Rotator Cuff recovery???

[Fusionman]

Hey everyone I am new to the forum. My question is, how long do rotator cuff strains take to recover? I strained it about a week and a half ago doing kettlebell snatches. I plan to resume exercise on Oct. 23 at a KB workshop, giving my strain approxamately 23 days to recover. Is this enough time???

Thanks
-Nick

[Randell Waddell]

Good Morning Nick,

A couple of questions please -

How bad was the strain (and what medical attention was utilized to treat it so far)?

Has your medico suggested you should be OK to participate in the workshop - depending on the degree of strain / damage, your body may be able to operate but not really be ready to do the work required ? ( ie. Will you be doing longterm damage that may take a long time to alleviate later ?)

What type of WW type exercises are you capable of doing to help rehabilitate the strain ?

Cheers
Randell. :D

[Fusionman]

Hi Randall,

I don't really feel any REAL pain, just discomfort, kind of a pesky pinch so to speak. I haven't been to the orthopedic doctor but maybe I should go just to get the ok to attend the workshop. I never felt pain when working out I just woke up one day and my shoulder felt funny. So far I have been doing strectches and light duty arm work like very light rowing to move the joint. I haven't done any joint mobility exercises though. What do you think?

-Nick

p.s. what do you think of chiropractors? I may not be able to get an appointment with the orthopedics doctor on time, would a chiropractor be a good alternative?

[Randell Waddell]

Morning again Nick,


what do you think of chiropractors?


I am a bit biased, Nick - My chiro is one of a kind over here - the old fashioned ones where you get checked over properly for some 20 -30 minutes plus, though he is up to date with the absolute latest in concepts and treatments. He has also been one of my main training partners for about 14 years, we have "adopted him" and he is one of my son's godfathers. If he can find the time, he also wishes to become CST certified. He is great because I also have someone to bounce ideas re the Body Tensegrity, exercise advantages and disadvantages etc.

So, in answer to your question, if you can find a good chiro, they are like hen's teeth, and very valuable.


I haven't done any joint mobility exercises though. What do you think?


I think joint mobility exercises should almost be compulsary - take it easy and explore the range of motion gently several times a day - don't be macho though - if there is pain, that is a definate message that damage to the fascia, be it tendon, ligament, cartiledge etc may require medical intervention of some sort.

[ Perhaps do a search here on the forum for "Tensegrity" and consider the information on the links suggested to see where I am coming from - my ideas do not always align with what others may propose. ]

Cheers
Randell. :D

[Fusionman]

Thanks Randall, I think my friend can refer me to a good chiro, probably not worthy of being a god parent...just kidding but hopefully they can help out. I will post when I know more. Thanks a lot for your help and time.

Thanks again.
-Nick

[bob_stra]

Depends on how bad the strain was.

Anything from a few weeks to a few months. Sometimes a lot longer. My forearm 'strain' from clubs took 6 months. My soleus 'strain' from GTB work took....oh....18 months?

Do a search on "shoulders" (and possibly rehab?) - I posted a link to the usual procedure for this (time take / goal / when to AROM / PROM) Or you can view the threads I've replied to by clicking on my profile (sorry - lots of em :) It's in there.

Yeah - feeling lazy today :lol:

Edited: Not that lazy after all, I guess:
http://circularstrengthmag.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1310&highlight=connective+tissue

http://www.uoregon.edu/~athmed/scaprhythm/rehab.html




So, in answer to your question, if you can find a good chiro, they are like hen's teeth



Rarer than that by factor of 5 at least.

[Fusionman]

so should I stay away from Kettlebells until fully rehab-ed? Do you think clubbells would be good for rehab and strength of rotator cuff? Hopefully!!!

[bob_stra]

so should I stay away from kbs until fully rehab-ed? Do you think Clubbells® would be good for rehab and strength of rotator cuff? Hopefully!!!

http://www.uoregon.edu/~athmed/scaprhythm/rehab.html

Did you read the article :-)

The first stage is to control swelling, maintain joint function,
regain proprioception and neural control, allow inflammation and primary
tissue healing

This is done by

Exercises:
*******
+PROM, AAROM and AROM IOW Joint rotations
*******
+Circumduction pendulum swings (Codman's) for pain management and ROM. IOW light clubs (5 lbs MAX) or if you prefer, ultra lite KB
*******
+Isometric cocontractions may also be used in this phase to regain proper individual muscle IOW Iso's
**********
FWIW & IMHO. these are listed in order of importance .
*
You're your own man. Do what you're going to do using your common sense. If you were my patient, I'd keep you away from the KB and clubs for a month, get you working on joint rotations and going to the pool. Then reintroduce the above in stages.

[rbibbs]

Bob's the 'doc', Nick. I'm just a skinny old guy who went through a long spell of shoulder trouble (now it's my hips), and researched it some when my brother dislocated his shoulder 5 times in 2yrs.

If you want to be 'conservative', don't try to train your shoulders until they are working 'perfectly'. MRI can pretty much tell you how much 'damage' is done, but chiropractors can't. There's a wide range of rotator cuff dysfunctions. Some are just 'localized soreness' from overexertion. Some are physical tears in the muscles (there are 4 in that set) and their associated connective tissues. If one is torn and you overexert it again before it's healed, the recovery time becomes MUCH longer. How much of a gambler are you?

[PaoloValladolid]

I am not a doctor or PT, but am going through a similar situation.

In early August, I injured myself with a KB exercise called the "RKC Armbar" in Resilient and called something else on Steve Maxwell's KB video. I had been fine doing it with a 16kg KB, but failed to note that my form had flaws before attempting the exercise with a 24kg KB.

Visits with a doctor specializing in orthopedic and sports medicine and an MRI with contrast dye injection showed nothing wrong with my rotator cuff and not full tear on anything, including the labrum, which he suspected was at least partially torn. So, the good news was that no surgery was needed. He prescribed 3 months of 3x week visits to a physical therapist, with a rehab program for strengthening the rotator cuff and some type of painkiller (Relafen). After the 3 months he wants to evaluate my shoulder. He said as far as exercise goes, anything that can be done pain-free is fine. For example, deadlifts are cool with him.

Based on my experience, I highly recommend seeing an orthopedic specialist or sports medicine specialist ASAP. I thought my shoulder had "just a strain", but it didn't "feel better" - it started to feel worse after a month. Though it turned out I don't need surgery (yet - we'll see when the 3 months are up), I am VERY glad I had a professional check it out and prescribe that MRI with contrast dye injection.

In short, see a doctor specializing in orthopedic or sports medicine ASAP. Good luck.