I had a MRI on my shoulder today.........

[slayer1]

I have been putting this off until after hunting season. It has been hurting me pretty bad for the last month or so. I had the MRI today, the doctors think I may have a labrel tear. Has anyone here ever had the procedure to repair this type of problem? I want to take care of this as soon as I can so I can try to recover before next hunting season. At this point I am not even sure this is possible. Thanks in advance for the help!

[Froggy]

Check with Bob Walker, I think that's what he had a couple years back. Hope it works out for you Scott !!

Lanier

[magnus]

Hope all goes well.
Keeping the Faith!
Magnus

[Bill Carlsen]

Yep....about 5 years ago. The only thing you can do for it is the surgery. The rehab is not bad if you listen and do everything you are told to do. Most people I know who have had bad experiences with the outcomes of such surgeries are the ones that didn't listen to the docs and PT's. It may very well be that you will need to do some sort of exercises the rest of your life to maintain strength and range of motion. Good luck. Hope your outcome is as good as mine turned out to be.

[slayer1]

Thanks for the advice Bill. How long before you were able to shoot again? I dont mind the hard work to get back to normal. Right now I am trying to mentally prepare myself for whats ahead.

[landman]

Look into a procedure called PRP, Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy.   My entire right shoulder was torn up due to a nasty fall down two flights of steps and my orthopedic surgeon tried this before having me go through a very radical surgery with months of therapy.   I had 3 injections and was good to go without surgery in around 6 months.    This procedure is essentially painless and it's being used in sports med clinics all over the country.  

Here is a link and good luck with it:

 http://www.orthohealing.com/plateletrichplasmatherapy-prp/

[Mudd]

I will be praying for healing and  a complete recovery.

God bless,Mudd

[Bob B.]

Slayer,

Ok, I am 45 years old.  I have had a labrel tear for about 5 years.  I had my wife tuck in my shirts, I put my belt in my pants, then put the pants on etc.  No quality of life man!  However, I ahve a severe Dr. phobia.  So, I started rehab on my own.   Now I shoot bows all the time, I have no pain and can even dress myself.  I had no surgery.  I am terrible at typing, so if you want to discuss this, you can PM me and we can exchange phone numbers.  I would be happy to discuss this over the phone with you if you would like.

Good luck,

Bob.

[S.C. Hunter]

I can't speak the therapy or the healing process. What I can speak to is have a surgeon who is preferably trained in sports medicine. I am in surgery everyday. The surgeons who are trained for sports medicine do a nice job to get you back to your activity and are focused on the repair and your range of motion. I have had general orthopedist who do a great job. I just see a little more concern of mobility with the sports trained surgeons. Good luck!

[bowrocker07]

Slayer,

Stay positive!  I'm 21 years old and had back surgery in November!  The healing process takes its time, but you'll be back before you know it, IF you follow Doc's orders.  My dad had a shoulder surgery, and he was shooting in about 6 months.  If you go through with it, get a set of light weight resistance bands and practice bow drawing motions once the physical therapist gives you the OK, so you can maintain some of your muscle memory.  

Good Luck!

[SEMO_HUNTER]

My brother had the surgery after a work related injury and he was back to shooting his bow at full strength in about 4 months. He did exactly what the physical therapist told him to do and never touched his bow until the doc gave him the ok to.
You'll be fine Slayer......I'll keep ya in my prayers for a speedy recovery!

[crotch horn]

It all depends on the severity of the tear. Think about when you are cutting meat. With the grain & against it are two different things. My shoulder surgery was Dec 8th 2008. I had crushed the joint on my shoulder along with tendinitis in the rotator cuff and a torn labrum. Took a year of going to my general ortho guy & pt for him to say he could not do anything but pain management. Translation.... live with it & medicate yourself into oblivian. I went to a sports ortho & got the exact opposite reading of the situation. By the time I had the surgery the rotator cuff & labrum had healed on their own. Had the joint fixed & was back to everything in weeks with some limitations. You need to be smart and do what they tell you. I lifted weights with a professional body builder & shot my bow right up til the day of surgery. My trainer knew what he was doing & it made an 8 week recovery turn into 3 weeks. This is a professional and I only did what he told me with him right there making sure I did it correctly. Best thing I did though because it kept everything strong & spead up the recovery. They cut through 3 places in my shoulder to do the surgery. I shot 60+ lb bows but had pain in the shoulder after full recovery so I sold them & shoot low to mid 50s now with no problem. Sorry so long but want to make the point of listen to the pros & you should be shooting care free again with no regrets. Good luck

[cyred4d]

I don't know much about it but want to wish you good luck and Godspeed.

[Bonebuster]

For me, the words "doctors THINK I may have" are enough for me to do a bit more asking and checking around.

I have a nephew who is a U.S. Marine, while on leave at Christmas a couple years ago he broke his ankle. He went to a hospital in a nearby town. Major surgery...rehab...career in the Marines...OVER. I told him go to another doctor.

Our small town doctor set his ankle in a temporary cast, and told him to see a Marine doctor. Long story short, no surgery, no rehab, and STILL a proud Marine.

Shoulders ain`t ankles, but the message is the same. What one doctor sees, and what another see may not be the same thing.

[slayer1]

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys! I go back to the Dr on Tuesday for the the results. The doc I am going to works on pro athetes so that makes me feel better. It really sucks when something you live for gets taken away. Guess you just have to roll with the punches when something like this happens. Who knows, maybe the shoulder will be stronger once it is repaired. Got to stay positive!

[Bowmag]

I had some major reconstruction work done on my left(bow arm) shoulder about six years ago. It was nearly two years before I could shoot a legal hunting weight bow. But limited range of movement slowed my ability to regain strength.
I totally agree with the importance of having a really good sports minded physical therapist. Mine was excellent. Both that time and the second time to repair an injury to other arm.
Do what they say and do your exercises. Don't try to rush it. And pain meds are your friend.
Good Luck

[Tim]

Hey Scott,

I had my left shoulder (I shoot left handed)  "cleaned out" 5 years ago.  I had an impingement and the surgery involved removing the bursitis sac and sanding off a few bone spurs. I was told it was a mess in there.  I had the surgery done in March and I could shoot my bow in August but only 50 lbs.  Not sure how that compares to your tear but I do recommend following the therapy ritual.  I decided to go fly fishing a few weeks after the surgery (I cast right handed, so how much harm could I do)...BAD move and one that really set me back.

As we get older recovery takes a little longer, get it fixed now so you'll be good to go come fall!    

Later Bud.....Tim

[Bill Carlsen]

Slayer: I had it done right at the end of the deer season after Christmas. They told me a two month recovery but I beat them by about 3 weeks. Just do everything they tell you to do...religiously.  I was shooting my bows for Spring turkey (60#) in May. If you do it now you should be fine for the Spring hunt.

[maxfit]

Slayer
Slow down...how long has it been hurting? How severe? Can you sleep on it? Does advil/ice rest help? Dont forget the Dr. thinks it may be.  I deal with these injuries all the time. I am a pro bodybuilder, and professional trainer. I just had a client last May who came to me and he couldn't even hold his bow up,let alone pull it. He had surgery on one side 5 yrs earlier and didnt want it in the other side this time around. Plus he is a Skeet coach and couldn't bring his gun up. Guess  what, he was shooting his gun by the end of August and hunted with his recurve this past fall. If i can help you feel free to pm me.

[Bonecracker]

Sent you a PM!