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6 weeks post RTC surgery

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socalgremmy:
After surgical repair of a tear in my right (yes, I'm right handed) rotator cuff, the physical therapist has me doing loosening and stretching exercises. Resistance training will begin in another 4 weeks. I usually only have pain after PT sessions or if I accidentally over-extend.
Any advice on how to achieve a full recovery and how to ease my way back into SUP paddling and surfing?
Personal experiences appreciated.

PonoBill:
Been there, done that, more than once on each side. After 6 weeks there is no point in saying watch out for infection, but still...  The best advice I can give is to do a LOT more PT exercises and sessions than even the most aggressive therapist prescribes. Full range of motion and strength is the objective. PTs are used to dealing with wimps and all the fat, inactive people you see everywhere. The only places I've met PTs that push you as hard as you need to go are Maui and Hood River. Guess why.

Once you start resistance training, bug your PT about paddling, or at least swimming. The range of motion required for a crawl stroke is more than paddling. The only caveat about SUP is that it's easy to fall and try to catch yourself with your injured arm. You don't want to do that. If you fall, just let it go. When you do start paddling it's a good time to focus on the technical aspects of a stroke. Lots of videos on that from Larry Cain and Dave Kalama.

Bean:
I’m 13 months past my RTC surgery (full thickness tear of my supraspinatus).  The only advice I would give you is to listen to your PT and Doc.  Everyone heals a little differently.  In my case, I’ve recovered full range of motion and pretty close to my pre injury strength.  For a 60 year old, I (and my ortho doc) consider myself lucky to say the least.

Dusk Patrol:
I'm going through this right now, second hand, with my wife’s rotator cuff repair (full re-attachment), and it’s no joke how out of commission one’s arm is and for so long.  She’s about 10 weeks out now, and is trying, to Bill and Bean's point, to put 110% into the PT. 

I hung two handles and a pulley from the ceiling in a basement TV/gym sort of area.  It’s not weight bearing per se, but it allows her to pull her arm into range of motion and extension positions that she couldn't do unassisted. And she can vary the range of motion depending on where she situates herself in relation to the pulley.   It works for her.

SUPJorge:
I suffered 3 subluxations of my left shoulder while SUP surfing in March. I'm five months out from June surgery which required a full labrum reattachment (8 anchors) and repairs to two RTCs (5 anchors).

Do as PB suggests -- "do a LOT more PT exercises and sessions than even the most aggressive therapist prescribes" -- because "PTs are used to dealing with wimps and all the fat, inactive people you see everywhere."

Get to PT early and loosen up well before PT -- I especially benefitted from one-armed resistance hand bicycles. Focus initially on recovering full range of motion, which means learning how to embrace the suck. "Do all the exercises 3x/day at home and, if you're not making the same wincing face at home that your making while in PT, then you're not working hard enough at home," my PT taught me. 

I was lucky to have found the best shoulder surgeon and best shoulder PT in Miami. I've recovered full range of motion and am now back paddling at 80-90% (shorter paddle and smaller blade) and strength training under supervision to reverse the atrophy.

Get there early, ask the PT to work you at the max, and do all the homework.

Good luck. 

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