I just read through your first 7 weeks. Looks like you started strength training far before I did, but I started AROM before you. I wonder why this was? Strength training is more risky on the healing areas than AROM is.

The AROM we are doing is very minimal right now (curling arm down towards gut, wrist bent in, then extending overhead with wrist bent back). At first it was AAROM (PT got me used to the movement) and then he had me do it on my own, but just this one movement and it was done while laying down. It felt great, like an active stretch. But my Dr said no strength training till 6-7 weeks have passed, which brings us to next week where I will start with bands, etc.

202 Days since surgery, dare i say it, a successful outcome !

If i said i cant believe its 202 days since i was wheeled into surgery i would be telling a lie. There is not a day that goes by when your not feeling some sort of pain, soreness, some level of discomfort, executing stretches and going through rehab exercises. Its a process you just have to go through and anyone reading this considering surgery should fully understand this before making their decision.

As i write this still feeling some minor tightness in the levator scapulae and upper trap muscle but no pain , the scapula seems to be now functioning properly and hopefully only a matter of time before all remaining side effects of the surgery are gone.

In the last 2 weeks i have really stepped up the intensity of my workouts, now able to super set and maintain a high tempo with the weight training however maintaining a comfortable weight with the intent to build up gradually each week. While training i have incorporated what i believe are better preparation habits, cardio to warm up the entire body, RC exercises no matter what i am doing that day and stretching after each set, especially the pectoral and bicep areas and yes i still ICE the shoulder every evening. I do feel some additional soreness in the repaired area, i guess this is expected even after 6 months.

For the golfers who may be interested on my progress, finally broke par (since surgery) on the golf course last weekend, interestingly the long game comes back relatively quickly however short game (chipping n putting) is way off (dreaded yips ), i believe this is because this skill requires subtle movements of a very stable shoulder and making these subtle smooth moves are difficult to control as shoulder tends to be jerky. Hopefully over time this will improve !

Take care all shoulder peeps, wishing all a continued and speedy recovery.

252 Days since surgery, thought i would check in with an update !

I would put myself at 99% recovered, i do get reminders from time to time that shoulder was surgical repaired especially if i over work in gym. No pain at all however some tingling in shoulder and bicep a day or so after a hard work out, also the levator Scapula still has its moments of stiffness but nothing of concern as have full neck range of motion. It's not a year yet and i have read that 12 - 18 months before 100%

My workouts are in no way as intense as before, i take an extra minute between sets and only super set opposing muscles now. I have been bulking back up last 6 weeks using the 10/8/6 pyramid therefore only 6 reps at max weight and increasing max 10lb every week , before its was 6 to 8 reps x 4 at max routines (probably why i am writing this blog lol) but seeing excellent results and basically up to strength but not size levels pre surgery. Comfortably benched 225lbs for 6 reps last week, shoulder press 65lbs dumbbells for 6 reps, and bicep pull ups with 40lb dumbbell strapped on 6 reps. As i am not training with same intensity and trying to bulk up i am carrying a little more fat than i would like but this is to be expected until i switch to cutting routines.

Golf is going great, shoulder is moving smoothly now so putting issues gone.

All in all shoulder is in great shape however i still have moments of worry and do pay special attention to ensuring i do the right things to prevent re injury or injury of other i.e. effective warm ups, RC exercises and i still ice after work outs or golf !

Take Care everyone

Good to hear that things are great!

I'm 4 months post op and still have stiffness in the lower/mid trap, lat/surpra/infraspinatus and deep in my pec (not sure if minor or major). When do the knots/stiffness go away for the most part? I've been using heat and massaging the areas daily.

Hey Bench, nice to hear from you !

Just checked back my blog, i actually posted day 137 very similar issues with muscles that attached to the scapula however not so much in the pec area or lower mid traps.

What activities are you doing now ?

For me the muscles released at around the 8 month mark, it was almost an overnight thing, like you i was massaging, stretching etc with no end in sight and it was almost overnight i just woke up and the tension and stiffness was gone. To this day tho my infra, levatae and upper trap stiffen up, also after a do chest in gym what used to be 2 days of soreness is now 3-4 for repaired side. From what i have learned its just time needed for all the muscles to re sync and strengthen.

For me stretching is the priority, Google "stick stretching for rotator cuff" this is amazing therapy and gives me great relief when stiffness sets in, just make sure and warm up the muscles first with light dumbbells or bands. At 4 months you can also hit the throwers 10 program hard shock the muscles with lots of reps and sets.

Keep me posted or PM me

Thanks for the quick reply! I have to say I've been absent far too long from this site. Hectic summer.

I started the throwers 10 program around the 3 month mark, with bands, cable machine and dumbbells. D1/D2 movements. We do the rows with the cable machine while standing though, not prone.

I tore my pec when I initially injured my shoulder. This could be why I'm having pec issues. My infra&supraspinatus and even part of the lat that attached to the rib are also tight though so this could be the reason why my pec is tight, or vice versa. Opposing muscle groups.

I am doing pushups on a yoga / stability ball though now as well...they're pretty tough because of how shaky they can be with the ball, causes a lot of stabilizers to fire.

The stick stretching...I'll look into that. I've been using a broomstick to stretch for a while now in various movements. I've also just purchased the medium and heavy bands to do exercises from home now too. I think I may do them 3 days a week now and also join a yoga class somewhere to help.