Surgery was exactly four weeks ago and after spending the first three weeks in a right-arm (sling which severely hampers the ability to type) I have been released to begin rehab work. In addition to the resurfacing procedure of the joint, the surgeon repaired my bicep tendon which had become frayed by the interaction with the raw bone. The first few sessions consisted of the therapist performing passive circumduction. We quickly moved to pendulum swings and then pulley work to extend range of motion frontal and then abduction. Because of the nature of the surgery and the need to cut through the infraspinatus to get to the joint, I will be restricted to just 20 degrees of external rotation for another three weeks. However, I can already tell that the severe pain from the osteoarthritis in the shoulder is gone and that this was absolutely the right decision. It will allow me to get back to full competition after rehab.
In my third PT session, I took a Boomstick in to demonstrate its benefits to my therapist. The sight of the Sports Medicine Oregon PT on the table and the patient administering to him quickly got the attention of the whole room and provided some good natured ribbing but also genuine interest in this popular tempering tool. When I left the session, I was short one Boomstick which was acquired by the clinic and will be incorporated into their arsenal.
My goal is to complete rehab this summer to allow some bench training prior to returning to the Cleveland Clinic in late October to have the same surgery on the left shoulder giving me time to rehab that one in time to get back on the platform by the second quarter of 2017.
A Powerlifter’s Guide To Velocity Based Training [VBT], Part 1
What Is The Oblique Sling?