Adam LaClair
10-15-2003, 03:39 PM
I've hurt my shoulder and need a program to rehab it, and I hope very much to avoid surgery! Any advice will be GREATLY appreciated.
INJURY BACKGROUND:
Last July, I was chasing (playfully) a small child relative. She went around a teeter-totter at a playground, but I decided to hurdle the 18 inch high construction instead. As I landed on the crushed rock surface, my left foot slipped, my left knee locked hard, and I went sprawling head first to the ground. I purposefully did not try to brace my fall with my hands, as I was 3 months into recovering from a ligament reconstruction surgery on my left elbow. Instead I tried to just tuck and roll - but all I managed to actually do was turn and slam my right shoulder HARD into the ground, skidding about 6-8 feet in the process. (I weighed about 230 at the time, and was running at a fairly good pace). At the time, I seemed just a little scraped up. "No big deal, could've been worse" I thought. I was worried more about my left knee than anything, as I have had 3 surgeries on it in the past, and I noticed increased crepitation under the kneecap following this event (it has subsided now, however - my knee if fine.)
Anyway, a few days later I was teaching a grappling (no-gi BJJ) class and had a student set up a right armbar from side-mount on me. As I laid on my left side and he trapped and pinned my right arm, I felt EXCRUCIATING shoulder pain as he rested his weight upon my shoulder - this was the first sign I had of an actual injury to my shoulder. When I went to do my Warrior Wellness routine the following day (I usually do it 2-3 times/week), I found it to be painful at best. Clubbells were not happening - it hurt profoundly just to do fore-arm swings with them. I couldn't see any visible swelling, but tried rest & ice just the same. Didn't seem to help. I've tried using a heating pad, but with seemingly no effect. A good thorough warmup hurts to do, but makes working out or rolling less painful, although the next day I usually feel a tremendous increase in both stiffness and pain in the joint.
MY DOCTOR:
I've seen my orthopedist, and he said it's kinda hard to tell - I definitely have at least a severe strain of the supraspinatus, but he is unsure of whether or not I have a partial tear, as well. An MRI is out of the question (I am unemployed and have no insurance right now, and he didn't seem to be optimistic that an MRI would show much anyway). He suggested home therapy - military-style pushups and stretching exercises - for a few months to see how things go. He said if I can't heal it with proper exercise, then the next step would be arthroscopic exploration to see if I indeed have a tear.
MY STATS:
I'm 33 years old (34 in December), 5'10, presently a bit overweight at 215 pounds (and dropping, my goal is 195). I'm fairly fit and quite muscular, but my joints are definitely the "weak links":
Ulna Collateral ligament reconstruction in both elbows - fully recovered
Left ACL reconstruction - all is good now
2 athroscopic surgeries on the Left knee - doing fine right now
Both shoulders have slight crepitation during full arm circles
MY PRESENT SYMPTOMS:
Rolling my shoulder forward while simultaneously raising my elbow to the rear, bringing my forearm to parallel with the floor causes pain. (Just the motion of driving my shoulder forward alone is quite painful!) Extending my straightened arm from my side to parallel (or higher) causes pain just as I begin to go higher than parallel (laterally), or just as I reach paralled (frontally). I can do flys with 100# on a machine with slight discomfort, but bench pressing 100# is absolute torture!! Pushups are okay somedays, other days I cannot perform one single rep without a high degree of pain. Connecting with a right hook (punch)on a bag is not fun! Consciously dropping my shoulder also is painful. If I lie on my shoulder at all at night, I have a terrible time the next day, it seems. Attempting to reach behind (waist level) and scratch my back with my right hand causes the most intense pain of all.
CURRENT ACTIVITY: At this point, I have temporarily given up the clubbells. I only have a single pair of 15#, and I think this is WAY to heavy for rehab. Perhaps when I can afford to get a set of the 5#ers I can give them a try. I'm doing Warrior Wellness almost daily for the last few weeks, but again - some days are better than others. I might have a few days that it seems to help, but then I'll have one day that it hurts so bad just to do 5 or 6 arm circles that I'm not sure if I'm doing any good. I'm still grappling 2-3 days a week, but trying to limit myself to mostly low-moderate intensity drills. I did compete last month, though. Funny thing - it felt BETTER the day after the tournament! I was the smallest guy in all my matches (Superheavyweight), and placed in all 3 divisions I entered (first place in men's blue belt!) I expected the competition to aggravate it, but it didn't hurt hardly at all afterward! However, rolling hard with my own (smaller) students seems to aggravate it quite a bit.
MY EQUIPMENT:
I have a dedicated gym in my house. I have a power rack (barbell work) with attached overhead and low pulleys for back work and an attached pec-fly deck, a leg press machine, a "TOTAL GYM," a Concept II rowing machine, dumbbells, a pair of 15# clubbells, a swiss ball, and a jumprope! :roll:
QUESTIONS:
1.) I feel like I should be doing the circles slowly, really maximizing the range of motion with each one - or am I pushing the joint too hard? Should I be more "gentle," with the circles, or really seeking the "stretch?"
2.) How often should I be doing them? Daily, like I am? Or is this TOO much, and I should go back to just a few times a week?
3.) I read the other post on rotator cuff rehab (with the CST article re-posted), already. Without knowing if I have a tear or not, should I try that program, or do you have another recommedation to try first/alternately?
4.) I want to attend the CST cert. seminar - but from the reviews I've read, I'm having serious concerns as to my ability to make it through the weekend until this shoulder is much more on the mend. I had signed up for the Beta session, but had to back out (last minute schedule conflict, wish I had've attended!!). I'm not attending the Gamma session because I don't feel I'm ready. Your thoughts?
I'm tired of injuries - I just want to be able to train NORMALLY again!!
Frustrated,
Adam LaClair
INJURY BACKGROUND:
Last July, I was chasing (playfully) a small child relative. She went around a teeter-totter at a playground, but I decided to hurdle the 18 inch high construction instead. As I landed on the crushed rock surface, my left foot slipped, my left knee locked hard, and I went sprawling head first to the ground. I purposefully did not try to brace my fall with my hands, as I was 3 months into recovering from a ligament reconstruction surgery on my left elbow. Instead I tried to just tuck and roll - but all I managed to actually do was turn and slam my right shoulder HARD into the ground, skidding about 6-8 feet in the process. (I weighed about 230 at the time, and was running at a fairly good pace). At the time, I seemed just a little scraped up. "No big deal, could've been worse" I thought. I was worried more about my left knee than anything, as I have had 3 surgeries on it in the past, and I noticed increased crepitation under the kneecap following this event (it has subsided now, however - my knee if fine.)
Anyway, a few days later I was teaching a grappling (no-gi BJJ) class and had a student set up a right armbar from side-mount on me. As I laid on my left side and he trapped and pinned my right arm, I felt EXCRUCIATING shoulder pain as he rested his weight upon my shoulder - this was the first sign I had of an actual injury to my shoulder. When I went to do my Warrior Wellness routine the following day (I usually do it 2-3 times/week), I found it to be painful at best. Clubbells were not happening - it hurt profoundly just to do fore-arm swings with them. I couldn't see any visible swelling, but tried rest & ice just the same. Didn't seem to help. I've tried using a heating pad, but with seemingly no effect. A good thorough warmup hurts to do, but makes working out or rolling less painful, although the next day I usually feel a tremendous increase in both stiffness and pain in the joint.
MY DOCTOR:
I've seen my orthopedist, and he said it's kinda hard to tell - I definitely have at least a severe strain of the supraspinatus, but he is unsure of whether or not I have a partial tear, as well. An MRI is out of the question (I am unemployed and have no insurance right now, and he didn't seem to be optimistic that an MRI would show much anyway). He suggested home therapy - military-style pushups and stretching exercises - for a few months to see how things go. He said if I can't heal it with proper exercise, then the next step would be arthroscopic exploration to see if I indeed have a tear.
MY STATS:
I'm 33 years old (34 in December), 5'10, presently a bit overweight at 215 pounds (and dropping, my goal is 195). I'm fairly fit and quite muscular, but my joints are definitely the "weak links":
Ulna Collateral ligament reconstruction in both elbows - fully recovered
Left ACL reconstruction - all is good now
2 athroscopic surgeries on the Left knee - doing fine right now
Both shoulders have slight crepitation during full arm circles
MY PRESENT SYMPTOMS:
Rolling my shoulder forward while simultaneously raising my elbow to the rear, bringing my forearm to parallel with the floor causes pain. (Just the motion of driving my shoulder forward alone is quite painful!) Extending my straightened arm from my side to parallel (or higher) causes pain just as I begin to go higher than parallel (laterally), or just as I reach paralled (frontally). I can do flys with 100# on a machine with slight discomfort, but bench pressing 100# is absolute torture!! Pushups are okay somedays, other days I cannot perform one single rep without a high degree of pain. Connecting with a right hook (punch)on a bag is not fun! Consciously dropping my shoulder also is painful. If I lie on my shoulder at all at night, I have a terrible time the next day, it seems. Attempting to reach behind (waist level) and scratch my back with my right hand causes the most intense pain of all.
CURRENT ACTIVITY: At this point, I have temporarily given up the clubbells. I only have a single pair of 15#, and I think this is WAY to heavy for rehab. Perhaps when I can afford to get a set of the 5#ers I can give them a try. I'm doing Warrior Wellness almost daily for the last few weeks, but again - some days are better than others. I might have a few days that it seems to help, but then I'll have one day that it hurts so bad just to do 5 or 6 arm circles that I'm not sure if I'm doing any good. I'm still grappling 2-3 days a week, but trying to limit myself to mostly low-moderate intensity drills. I did compete last month, though. Funny thing - it felt BETTER the day after the tournament! I was the smallest guy in all my matches (Superheavyweight), and placed in all 3 divisions I entered (first place in men's blue belt!) I expected the competition to aggravate it, but it didn't hurt hardly at all afterward! However, rolling hard with my own (smaller) students seems to aggravate it quite a bit.
MY EQUIPMENT:
I have a dedicated gym in my house. I have a power rack (barbell work) with attached overhead and low pulleys for back work and an attached pec-fly deck, a leg press machine, a "TOTAL GYM," a Concept II rowing machine, dumbbells, a pair of 15# clubbells, a swiss ball, and a jumprope! :roll:
QUESTIONS:
1.) I feel like I should be doing the circles slowly, really maximizing the range of motion with each one - or am I pushing the joint too hard? Should I be more "gentle," with the circles, or really seeking the "stretch?"
2.) How often should I be doing them? Daily, like I am? Or is this TOO much, and I should go back to just a few times a week?
3.) I read the other post on rotator cuff rehab (with the CST article re-posted), already. Without knowing if I have a tear or not, should I try that program, or do you have another recommedation to try first/alternately?
4.) I want to attend the CST cert. seminar - but from the reviews I've read, I'm having serious concerns as to my ability to make it through the weekend until this shoulder is much more on the mend. I had signed up for the Beta session, but had to back out (last minute schedule conflict, wish I had've attended!!). I'm not attending the Gamma session because I don't feel I'm ready. Your thoughts?
I'm tired of injuries - I just want to be able to train NORMALLY again!!
Frustrated,
Adam LaClair