My rotator cuff has been jacked up for almost a year, ever since one unfortunate slam in the Potrero skate park. Today I go to the physical therapist to try to get my wing un-screwed up. We'll see if it works, and I hope it does, because it's kind of hard to paddle!
Chin up. You can still paddle....only problem it's in a circle with your good arm.
Let us know how it goes. Have a buddy with same issue.
Madpie...I'll be joining you soon. Next week or the following one I'll be having my shoulder scoped, cleaned up, and hopefully repaired. After that: months of PT. Let me know (via email if you'd like) how good you think your PT is. If anyone reading this can recommend a top-notch PT for surfers' shoulders, send me word. We're coming into the spring-time conditions so it's not like I'll be missing good surf anyway, right?!
so far so good. I got me a giant rubber band and some funky exercises. PT was nice. I think my shoulder is maybe only a 2 or a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being totally screwed up and 1 being perfectly functional. So we'll see if three weeks of rubber banding gets me back to feeling good. .... just in time for everything to go blown out for nine months.
ahw shit guys :(
sorry bout that :(
Heal soon, next beer's on me at next meetup if you're game :(
Come in with casts and we'll sign it for speedy recovery!
I'd be interested in knowing what kind of exercises they're having you do to strengthen/repair your rotator cuffs; if you care to share. my secret weapon for shoulder health is bikram yoga, keeps everything loose and strong. good luck. i've also heard that you should not sleep with your arms stretched upward, rather keep them in towards your chest.
kool-aid - I am also a bikram yoga fan or I was until I got my ass kicked at a NYC class the day after a long-flight followed by a big meal and drinking out on the town. I think the anorexic instructor was picking on me.
The pluses - Tons of good looking girls, gets you stronger and more flexible quicker, prevents sickness.
The minuses - If you are not up for it you feel like you wanna puke.
Kool-aid...i probably made my shoulder a lot worse by doing ashtanga yoga for years, but it was already a mess from multiple dislocations and surgery. I thought yoga would be great for it, but all that swinging through, not so much it turns out. Anyway, to answer your request here are some exercises I've been given over the years: (1) W/elbow(s) bent at 90 deg, tricep parallel to the floor, and holding the weight, lower your hand toward the floor without letting your elbow or shoulder move up or down (kinda like knocking on a door) 12-20 reps, 3 sets, 5-7lbs; (2) Take the 90 deg bend at the elbow, but have the elbow about 2 inches from the hip, then move your hand away from and toward your body w/o moving your elbow (you can also do this while laying down with the non-moving arm against the ground) 12-20 reps, 3 sets, 5-7lbs; (3) using resistance bands or free weights, do "diagonal" chops: start with your arm above your head, fully extended and out to the side a bit, then move your straight arm across your body toward the opposite hip (this can also be done w/a medicine ball holding it w/both hands) 12-20 reps, 3 sets 7-10lbs; and (4) laying over a Swiss ball, neck straight and face pointed toward the ground, extend your arms in a "Y" with your hands touching the ground; using only your shoulder blades, lift the hands off the ground by sliding the shoulder blades back and down; 12-20 reps, 3 sets; 1-5lbs (this is tricky to do and explain). Hope this helps.
