# Anyone else had shoulder surgery?



## adamNYC (Nov 17, 2014)

Had some tears in the rotator cuff. Its been 30ish days since I had arthroscopic shoulder surgery and I'm back to CNA work with limited strength on my right arm. State EMT exam is this thursday and I fear I won't be able to work as an EMT in January. Maybe by late winter/early spring.

Anyone else had shoulder surgery? How long did it take you to get back to EMT work and doing bodybuilding again? I'm going to be training around this injury. This guy right here a huge source of inspiration for me:


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## Handsome Robb (Nov 17, 2014)

I had shoulder surgery in April. Returned to work in October.

Granted I had a 270* labrum tear amongst other things. 

My shoulder still does not feel 100%, ultimately it'll be up to your orthopedic surgeon and their comfort with your recovery. I busted my *** to do it in 6 months but again, I had a rather large shoulder surgery. 

I wasn't allowed to lift anything overhead until 4 months post surgery, also wasn't allowed to lift anything for 6 weeks then 5lbs for 6 weeks then 10 lbs for 4 weeks then was allowed to start working to get back in shape to perform on the job.


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## adamNYC (Nov 18, 2014)

Wow that long huh? How often did you go for PT?


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## Handsome Robb (Nov 18, 2014)

3 days a week and I did it at home every other day at least 2x a day. Depends on your job though. We do 911 and have a FD that doesn't assist with lifting so it's all on us and a repeat injury is a huge deal as far as surgery/recovery goes. If you're doing IFT you could very easily come back faster than that.


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## Jim 2436 (May 31, 2015)

I shredded my shoulder Bench Pressing. My training partner and I heard it tear. It was not good. Left the gym went straight home and iced it for as long as I could stand it. Went to the Ortho and he said it was a complete mess after an MRI to confirm. He said I needed surgery as soon as possible. I decided against it. I still had full range of motion and didn't want to risk losing it. It's been 5 yrs now. I work out my shoulders  with light weight and do a lot off pull ups and use the Monkey Bars on the cage at the gym.  I also go to acupuncture every 2/3 weeks for trigger points. I have to say I feel great and am so glad I didn't listen to the surgeon. I'm not saying that surgery is not a good idea . It just wasn't an option for me. I had 4 knee surgeries and it took me years to recover the only thing that help was targeting the muscles that support the knee in the gym and keeping it strong. I feel muscle strength is a better choice as long as the joint is still functioning well.


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## Handsome Robb (May 31, 2015)

It's really going to depend on what type of injury to your shoulder you have. If your shoulder is unstable you're playing with fire and a potential permanent debilitating injury without a surgical repair. 

If your shoulder is stable then you're right and with good discipline and training strategies you can do just fine without surgery. 

I tore just about every piece of tissue there is to tear and it wouldn't stay in the socket even if I had it in a sling so I didn't have the option to defer surgery. 5+ hours of surgery and more anchors and metal than I care to remember and I've got about 90% of my ROM a year after the procedure and am back to everything I used to do before. With that said I've got another tear and am back in the position of possibly needing surgery again. I'll know in the next month or so what my options are.


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## Jim 2436 (May 31, 2015)

Yes Rob I agree I did say as long as the joint is stable. I'm glad your surgery was a success ,and happy to hear your on the mend. Keep  the good work. Those ball and socket joints aren't made like the used to be. Ha.


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## Carlos Danger (May 31, 2015)

adamNYC said:


> Anyone else had shoulder surgery? How long did it take you to get back to EMT work and doing bodybuilding again? I'm going to be training around this injury.



Find a good sports PT and listen to them. They know more than some meathead on YouTube.


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## Jim 2436 (Jun 1, 2015)

Good call Remi. A good Physical Therapist is key.


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## Cinemod (Nov 3, 2015)

I had a rotator cuff injury a few years back from lighting weights.  It caused me to stop lifting for 6 months, and I could not afford surgery to help repair the tears.  Eventually after about a year, I decided that I would try to rehabilitate it but doing some lighter strength exercises along with yoga.  It has been around 3 years since my injury and I now have 95% strength back in my arm. 

I feel like surgery is a good intervention, but I was able to achieve the same results by doing some at home rehabilitation.  I'm not sure this will work in all cases, but it is always worth a try before you decided to go under the knife.


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## Williana Sullivan (Nov 18, 2015)

Remi said:


> Find a good sports PT and listen to them. They know more than some meathead on YouTube.


I too agree with Remi. Seeking advice from some good therapist is great idea.


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