Rotator Cuff Repair SaraK - Living the Life after Rotator Cuff Surgery

@SaraK sounds like you had a great weekend. We can't do much of anything here except eat outside in restaurants. Stores are just beginning to open. Hair salons won't open until June 1st and nail salons on June 20th. I finally have an appointment with my stylist on the 16th. Since I had a perm last February and no cut since I am incredibly bushy and harder to control each day.

I was going to ask how your therapy was going. When I read your post it seems I'm having similar issues with the behind the back. Although it's getting better, it hurts like crazy. I've discovered several other moves that affect the same muscles. Today was a particularly rough day for some reason. If my elbow is bent and I reach to the side, wow, does that hurt. Even walking and swinging my arms (especially back) hurt. My therapist did a lot of stretching on me which helped a lot. Hopefully sleeping will be better tonight.

Anxious to hear how you're doing.
Sue
 
Hi Sue @momweb ,

Yes it was a good weekend for me. Restaurants in St. Louis reopened last week with limited seating but we've decided to just continue doing take out once a week for now. Hair and nail salons are open as well with certain restrictions. Even though I need a pedicure badly (we didn't do them this weekend), I'm going to hold off for awhile on that as well. I just want to see how many Covidiots (like the ones at the Lake of the Ozarks this weekend) are out there before I do too much. I started to let my hair grow before my accident and got it cut some before quarantine, but it's getting longer and bushy again. Luckily, I can pull it back with a head band.

I don't have any problems with swinging my arms but my PT says that the extremes of external and internal rotation (like you described) are the most difficult to deal with and can be the most painful to work on. They're also ones that you can easily make the wrong motion too quickly and OUCH! Most range of motion is pretty good now and I'm working a lot on strengthening. I can almost put the arm straight up now but just a tad more to go.

I've been given the go ahead to increase to 7.5 lbs on some movements (shoulder shrugs, dumbbell bench press, bend over row, etc.) But they are impossible to find. Instead, I've ordered some 2.5 lb wrist wraps to use with 5 lb dumbbells. I've also started to use 2 lb dumbbells for shoulder presses and front and lateral arm raises.

We also started several new exercises today - the next phase of range of motion. A lot of it is moving the arm in motions we've done before but with the arm twisted opposite of the usual placement of the palm. My arm is tired this evening but, to me, that feels good! Because of the short week, I have PT again tomorrow.

I hope tonight is restful and you wake up feeling much better tomorrow!

Take care,

Sara
 
Covidiots
That’s a good one! :heehee:

Hopefully you’ve had a second good weekend, Sara. It sounds like you’re doing really well in your recovery.

With any luck you’ll feel comfortable with the salons soon. Just think how great you’ll feel with a hair trim and pedi. Woohoo! Get your glam on, girl! :wink:

A peaceful Sunday and great week to you. :)
 
@Layla - you should know me better than that now. I'm more concerned with being comfortable going into a gym than a salon! Actually, I do have an appointment with my trainer for June 13. We'll be limited on what I can do but it will be good to get back to some semblance of normal. I see the doctor a few days before this session - we'll see how much he'll let me try.

I'm at the point in recovery where nothing happens quickly. I continue to get stronger and more range of motion, but it's not progressing as quickly as it was a few weeks ago. It's kind of like the 3-6 week point with THR recovery.

How are you doing? Have you been able to get out for a haircut or relaxing coffee session with friends? Or a good playdate with your granddaughter?
 
you should know me better than that now. I'm more concerned with being comfortable going into a gym than a salon!

Yes, I do know you better than that. :yes: I think the salon thing bugs us mainly because we’re being told we can’t go somewhere we wish we could, which can be more frustrating than our hair that needs a trim, lol.

I am doing well, Sara, thanks for asking. I’ve spent time with my granddaughter from almost the beginning aside from the first couple of weeks or so. I recently made it to the salon to address the hair in need, but haven’t been to coffee or a meal with friends yet as restaurants just began opening at 25% capacity, encouraging patio seating in the open air with spacing six feet apart. I’m not in a hurry to experience what I’m sure will look and feel strange. Like most people, I’m tired of it all and wish it was over. Hopefully soon! :fingersx:

I hope you have a good appt with your surgeon and he gives you the green light to take next steps with your trainer. May your patience hold out until then. :)

Take good care of yourself. :friends:
@SaraK
 
Turns out, playing cards is PT, so I've done HOURS of it so far this weekend
@Layla - you should know me better than that now. I'm more concerned with being comfortable going into a gym than a salon
Yep, we know you...:) :-) (:
I'm envisioning fifteen lb playing cards...
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:rotfl:
 
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@tazzy13 - so glad you got your date! When you have your thread set up, tag me so I can put it on my watch list!
 
Hard to believe tomorrow is 11 weeks post op! I had a PT session this morning but will not have another until 6/15 - almost 2 weeks to rehab unsupervised! Scary thought, isn't it!

We did discuss the plan for what I should be doing (even scarier, we discussed do's but we didn't discuss don'ts) and I got approval on a few new exercises (upright rows, bentover fly, chest fly, etc. with low weight) and to continue other exercises increasing weight as tolerated. He also approved planks at waist height. Continuing range of motion, of course, to get the outer limits of movements and work on more difficult movements like behind the back and cross-border. Today was also the first session that I used the arm bike - only for 4 minutes, alternating forward and backwards.

I was so sad I had to turn down a kayaking trip with some friends. It sounded like so much fun but I didn't even have to ask the PT on that one. It would have been a bit too much for the shoulder and too great a chance of a sudden tug causing problems.

Now to convince the doctor to let me use the weightlifting equipment set to arrive in 3 weeks! Without any additional weights for now so not asking to lift heavy (in my definition at least).

A girl's gotta dream, right? :heehee:
 
You dream away, it will come true soon enough,Just don't over due.Take care.
 
almost 2 weeks to rehab unsupervised! Scary thought, isn't it!
YES! :yes:

(even scarier, we discussed do's but we didn't discuss don'ts)

DON’T DO ANYTHING WE WOULDN’T DO! :heehee:

Now to convince the doctor to let me use the weightlifting equipment set to arrive in 3 weeks!

:flabber: I YI YI!

Happy Eleven Weeks to you!
I hope you enjoy the weekend while behaving yourself. :)
 
DON’T DO ANYTHING WE WOULDN’T DO! :heehee:

@Layla - I think that ship has long since sailed (and is now a shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean)!

Have a great weekend while I TRY to behave myself!
 
I just got back from a great 12 week follow up. The surgeon said I'm ahead of schedule for range of motion and was surprised by my strength at this point. I go back in 6 weeks but, in the meantime, the only restriction is no heavy weights.

The surgeon approved my plan for starting back with my trainer this Saturday including using a "safety bar" for squats and a light training bar for bench and deadlift (with no other weights on the bars for now) and low weight/high rep on most of the upper body machines. I wasn't sure whether he'd approve all of it so I'm doing a happy dance right now! :happyfeet::dancy::happydance::spin::yahoo:
 
It sounds like you had an awesome visit with your surgeon and you’re clearly ecstatic. :)
I‘m happy for you, Sara! it s hard to believe you’re going on three months already.
Have a wonderful Wednesday and rest of the week.:SUNsmile:
@SaraK
 
Wow, @SaraK sounds like your visit with the doc went great! You are a little ahead of me. I still have to build more strength. My ROM is pretty good, but the arm is still pretty weak. You asked me about gardening. I don't have any issue there, except when I went to spray the weeks, the squeezing motion was hard after a while. I keep forgetting how connected everything is. I haven't used any actual weights. I think they would do me in. Keep up the good work.
 
@momweb - you'd be surprised how much you could do with the weights! I did also start from a little different place from that standpoint, though.

That behind the back movement and reaching across the shoulder are still the 2 hardest moves for me. My surgeon didn't have me move the hand further back - just putting it on the back. Did a lot more with sweeping motions (think of a 60s backup singer) including from the side of my body to overhead, keeping palm down so backs of hand would try to touch. He did the "keep it steady while I push" with the arm in front of me but palm up.

We'll eventually get to the same spot but interesting to see different PT approaches and surgeon's procedures!
 
Definitely doing my happy dance. It felt so good to be back under the bar. I found out the safety bar weighs 75 lb instead of the 55 lb is been told before, but that's our little secret (it actually felt light). After some body weight squats and 20lb goblet squats, I did 3 sets of 7 with the safety bar. OMG - it felt so good! I also did 3 sets of 10 benching with the 18lb training bar - heaven!

In the other big news department, I tried the bed again last night. Not the most comfortable, but I got about 5 hours sleep in it before I migrated to the recliner for the last couple of hours. I'll try again tonight.
 
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How are you doing @tazzy13 ? Tomorrow is 1 week, isn't it? That first week was definitely the hardest for me. Hopefully things will just get better and better for you from here!
 
Glad to hear how well things are going. I also wanted to thank you for inspiring me to get back after it myself. I’m still avoiding going in person to the gym (really miss the pool) but our gym has YouTube and FB classes on cardio, weights, etc. I thought: Sara is doing this, I can, too! It felt so good to do their cardio routine. I couldn’t do every exercise exactly but I did do all of them with modifications as I needed. Keep on keepin’ on, my friend and I will, too. Thanks, again. ❤️ Pat
 
Thanks @Hip4life - it's always nice to hear that I've motivated someone (especially if in a good way and not to excess). As you demonstrated, Pat, we can do a lot of things as long as we recognize when/how we need to modify things to accommodate where we are at this point in life! I'm trying to decide when to go back to my regular gym and still not going out to listen to music with friends. It's a lot more lonely existence but I want to give it a bit more time.
 

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