Hey guys

I had the op (grade 2-3, 2 anchors + rotator cuff debridement) just under 3 weeks ago and had physio from day 10- my physio was quite surprised i was even in a sling post op! His protocol it to try get me playin my sport again in 8 weeks! Today he got my arm moving right above my head and exercises include holding a stick in both hands and trying to raise it upwards-as well had putting hands on mirror and turning wrists alongside scapula he wants full range by next time i see him! now when he got my arm above my head totally it hurt like made coming back down and apart from the stick exercise im having a LOT of difficulty with other two but this guy has treated a lot of elite rugby players with slap tears etc., any thoughts?!?! my surgeon still thinks like 4-5 months but physio seems pretty handy?

Rishman, Very interesting indeed that your PT thinks he can get you back to badminton( is that your sport) so fast. There are a few things I would caution you about and with an aggressive PT, sometimes you need to pay attention to some limits since he may gloss over them. Because sutures have been placed in the bone and the labrum and biceps tendon, the first three weeks requires protection that you have just finished. Certain extreme ROM can stress the sutures early on and especially strenghtening. When you were bringing your arm back down against gravity(stick ex's), you probably had quite a bit of pain. This is because the biceps tendon is having to work. The biceps tendon is directly attatched to the labrum that was repaired, so any stress here too early is not good. So pay attention to your pain with active motion and if it isn't ready don't push it. ROM gains and stretching tight tissues will be painful. The trick is to find ways to activate and strengthen gradually without stressing the biceps or RC muscles. To continue....

I am a PT and also 5 weeks post SLAP repair 2 anchors. I am a tennis player, so overhead activity like you. I know Rugby players get tears frequently, but I am unsure of this sport to comment more. Rugby has very different demmands than racquet sports. I will say that your racquet is lighter and there is less force needed to hit the cock than a ball, but you need velocity. As much as I want to get back, I will not hurry this until I feel my ROM and strength are full. My biggest obstacle
at the moment is the long head of the biceps. It has a very limited shall we say half life. Unfortunately it is used for so
many activities of daily living. If I overdo it, I get quite a bit of pain and usually aching at the end of the day. So this is really my limiting factor. When this is healing better I know my endurance will improve. So don't be attatched to a particular a time table, consult frequently with your surgeon and barring any setbacks you will be back in a few months. Keep me posted on how you do at 5-6 weeks. Sharon

Hey Rishman How often are you going to PT? Do you have any pain at night after therapy just curious? Sharon

Hey, seeing PT once or twice a week, tougher to see my old one now as Ive gone back to university so hes going to fill in my new one on his protocol, sling is totally off now (exactly 3 weeks post surgery) although I've had it off really for a while now...No pain at night....can get arm above head pretty easily (partially assisted although I think I could probably edge on non-assisted)...PT still hurts but Im getting better at the exercises and pain is decreasing, can feel some strength returning, like on the pushing hands against mirror exercise and rotating wrists round and then back again is becoming more do-able although still painful

Will try and keep you updated