Just found out why my shoulder - appearantly the short biceps tendon head - has been “lit up…”
My long biceps tendon (On my right arm) has torn off, and thus things are out of wack…
I can live with the situation, which has been over a month of constant low to medium level pain on the right upper quadrent - chest, shoulder, back, neck…
Or, I can go under the knife, which is usually considered a last resort with attendent risks -but it sounds like it’s a pretty straight forward repair - a bummer to me is to be out of the water for what sounds like three plus months… esp. with the winter season upon us up here…
Anyway - Anyone out there have knowledge/experience to share?
due to a very severe dislocating right shoulder........................after 17 years of suffering...........a 5-1/2 hr. surgery.................... 2 years rehab/physical therapy............and approx. 5 yrs to get it all back...........i have no more problems with it.
but you talk about the physical pains of the past..........i gotta good idea what you are going thru.
i can only recommend to you is:::::::::::::: find a good surgeon w/ recommendations.
I’d look at repairing it, but make sure it’s not too late.
I tore one of my triceps in my right arm back around 1986 or so and I regret not having it fixed. I waited a week before seeing a doctor and then was told by Kaiser Hosp. that it was too late to fix. Quite a few years later, a friend told me that it wasn’t too late in my case, but Kaiser won’t do things it doesn’t have to.
Don’t look at the down time, look at the pros and cons of not doing the repair. The costs are also a big thing.
In my case, the muscle reattached itself on it’s own, but not in the same location, so there’s some loss in strength. It also looks a little funny. I’m right handed, so that affected me some.
According to my PT - I have some time, but not lots, as fat begins to invade the non-used muscle, and it will get harder to fix/recouver.
I am making peace with the down time - my biggest concern is making peace with myself during the down time, as I’ve had issue with too much self medication while laid up in the past, and that never helps anything.
The biggest thing I’m thinking about - supposedly I could live with it, but it’s a bit of constant pain and interference with functioning - feels like my elbow get stuck/locked up when I play guitar, and it’s been weaker when surfing/swimming…
I think the next step is to talk with surgeons and find out what the realities are.
This has been a heavy year for me, and it’s not like I was expecting to hear this from the PT…
Sharkcountry - I’ll have to break out the collection of dvds your brother sent me… Got me through a serous sickness years ago, and I learned some stuff…
Get it surgically repaired, or you will have additional problems as the other tendons and muscles work to over compensate and begin to get wear and tear issues as well. And the longer you wait, the more atrophy in the torn tendon will occur, tso harder for the surgeon to obtain the best outcome.
Had something similar in 2002, a jump gone bad while snowboarding out of bounds, completely tore the left pectoral muscle off the humerous. Took a fine surgeon, one of the 49er team surgeons, and 4 months of rehab, mostly swimming and paddling, to fully recover.
Get it one ASAP, there is always another winter. And suggest having it done by a sports medicine surgeon who is used to working with athletes. I believe you’re in Oregon…? if so, suggest the Slocum Center for Orthopedics in Eugene, they take care of all of the U of O athletes.
yea, never fun,TO. Been putting off hip replacement for several years. Fine surfing on it, walking the beach to the paddleout, not so much. Getting to where I can’t ignore it much longer, so currently interviewing hip surgeons for a mid winter replacement.
I’m just north of you, on Devils Lake. Was a nice fall hereabouts while it lasted.
sports med cutters tend to be the best - used to athletes who want to be back to steam ahead at the earliest opportunity, so keep up on the latest techniques so their patients can do just that. Lotta hack conventional surgeons out there, sports med cutters much more skilled.
Uncle Amby - I have a call in to a highly recomended guy. I am currently feeling woosy as I watch videos of surgerys. The more I’m studying, the sooner I’d like to get it going… I think I put off becoming a bouy for a few more decades… God willing… Ha!
lcc - when did you move over? A while back we did some pm’s and you were living in West Salem… Must be nice to be close eh?
I’d get it fixed T. O. I think the docs are pretty good at fixing this type of thing. I know 2 people with ruptured biceps tendons that are back at what they love to do. My brother, mid fifties, ruptured his catching one of his little gymnast. He’s back at it after the surgery. No. 2. Big wave charger in my county. Also mid 50’s. Ruptured his working in the garden of all things. I laughed at him them apologized. Told him, " you charge the biggest, knarliest surf on the planet and you hurt yourself moving a rock in your garden?! Far as I know he’s back at it. You’re an athelete. Motivated to get well and will heel fast. Listen to your uncle Amby. Do the research to see who’s the best in your area. Mike
I won’t go into details, but it was quite severe. Lost 4 months off work and had to follow up the following year with scope removal of damaged cartilage.
While I still live with on and off pain, I owe a debt of gratitude to the wonderful surgeon who put my knee back together as well as could be expected. This guy was World Class. His normal workload revolved around helping bone cancer patients…
Find the BEST guy you can and have him do the work.
Don’t put off major repairs … It will hurt / haunt you later on.
It’s like your car… When the brakes are gone, they need a fixin’…
Take care of your body. Those slight anoying pains and aches that just won't go away, may turn into something that will keep you out of the water for the rest of your life.
Yea, TO, moved into Neotsu couple months ago, house on the north end of the lake I’ve been upgrading, five mins to the beach, sunny little banana belt location.
We came close to relocating back to NorCal to be closer to kids/grandkids,lotta trips back down there, seriously considered Santa Cruz, in the end, just couldn’t do it.
Just too damn crowded. And Expensive. And did I mention crowds?
Up here, lotta wide open space, reasonable cost, can flyfish for salmon on the coast, run to the mountains, camp and fish dozens of lakes and streams in beautiful settings. Gets cold, ya, surfed a fun beachbreak yesterday with just one other guy. Down in Cali, would have been a crowd on that wave.
It might take you a bit to get on the surgery schedule with the best sports med surgeons, their usually working a full dance card. Worth the wait, however. The one time I didn’t wait because I was hobbling around on a bum knee, had what was supposed to be a really good surgeon clean up the knee, then a year later had to have a sports med surgeon clean up the mess the first surgeon made.
…I have the rotator cuff tendon damaged, from long time, I can barely surf right now, this year only 10 times in the water and mostly on point breaks; I cannot handle currents or beachbreaks; I do not have enough power in the arms and do not have good paddling power for the take off, due to the lack of Surfing and that I cannot do the training accord.
The shoulder specialist from my health system is not one that I trust to perform the surgery…I know about other 2, that are the good ones here; one did a very unique surgery to a Surfing buddy last year, a good Surfing day, with large surf; I was in that point break and this buddy and others went for a hollow beackbreak 1 km from there and suddenly a wave destroyed ALL the arm (biceps, triceps, shoulder and biceps tendons, ligaments, etc, the arm was hold only for nerves…)1 year later the guy returned to Surfing (but he never quit water exercises) and went to Galápagos islands to surfing the good surf; the other day I saw him at the beach and told me that he do not have any pain but the total power strength will come in a year more., so around 2 - 3 years.
I do not have the money to take a private clinic, and I need to finish with some stuff (that requires both hands) and let several shaped blanks before I try the surgery. May be also I take a mellow surfing trip to the caribbean before, too
At this point I have a call in to a highly recomended guy in “the valley,” and I’ll keep researching until I meet with him. From what I’ve seen so far (Isnt’ this internet thing wild… surgerys on YouTube till the cows come home.) it depends on how messed up things are inside there as to how complicated it can be. And there is also the question of reattachment location - it’s looking like there is a practice of reattaching the tendon just below the grove in the head of the humurs which is supposed to eliminate potential future issues with impingnment and inflamation, but there may be potential for less strength, and it may look a little different.
I am developing a list of questions for the surgeon and will continue to research.
Thanks again for all the encouragement - it’s almost funny that my PT suggested I could live with it, but from what I’ve been seeing it is an option, but it sounds like it’s one the elderly and/or sedintary might take, and I’m not feeling like I’m ready for either of those catagories… Ha! It also sounds like the risks involved are rare and not to bad, and as I put it to my beloved Sally last night, who is concernd things could go wrong, it’s already detached, and as it is, surgery can’t make it worse, maybe just a little less strength than before, and it may look a little different… That risk I can live with, this constant pain, and increasing mobility issues not so much.
And as Ambrose pointed out - Fuck! I’m working my ass off to have good insurance and such, so I’m gonna get my moneys worth! Hopefully I can get some good surf in before the next phase… Ha! Maybe I’ll get some ding repair done too, so I’ll have some more of my quiver ready to go for my next comeback.
Ok - I’ll spare you any more of my ramblings… For now.
Ps - lcc, pm me if you’re coming down this way… we’re practically neighbors now… But you know how it is, there seems to be a semi-local divide at Foulweather… Ha!
Well I’m going to be one of the few if any to say Don’t get in a hurry to go under the Knife. I blew out my left bicep on Maui a few years ago. It took quite a while to heal but it did, It’s weaker than it used to be but 98% of normal. I think you said at one time you are a teacher?? So I’m assuming you have good insurance. Of course doctors and hospitals are going to tell you to do it as soon as possible. There’s nothing but money in this type of surgery. A surgeon, a long hospital stay and even longer rehab, physical therapy etc, In the end you really don’t know whether or not you’d be any better off. Get a second opinion.
I’m a surgical physician assistant and assisted with repairs and orthopedics. The key to recovery and and effectiveness of the repair is aggressive physical therapy. Once we do our job of repair, its always essential that the patient is consistant with their end of the bargain. I’ve seen patients who have not complied with PT, and have suffered as a result, meaning prolonging recovery. As you see, your pain has not reduced and is affecting the other large muscle groups due to compensation and change in body mechanics. Ya, it is a straightforward approach, but get it done, at this point you’re prolonging the inevitable. Also, limit the pain meds as much as you can- they mess with your guts and mind. Pain is there for a reason, it lets us know something is jacked up.
