Shoulder replacement surgery.
3 month(s) ago • 534 views • 46 replies
I am a 50-year-old two-stripe blue belt. Next Monday, March 17, I will undergo a posterior cervical foraminotomy, with all the associated risks. The recovery time will be long, and I will definitely miss BJJ during that period. But I also believe that everything will be okay. I get your dilemma—it’s a tough decision. On one hand, waiting might seem like the safer option, but on the other, continuing to train with a bad shoulder could limit you even more over time. If surgery gives you the chance to heal properly and eventually go full force again, it might be worth considering sooner rather than later. Plenty of people have come back strong after major surgeries, even competing at a high level. Recovery will take time, but if done right, it could give you a fresh start instead of constantly dealing with pain and limitations. Whatever you decide, I hope it leads to you being able to train and compete the way you want. |
I put on my monkey suit for the first time in 2 months and ran judo class the other day since our regular instructor was out of town. It should go without saying that I didn't do any sparring or falling or any of that nonsense. Still, it felt pretty good to be able to do some instructing. https://youtube.com/short[...]b3BCMZbbEG |
"How did your shoulder feel while teaching the throws? I’m a brown belt in judo as well and I have to teach it as well. Have you drilled?" Shoulder felt...ok. I can throw most my throws one-handed at this point, since my shoulder has been jacked up for so long. I just felt super rusty, if you can't tell already by the video. I really didn't do any drilling outside of demonstrating uchi komi. I definitely can't take a fall on my shoulder at this point. It was good for my psychological well-being more than anything: one of the many hidden benefits of bjj/judo. |
"I put on my monkey suit for the first time in 2 months and ran judo class the other day since our regular instructor was out of town. It should go without saying that I didn't do any sparring or falling or any of that nonsense. Still, it felt pretty good to be able to do some instructing. https://youtube.com/short[...]b3BCMZbbEG" Who cares about randori, you’re demonstrating sode with a new shoulder! That’s a win!!! |
I'm glad you're recovering so well! I'm battling for every degree of motion now. Last Friday I felt a sharp pain while my PT was stretching me out and over the weekend it was really painful even at rest. We discussed the progression timeline and how aggressively to approach range recovery stretches on Monday. Instead of the normally recommended pain level 5-6, based on my personal pain tolerance I'm no longer allowed to allow anything beyond a 4 to avoid overdoing it again. |
"My goal is to compete as much as I can this year and maybe next year take care of it. Question are you ever going to compete again or train really hard you think?" Oh I'll definitely compete again; and I'll be able to be way more competitive with a fully-functional shoulder as well. I've got 99 recorded competition matches to date. Looking forward to #100 when I'm all healed up. |
"I'm glad you're recovering so well! I'm battling for every degree of motion now. Last Friday I felt a sharp pain while my PT was stretching me out and over the weekend it was really painful even at rest. We discussed the progression timeline and how aggressively to approach range recovery stretches on Monday. Instead of the normally recommended pain level 5-6, based on my personal pain tolerance I'm no longer allowed to allow anything beyond a 4 to avoid overdoing it again." I'm sorry it's taking so long. Seems like you should be feeling better than you are at this point. My understanding is that unless they had to reattach your biceps or mess with your rotator cuff, you should be nearing the end of your PT. |
The problem is external rotation. My PT has guessed that the surgeon probably tightened up the subscapularis a bit to make sure the joint was stable, combined with six weeks in the sling with the muscle in its shortened state have made it resistant to loosening back up. My right arm only goes to 60-65° or so, which is pretty tight already, but the 40-some degrees I have back on the left side sounds like it's not far behind but is actually kind of pathetic. That and lifting the arm directly out to the side are still bad, everything else is coming along just fine. We're going to dry needle the muscle again today, the first time we did that I jumped from 30° to 40° in like two sessions, so here's hoping it works just as well this time. (Edited 2 week(s) ago) |
Stabbed and zapped the subscap and deltoid last night, and wow, does it make a difference! We're going to remeasure on Friday, but I think I got another 5° of external rotation, and everything else feels calmer and looser as well. I can lace my fingers together behind my head/neck again. I have no idea why blue cross blue shield doesn't recognize this as a legitimate medical treatment. Each needling has broken plateaus for me that have stalled me out over weeks of PT without it. I'm happy to pay the extra fee for what I get out of it. |
"I have no idea why blue cross blue shield doesn't recognize this as a legitimate medical treatment. Each needling has broken plateaus for me that have stalled me out over weeks of PT without it. I'm happy to pay the extra fee for what I get out of it." The just recognize it as something they can deny to boost their profits. Health care in the USA is such a goat rope. When I got my hip done last month I got a letter from the insurance company a few days before my surgery telling me they acknowledged that it was a medically necessary procedure, but they weren't sure if they were willing to pay for it or not. That was a tense few days getting that sorted out. |
"Stabbed and zapped the subscap and deltoid last night, and wow, does it make a difference! We're going to remeasure on Friday, but I think I got another 5° of external rotation, and everything else feels calmer and looser as well. I can lace my fingers together behind my head/neck again. I have no idea why blue cross blue shield doesn't recognize this as a legitimate medical treatment. Each needling has broken plateaus for me that have stalled me out over weeks of PT without it. I'm happy to pay the extra fee for what I get out of it." So you went somewhere other than your pt for the dry needling? Dry needles have never worked for me (prior to total replacement) but my shoulder/hip, as i mentioned earlier, were pretty far gone. I'm expecting they'll give it another try with my new shoulder, maybe even tomorrow, and it's definitely covered by my insurance. I also have bcbs, fwiw. |
I do it through my PT, they just charge a self-pay $30 per needling because BCBS writes it down to an unsustainable number based on the fact that they don't believe in acupuncture or something. The entire billing system is pretty fubar, but I hit my out of pocket with this surgery, so I'm generally not required to pay a dime for the rest of the year. The extra $30 is money well spent. As for its effectiveness, I'm sure it wasn't what you needed for the issues you had at the time. I've found for myself that nothing works better to calm down angry or misbehaving muscle groups, of which I have no shortage following surgery and six weeks of immobilization. If that sounds like part of your problem today, then I'd highly recommend it. |
