Shoulder injury/Rotator issues

[guest]

I am in severe pain. For about two years now I have been dealing with a shoulder injury. I am almost 40 years old and still have plenty of game/fight in me. During a warm-up session two years ago while using a weighted bo, I tore my shoulder up badly. I did the physical therapy thing, but that just aggrevated issues. I am a power league volleyball player and also play racquetball at an intense level. I re-injured the shoulder pretty badly last night after a 30 rest while in a double header (power volleyball). The question is what to do next? Is surgery inevitable? Can I recover and be back at 100%? Or do I need to just "give it a rest" and take up chess - they tell me it's very competitive... I have organized a whitewater event at the Cheat Canyon in WV for this May at level V and feel that a rest will allow me to participate. Any thoughts on my shoulder issue:?:

[legrena]

Surgery and rehab.

[Thomas Kurz]

I am in severe pain. For about two years now I have been dealing with a shoulder injury. . . . I did the physical therapy thing, but that just aggrevated issues. . . . I re-injured the shoulder pretty badly last night after a 30 rest while in a double header (power volleyball). The question is what to do next? Is surgery inevitable? Can I recover and be back at 100%? Or do I need to just "give it a rest" and take up chess - they tell me it's very competitive... I have organized a whitewater event at the Cheat Canyon in WV for this May at level V and feel that a rest will allow me to participate. Any thoughts on my shoulder issue:?:

If physical therapy made things worse then you went to a wrong therapist.

Whether surgery is needed or not is the question you should ask a good orthopedic surgeon. After a surgery done well recovering full strength and mobility is likely--unless one waits with treatment until the damage to the joint and the muscles is irreparable.

For correct ways of rehabilitating musculoskeletal injuries, including shoulder injuries, read “Management of Common Musculoskeletal Disorders” by Hertling and Kessler, listed at the Athlete's Bookshelf ( http://www.stretching.info/bookshelf.html ). Here is what I wrote about this book in one of Q&As: “This book covers all musculoskeletal injuries, describes diagnosis and treatment for each injury, and explains what are the lifetime consequences of not letting an injured tissue heal, not rehabilitating it fully, and reinjuring it.”

I wrote about the progression of shoulder injuries on page 164 of “Stretching Scientifically.” Read it and draw your own conclusion about your whitewater event.

I had two shoulder surgeries and believe me, postponing the treatment will make things worse and extend your recovery time.

[Guest]

Find the "7 Minute Rotator Cuff Solution" should do the trick.