I have a couple more questions for the dr this wk..i need a more definitive rehab timeline..also ..what are options to try and swim thru and important time of the varsity swimming. he mentioned cortisone to my husband. my son is mildly symptonmatic with full rom and achiness when he really surfs and swims hard. but the swim season is relentless and lots of yardage..we need a better picture for down the rd..i will ask harder quest tomorrow..i hope! cna i ask how old most of you are here??not to be rude..just to get a sense of how broad the spectrum is..I would appreciate that with no disrespect intended. I am a CHD survivor of 4 OHS and we like to share in many ways of life..it helps..Hope to hear from some of you..and what degrees of tears do you have etc...how long can you go on..etc...

I would say many on this site range from 25-45, with a few older and yes a few as young as your son. It will be interesting to ask the OS about the timeline. What many have discovered is that although the OS may say 4-6 months before overhead sports, being able to compete at full strength may take longer. Everyone recovers at different rates, but the younger the patient, the better the chance of a quicker recovery.

In my particular case as a 46 yr old tennis player, I played for 2 years primarily because the MRI did not detect the tear. I probably made it worse but am thankful that I did not cortisone the pain away, as I was able to stop when I felt I had done enough. Pain was really not my biggest issue, over time I would become weaker and weaker and could not play but every few days and then could not count on the shoulder to compete thru a full match. He could continue with coritisone, but again it will only deal with the pain and I believe is not wise in terms of listening to the body to know when enough is enough. Cortisone will heal nothing, just take the pain away. Just curious how long did your son stay away from swimming during his year of rehab. I have a 17 year old patient with a slap tear and it has taken about 5-6 months of no aggravating activities but I believe she will not need the surgery.

My son stayed out of the water and in PT for 12 wks last fall from AUg to Nov..He actually was in the pool kicking for a few weeks at the end of Oct to get his wind back but no arms for 12 wks.He swm all thru March and again we took a few wks off w/ PT twice a wk and as soon as he started up swimming again the aches started. His mri show inflammation around the ball causing the pain i believe the dr said. Going to speak to him more today. Thank you for the input all....

Our 14 year old daughter(swimmer) had repair on feb. 11th. Doc said not in her best interest to return to swimming. Arm still weak after months of pt. Shoulder pops in and out during pt. Can't get a straight about whether this is normal.

we are going fwd with my sons surgery next month. had more discussion with the OS and we are confident that this tear needs repair. it could become worse and that would complicate matters more. so he is enjoying the next mont of surfing and wakeboarding and then we will do the surgery in nyc. will keep you posted on recovery..thanks for all the replies!

To J.H.
That is not normal, it sounds like she has a loose capsule, what kinda of surgery did she have and when.