golf and feeling better than ever.
Following shoulder surgery I was told that I could be looking at anything up to twelve to eighteen months before my shoulder was better and even then I wasn't guaranteed a complete recovery but four months later I am playing golf and feeling fitter than ever.
So what brought about this transformation? Research! Specifically, finding out as much as I could about shoulder injuries and treatment and then acting on that information.
Let me go back a year and bring you up to date.
A year ago I managed to tear my left rotator cuff. It wasn't a particularly bad tear but it led to a shoulder impingement. The supraspinatus tendon in my rotator cuff was getting pinched against the bone of the acromion in my left shoulder. Having torn the tendon it had become inflamed. The inflammation caused it to get caught in the channel of bone through which it normally ran. This in turn made it fray, painfully, and put me into a cycle that eventually led to me needing surgery.
The surgery was to release the tendon by widening the channel through which it ran so that the tendon would then be able to heal.
It was post surgery that I was told that the tear had got worse and I was potentially looking at a lengthy recovery period.
My research told me that it was essential to let my shoulder rest after the operation to allow the surgery site to heal properly. Resting means exactly that. I had about four days in a sling and then had to avoid any movement that was painful for the next four weeks. I was not allowed to do any exercise apart from passive exercises to maintain the mobility in the joint.
All this was in order to rest the joint and let it heal properly. The next step was to start a shoulder specific exercise programme aimed at strengthening the whole shoulder as well as the rotator cuff.
A lot of cuff injuries come about as a result of aging. I suspect that mine was no exception. Because these muscles are difficult to isolate and exercise, a lot of us don't look after them properly. Our posture also changes which can cause changes in our shoulders. Shoulder exercises can reverse some of the effects of age.
The latest research into rotator cuff problems has also shown that a rotator cuff tear does not need to heal in order to become pain free. Most rotator cuff problems are initially treated with physical therapy exercise to strengthen the whole shoulder. With twenty two separate muscles involved in shoulder movement, strengthening the whole shoulder will support the rotator cuff and let it heal more effectively.
I built up the exercises gradually over the next few weeks making sure that I stopped if my shoulder became painful. None of these exercises used any significant weight or resistance so it was easy to remain pain free.
My shoulders gradually got stronger and I found myself pain free with full movement within four months of my operation, which is the sort of result that a much younger person could have expected.
What do I put this down to? Proper rest, the right sort of shoulder exercisesand taking care not to make things worse by rushing. Patience and consistency is the key. I exercised a little every day and always at a pace that was comfortable for me.
So don't give up on your shoulders. Look after them!
