Slow motion = bad stack

[moosterbounce]

That makes me feel better Red - now we are both over achievers!!
Seriously though, i don't have pain, I have discomfort unless I move something accidentally then I have sharp jabby excruciating pain!!

Generally, it's like a 0.5 out of 10. I do have a high pain threshold though so am not a good judge. Without making people cringe, my dentist was considering root canal without anaesthetic on me and had only known 4 others she'd dine that on. Lucky for us both an impacted wisdom tooth was next door and had 3 other impacted friends so proper surgery was done instead.

Physio doesn't scare me. I've been trying to straighten my arm!! Besides, if I'm able to do physio then I'm healing

Thanks Bill...body armour on the TT bike...a new concept in aero

[moosterbounce]

For those interested, my recovery continues. I'm still off work after 7 weeks and am looking at another 2-3 before I return and I essentially have a desk job.

Had the 6 week checkup with the surgeon last week and all healing well at this stage. All the bits were where he had put them which was excellent as shoulders can slip quite easily. I was given permission to work with my physio doing passive exercises - I'm still not allowed to move my left arm by itself. Back again for more X-rays and surgeon check at week 10. It may take up to 2 years before I know if I'll need shoulder replacement.

My physio is great - simple exercises and some silly putty to improve my hand strength. I've dropped from 37kg in grip strength in November to 12 now. Pretty dramatic and you can see the muscle wastage in my hand, arm, shoulder, and (apparently) back. Physio is confident about getting me riding and paddling again, but doesn't know about swimming or even just being able to lift my arm above shoulder height ever again. This is due to the change in bone shape rather than muscular/tendon issues.

Post op X-rays show a 12cm ish plate in my arm and 10 screws and pins. Looking at the hospital bills, the parts cost around %4k. If anyone was wondering about the merits of private health insurance or personal insurance, so far bills are in the region of $12.5k with more X-rays, physio, and maybe more surgery to come.

[foo on patrol]

Slow process that's for sure but better than you were at the start.

Foo

[matagi]

The shoulder is a crap design. I did my rotator cuff back in 2009, as the result of a collision with another cyclist (and subsequent fall) on the GVBR. It took about 3 years to recover close to full movement and mine was just a muscle-tendon issue not broken bones with pin and plate. It has only been the last 6 months or so that I have been able to bench press weights without pain in my shoulder and I saw my physio within a week of the injury and also had rehab ie. I didn't just ignore it and hope for the best.

So what I'm trying to say is time and patience and good physio/rehab will get you there but you may find it takes longer than 2 years to regain maximum function (if you use my sample size of one as an example )

[gabrielle260]

Yes - it is a crap design... Way too many nerves and pain sensors around there too!
I had a rotator cuff tear repaired 3 yrs ago. It had come from a fall in 1998. The fall back then caused a bit of bone to move that then rubbed against the rotator cuff every time I moved my arm. After 10 yrs of doing this it had worn through to create a full thickness year.
Anyway, had a fall in October, broke a rib but also felt some damage to the shoulder. My GP and physio tried to tell me it was just bruised. An ultrasound showed no damage but I knew it was more than that. Finally a fortnight ago an MRI showed I had torn the rotator cuff in the same spot as before and I go in for surgery on Thursday week.
So, I'm not looking forward to the op but I know it's the only way to get better!

[gabrielle260]

Oops - got interrupted by the mother in law last night.... Meant to finish by saying good luck with the recovery Moosterbounce and Matagi... I know how hard that can be and how much work it can take.

[moosterbounce]

Cheers guys - nice to hear some honesty in relation to shoulder recovery. Many people don't understand the implications of my injury in such a complex joint and I'm not sure I do yet either. My GP and physio have been great helping me with this. I've certainly done a number on myself that is life altering. Oh well...onward and upward

As an aside, a friend did ask if mine was keyhole...hmmm...inflatable titanium plates have certainly revolutionised surgery!!

Good luck with your surgery Gab. I'm sure it will all be fine. Enjoy the rehab exercises - I can send you a copy of mine if you like as I was given rotator cuff exercises as it was the best they could offer me with the fractures and tendon issue and general trauma. Please don't ignore rehab guidelines as Matagi said. Its your best bet to returning to as close to normal as possible. I was advised that the no pain no gain mentality should DEFINITELY NOT be adopted with my injury when i did my exercises, and I wasn't to push to the point of pain. Check with your physio how far you should go - you want to find the right balance between pushing too hard and not enough.