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Shoulder Surgery :-(

bowman

bowman

Super Moderator
I injured my shoulder at work back in February. I tried to tough it out for a few months but eventually an MRI was done only to find that I have a labral tear.:confused: Physical Therapy was unsuccessful so I am having surgery on July 21st. The timing sucks but it is workman's comp so waiting is not an option. If the damage is not too severe they will fix it laproscopically which will require a week in a sling, physically thereapy, and 6-8 weeks recovery. If the damage is more severe they will open it up and fix it which will be 4 weeks in an imobilization sling and 12 weeks recovery.

So, my question is......does anyone have experience with this? Does 6-8 or 12 weeks recovery mean that I will be able to draw my bow??? Or does this mean just normal function. This has me extrememely stressed, as you can imagine. Any input would be appreciated. I''ve done the math and 12 weeks puts me well into October.:confused:

Interestingly I can draw my bow now, with the injury, but it hurts and I can't let it down. I have to shoot once at full draw.

Thanks!
 
Wayne, I feel for you. I'm sorry I can't answer your question, but I hope the best for you in terms of a quick recovery. I know for a fact if November rolls around and you can't draw your bow, you may go crazy!
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Good luck :way:
 
Wayne

In all honesty, my heart sank when I read this. I've been around sports and have taught some years in human biology. It has been my experience that those times they give you are the "worst case scenario." Most times you will be better before the end of their therapy treatment schedule...they probably want to cover theirselves and not get peoples' hopes up. That might be the recovery time of someone who is very elderly as well....

Also, keep in mind you will probably be able to tune your bow way down and continue to increase the poundage as the season gets closer and as you progress through therapy (heck, it might even be part of your PT treatment!). As deadly a shot as you are, you will have no problem smoking one with 40 pounds of draw! ;)

Again, I'm not a doctor, but just some things I've seen from being in baseball for 25 years...(lots of shoulder injuries).

Praying the best for you Wayne..

Oh, and forgot to tell you, I'm into "things happen for a reason" - and I think that reason is so I can come and hunt your ground with you behind the camera! :D

Take care and get well..
 
Buddy of mine had a similar surgery in December of 2008. Our archery season was still going on here but he could not handle the pain anymore and decided to go under the knife. He actually took the crossbow out a week later and smoked a doe so he was back to functioning very quickly. As far as drawing a bow it took him about 8 weeks before he felt really comfortable with the bow, very low poundage and only a few arrows a day. By the 10 week point he had completed all physcial therapy and the bow was back up to normal draw weight. Anyhow, this was a time where he didn'thave a lot of pressure on him and he was able to shoot the bow at 7 weeks, a bit more comfortable at 8 and about normal at 10. Hope this helps, and I wish you a speedy recovery.

Kratz
 
The timing sucks but it is workman's comp so waiting is not an option.
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Bottom line, it's your shoulder, your surgery. Do not, I repeat, do not let them boss you around as to what you "have" to do.
I made that mistake when I injured my back in Feb. After checking laws and speaking with lawyers, I made huge mistakes in how I handled things with workers comp people.

Now to the good news. I agree with what's already been said. They are giving you a worst case scenario. More that likely, you'll be back shooting in very little time. Good luck.:way:
 
I had both of my shoulders scoped years ago. I cranked my bow way down and got sighted in prior to surgery so that it was ready to go once I healed up. As was mentioned, those healing times are on the longer side and someone in otherwise good health should be back to normal much quicker.
 
Wayne, I pretty much agree with what everyone has said; however, I'll add this caveat: Don't push it too hard or you will risk permanent damage. Remember all those years ago when I blew out my ACL in football? I was given a worst-case scenario for recovery and I was determined to play football again that fall. I came back 3-4 months early all rearing to go and then had an injury in football again. My knee doc told me to quit playing football or risk permanent damage to my knee. As much as I loved football, that was an easy choice. So, from personal experience, take baby steps, listen to your docs and your PT, and make a full recovery. 4 years ago, I had the exact same diagnosis as you on my right shoulder (from an injury pre-dating my knee injury), but I got lucky and it was curable with PT and I can never again do the flat bench press when weight lifting, but that's my only limitation. It's a small trade off, but I got lucky. If you can get away with low poundage and work your way up, that's great. And I know you're a smart guy that knows his limits. I'd just hate to see you mess it up permanently and be done shooting a bow forever. I know what hunting means to you, but if it comes down to missing one season vs. all them for the rest of your life, miss this one. Remember, we're not 18 anymore and we don't heal as quickly or thoroughly as we used to. Just another perspective from someone who's had 3 knee surgeries because he didn't listen after the 1st one. And, as always, good chatting with you the last couple of days!
 
In 2008, I missed the entire season because of a procedure to remove one of my top ribs. They had to cut some neck and shoulder muscles in the process. It turned out to be a fortunate thing though, because the following year I took my biggest buck ever. I can't help but think that letting the buck grow that extra year made all the difference.

I would also add that I recovered in half the time they estimated. Good luck.
 
If I am not mistaking..that is the same surgery Brett Farve had and he was back playing football in 4 months.With that being said.I wouldn't try to push it this fall.I am sure you could get a license to shoot a crossbow for 1 season.I would hate to see anyone risk further damage to save 1 hunting season out of the rest of your life.
Another thing to consider.If the Dr. and physical theripists say you need 12 weeks recovery time and it is a workman's comp issue,if you go out shooting your bow before then you would be risking your job and benefits.There is a few more important things to consider than a hunting season
 
I have had some shoulder work a few times because of a rotator cuff tear. When they scoped it to clean it up I was drawing my bow in a few weeks. I know its different, but modern medicine in amazing and the scope is as low impact as it gets.

Pray for the best.
 
I had mine done June 30th and was shooting mid September...not a 3 D shoot, maybe 3 or 4 arrows to start. You will be at 80% 3-4 months...100% in a year.
 
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to respond. Everything I heard was more encouraging than what I expected. As important as hunting is to me, I will be following the docs guidlines and won't push more than I should. I am excited to hear the positive comments on recovery time. I am ready to get this done, light duty is for the birds!

Jay, workman's comp has actually been great to deal with on this. They have let me choose most of what has been done so far. My only delima is that I can't wait until January 11th, 2011 since I have been on light duty for some time.

Someone asked, I shoot 70 lbs now but have no expectation of being there this fall. If things don't go well and I am at risk of missing an Iowa rut, I will be looking for a crossbow. Based on what I heard here though, I should be able to get there.

Gladiator, my buddies have been suggesting that I could come video for them as well.:eek: If I was allowed to take anyone else on the property I hunt, I would welcome the chance to share some hunting time with you.

Thanks again! I will update after the surgery if I can figure out how to run a mouse left handed and type one handed.:D
 
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As someone who has had both shoulders reconstructed, I can tell you what I did and what I should have done. I started to shoot my bow way to soon and think I messed it up again. The tendency is to push it after the therapy is done and shoot too much. I would get the crossbow permit for this season and work slowly on strengthening for next year.
 
sorry to hear about your troubles, i had something happen to my back this winter and i lost strength in my left arm, ended up getting mri and all that seems to be a disk issue in my neck. i had one of those cervical injections and all seemed good. arm didnt hurt or anything. about a month after i picked up my bow to start shooting and couldnt even budge it. i shot 62 lbs and i couldnt pull it an inch. went to therapy right away and bought one of those cabelas strength things that simulate pulling your bow. also was able to tell the wife that i could pull my bow cuz it was a bowtech and the cams were funky. with that i talked her into the z7 and i do believe the z7 is much easier to draw. i got the 50-60 lb one and i just got it to 55 and i will prob leave it there... i totally understand your fears, i didnt sleep for two nites wondering if i would get that strength back. but honestly think i would have hunted with a 40 lb bow to get out there. ill be praying for you
 
I also was in your situation in 2004 while playing college baseball and took a play at home and tore every muscle in my shoulder. They put screws and reattached every thing and was a major surgery. I tried pulling my bow back 2 months later and wow that didnt happen so i dropped her down to a poundage i felt comfortable with,whcih i believe was around 50lbs and by fall was back up to 70lbs. I know what your going through, and hope everything goes for the best. Also Gladiator long time no see, how bout them old days playing in Grundy, what a blast!
 
Gladiator said:
Wayne


Oh, and forgot to tell you, I'm into "things happen for a reason" - and I think that reason is so I can come and hunt your ground with you behind the camera! :D

Take care and get well..
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I have not read all of the reply yet but this comment was so well placed it made me smile from ear to ear.

As fit as you are I would not let my thought even go to a bad place. Poor Matt is just going to have to film if he comes to your honey hole. Now I wonder what Matt could be praying for. :D
 
Good luck Wayne. No wise words from me but I was curious to read this post as my bow arm (left) has been bothering me now for about 2 seasons. Have tried lifting some to strengthen but I think that was originally how I hurt it in the first place (damn dip exercise).

Good luck in your treatment and recovery.
 
Your shoulder injury is different than mine so it is almost apples to oranges but a couple of tips that might aid in your recovery are 1: Don’t be afraid to take a pain pill before your PT, the therapist will be able to stretch your shoulder farther before you start to cry. I thought I was a tuff guy so I didn’t “pill up” before my first PT session after surg. I cried like a baby and almost passed out. Only dummies need to learn through pain. I’m a very smart guy now. 2: It only took a few seconds to hurt your shoulder but it will take much longer to mend. With that in mind keep your overall goal for recovery (100% function) as your long term goal and view each day’s exercise as a short term goal. That way every day you feel like you accomplished something. One of my mantras was “I’m better today than I was yesterday and tomorrow I’ll be better than I am today”.

One more thing, somebody once said “No man is an island”. How very true that is. When you are in your shoulder immobilizer don’t get stressed out because you can’t do the things you are used to. Let your family and friends help out. Don’t be the guy that gets cranky because he has to have some help. Look at it this way, if a friend or family member had the same problem you have, would you be the first in line to help out? Let your family and your friends help you, you’d do the same for them and not think less of them for needing help. Your only responsibility after surgery should be to get your shoulder back to 100%.

Depending on which shoulder you may need to learn how to wipe with your other arm. I haven’t felt “clean” in two years.

The ‘Bonker
 
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