Rotator Cuff Injury to Recovery - Part #3 - Stretching

Bandages came off and the scars were so minimal. You can see one "dot" between the top flames of the tattoo. David has four small scars, fading more with each passing day. We were both very happy with the results in this regard.

After four weeks of no movement, his shoulder started to atrophy quite significantly. Lots of rehab will have to be done to get it back to the shape and size it was prior to the surgery.

After much rest and relaxation, the rehab was finally to begin with some stretching moves shown to David by his PT. David was instructed to do these every few hours throughout the day. We have taken pictures of each move to give you better insight to this process.

With his hands on a counter top or bench, David was instructed to stand tall and slowly move backward until the shoulder was nice and stretched. This caused stretching without any movement actually being done by the shoulder. Unlike if he were just to put his arm out in front of himself.

When these moves were first started, they were slow and steady. The pain was quite significant and David continued on pain medication every few hours.

This move consisted of David taking his right hand, grasping his left wrist and pulling the arm up. After several days of stretching, he could get his arm up to this height. It was a slow process to get it up this high. Each time David pulled a little more. Again, by using the other hand to pull the weak arm up, it would not put too much stress on the new repair. Going from someone who is used to working out hard and getting the most out of his time in the gym, this was a totally new gym experience. But being mindful of the recovery process, David has tried to do everything that he can to follow the rehab rules and make the most of this time.

By adding a PVC pipe, broom stick, or dowel, this causes again a pushing motion without the shoulder doing all the work. Standing with the pipe between both hands, David slowly pushes the left hand (repaired shoulder) out to his left and slowly back. This is another common move of the rotator cuff. A reminder to those of you who workout, don't forget to work the rotator cuff with small weights. Place 5-8 pounds in your hands, palms up, elbows in and rotate the arms out to your side and back in. This will help strengthen the area in the shoulder which doesn't always get a good workout.

Another movement or stretch is to hold the dowel behind David's back and slowly push it up to the ceiling. The pain level on these in the beginning is quite great. As time goes on, they are done with much ease. This surgery is one to be thought seriously about and a last option in our opinion.

After weeks of just stretching, David was advised he could do resistance training with a band and light weight. This will be our part #4.

I really hope these articles help someone, who is looking to do this surgery, make the right decision to have it done or not. Also, to enlighten those of you who workout and miss working the shoulders, that it's very important not to ignore this part of your body. Someday, it may not be able to keep up.