Acromioplasty recovery

[Tommy Gunn]

I had an acromioplasty done on Thurs. Nov. 9, 2006 to take care of a hooked acromion that was causing impingement in my shoulder the last couple of years.

It's been 4 weeks and I still have some discomfort in the shoulder. I feel it right where he shaved off the hooked acromion. The pain has gone down alot but I still can't move the shoulder without there being some disscomfort.

Three questions I have:

1) Should I still be having discomfort at 4 weeks out?

2) I'm just naturally a nervous wreck so that's why this might seem negative but...is there any way my doc could've botched my acromioplasty? Or is it a relatively simple common procedure?

3) Has anyone here ever had an acromioplasty? Can you tell me about your surgery and recovery? Are you back to lifting and playing sports at full strength?

This year has been a nightmare. I had 4 surgeries in a span of 7 months:

Surgery 1 Tues. April 12, 2006: Surgery to repair an umbilical hernia.

Surgery 2 Tues. May 9, 2006: Surgery to repair a ruptured pec tendon.

Surgery 3 Thurs Sept. 28, 2006: Surgery to remove a bone spure from my humurus bone that formed from my ruptured pec surgery.

Surgery 4 Thurs Nov. 9, 2006: Surgery for an acromioplasty, partially torn labrum repair, biceps tenodesis, and scar tissue removal from bicep and pec area.

I can honestly say that I feel alot better. I no longer have pain in my pec or bicep area. Like I said, the only discomfort I still feel is from the acromioplasty. I'm 26 years old 6' 245 all natural (with a HUGE gut right now). My doc says I can start light lifting again in 2 weeks. My doc also says in April I can go back to amateur boxing training.

Anyway, if you fellas get a chance can you answer my questions? Thanks in advance guys.

[MuscleScience]

Question 1. Yes
Question 2. Yes, happend to me on my first surgery but instead of botching the acrmioplasty they botched a capsule shrinkage.
Question 3. The second surgery was pretty much a repeat of the first. It will be a year before your 100% that is if you dont over do it.

[Tommy Gunn]

Question 2. Yes, happend to me on my first surgery but instead of botching the acrmioplasty they botched a capsule shrinkage.

MuscleScience, can you explain that? So they didn't botch the acromioplasty but botched something else? Is that what happened? Why do you think it will take a year before I'm back to normal? Is there any hope for me to ever return to amateur boxing?

Anyone else ever go through this?

[MuscleScience]

MuscleScience, can you explain that? So they didn't botch the acromioplasty but botched something else? Is that what happened? Why do you think it will take a year before I'm back to normal? Is there any hope for me to ever return to amateur boxing?

Anyone else ever go through this?

Well I shouldnt say you wont be able to compete. It just wont feel right for about a year.

I was a college baseball pitcher and I had multiple factors wrong with my shoulder as you can imagine. One of the procedures that I had along with the acromioplasty is where they actually take a lazer and shrink the shoulder capsule.They do it to increase stability of the joint. With mine they shrunk it to much and it caused me to loss motion in my shoulder. I was able to compete but I was no were near 100 percent within a year on both of my surgeries.

[MuscleScience]

The biggest thing is to take it slow do your therapy, which sucks ass and dont try to be a heroe and get back into it to fast. that was part of my mistake my first go round. The montra no pain no gain is pretty self defeating when coming back from a surgery like this.

[Tommy Gunn]

My doc doesn't have me in physical therapy right now because he says I don't need it because my ROM is fine. He just wants me to chill out for a couple more weeks before I return to LIGHT lifting.

Anyway, thanks bro. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

[MuscleScience]

Helpful hint, work on the romboids religiously that will save you lots of problems later. Good luck man and PM if you need any help.

[Tommy Gunn]

Thanks MuscleScience. Will do.

[AnabolicBoy1981]

"LIGHT" is relative. i think you better inform the guy of the poundages you are used to hauling. i just had a labrum reapair(2 actually) there is no way on earth id be ready to lift 6 weeks out, granted our injuries are different.
my doc said the initial healing of the labrum is finished at week six, but it takes 4 months for it to fully heal.

[Tommy Gunn]

When I say light, I mean like dumbell presses starting with 5 lbs. dumbells and every few weeks move up in weight. Also, I only had a partial labrum tear that was repaired, AnabolicBoy1981 was yours a full or partial labrum tear that you had repaired?

[MuscleScience]

was your tear on the posterior or anterior side of the shoulder, because this will determine what exercises you can start doing

[Tommy Gunn]

Posterior.

Keep in mind right now I'm recovering from these things I had done on Thurs. November 9, 2006:

1. A repair of a partial posterior labrum tear
2. A biceps tenodesis
3. Subacromial decompression (acromioplasty)

I still have some discomfort in my upper bicep area (from the biceps tenodesis) and I still have some discomfort in my shoulder from the subacromial decompression.

I hope one day I no longer have these discomforts so I can return to the gym and hopefully return to amateur boxing.

[MuscleScience]

I think you will be fine, the procedure you had is pretty typical and a full recovery as long as your patient is no problem. The partiel tear of the Labrum isnt nothing. I pitch with a tear like yours for probably 4 years before I got it fixed.
I do have a question about the bicep, did you have bicep tendonisis or tendon tear as well.

[Tommy Gunn]

I do have a question about the bicep, did you have bicep tendonisis or tendon tear as well.

No I never did anything to my bicep. Here's what happened:

In mid February I noticed that I had an umbilacal hernia. So I took some time off from doing squats, deads, abs, etc. About a month later I completely ruptured my pectoral muscle from heavy bench pressing (well heavy for me anyway LOL 265x3). However my first doc misdiagnosed me and said I just strained it.

Anyway since I was out of the gym, I decided to get my hernia repaired, which I did on April 12, 2006. After that I was still on the shelf but I noticed my pec wasn't feeling any better. So I got a second opinion and this doc gave me another MRI and said that I completely ruptured it. So I had surgery to repair it on May 9, 2006.

Well months past and my pec felt better but I had some pain in my bicep area. So on September 28, 2006 my doc did an exploratory surgery and noticed I had a 7 mm bone spur on the humurus bone where the new pec attachment was. So he went in and shaved it off.

Well a month and a half later I STILL had some discomfort in the bicep area. So my doc gave me an MRI which showed that my bicep tendon and pec tendon were rubbing up against one another causing irritation. It was also discovered on this MRI that I had a partial labrum tear. Also, back in 2003 I was diagnosed with having a hooked acromion that was causing impingement, which was the reason I stopped amateur boxing training (after a lousy 2-2 record).

So on November 9, 2006 I had surgery to repair the partial posterior labrum tear, the biceps tenodesis, cleaning out of scar tissue, and the ssubacromial decompression.

Since than the initial pain I felt in the biceps (that I had for months) is gone but I still have A LITTLE minor discomfort in my upper bicep area where the did the tenodesis. And like I said my shoulder has discomfort where he shaved off the acromion. It's getting better each week but not to the point where I would feel comfortable wrestling or fighting with someone if I had to (I work security but am currently out of work while I heal up).

According to my docs protocol I can go back to light lifting (as in 5 lbs. dumbell presses) on Tues. December 26, 2006. I hope this discomfort in my bicep and shoulder goes away one day so I can return to weightlifting and amateur boxing.

You guys think at 26 (about to turn 27) I can still come back from this and maybe one day box again?

[BluEyedClubr]

I just had the same surgery for a shoulder impingement on Dec 5, 2006...

I went to have my stitches out today, Dec 15th...

The doctor is having me start physical therapy this week coming up already...

[AnabolicBoy1981]

i had partial tears on both tommy.

yeah tommy, im 25, i think we can recover. you may want to enhance your recover though like me

i actually had asked my doctor if i could go back to fighting/wrestling etc. he said i could go back to both, but boxing/kickboxing would be safer on the shoulders

[Tommy Gunn]

Havee you ever had a subacromial decompression (acromioplasty)?

I'm at 8 weeks post op and I still have some discomfort in the shoulder area (where he cut off the acromion). It's not as bad as before and it is gradually getting better but it's still feels funny. I don't think I should still have discomfort in the shoulder area 8 weeks post acromioplasty op. I'm starting to get nervous.

Yesterday I tried doing flat dumbell presses with 5 lbs. dumbells (that's right...5 lbs. dumbells!)...and my shoulder KILLED!! And I also tried doing dumbell flys with 5 lbs. dumbells and guess what?...MY SHOULDER KILLED! I also tried doing some light shadow boxing and...you guessed it...MY SHOULDER KILLED! What's the deal here? Should I even continue lifting weights right now or should I hold off until the pain has gone away (will it ever go away?).

Could anyone tell me if this is normal for 8 weeks post op for a subacromial decompression (acromioplasty)? I seriously doubt I will ever be able to box again.

[AnabolicBoy1981]

Havee you ever had a subacromial decompression (acromioplasty)?

I'm at 8 weeks post op and I still have some discomfort in the shoulder area (where he cut off the acromion). It's not as bad as before and it is gradually getting better but it's still feels funny. I don't think I should still have discomfort in the shoulder area 8 weeks post acromioplasty op. I'm starting to get nervous.

Yesterday I tried doing flat dumbell presses with 5 lbs. dumbells (that's right...5 lbs. dumbells!)...and my shoulder KILLED!! And I also tried doing dumbell flys with 5 lbs. dumbells and guess what?...MY SHOULDER KILLED! I also tried doing some light shadow boxing and...you guessed it...MY SHOULDER KILLED! What's the deal here? Should I even continue lifting weights right now or should I hold off until the pain has gone away (will it ever go away?).

Could anyone tell me if this is normal for 8 weeks post op for a subacromial decompression (acromioplasty)? I seriously doubt I will ever be able to box again.

STOP playin with the dumbells. Your labrum is NOT ready, and your doc should have made that clear. It takes 4 months for the labrum to completely heal to the bone.
It took 4 months for my right shoulder to feel solid, my left is at 6 weeks and i would dare attempt a dumbell by week 8.
Is it the shoulder with the labrum that hurts? if not, i dunno what to tell ya. i hate both labrums done and both acromiaplastied. i will keep you up to date.
stay the hell outa the gym.
just ride the bike.
pm me if you want.

[AnabolicBoy1981]

for labrums the repair site is healed at 6 weeks, but then it has to heal to the bone, which takes 2 1/2 more mos. i dont understand it 100%, but think of it like this: after 6 weeks its 80% healed, but it takes 2 1/2 more months to get that last 20%.

[Tommy Gunn]

Yesterday I went to see my doctor. I told him how I was still having some discomfort in the shoulder area 8 weeks after my acromioplasty, partial labrum, and bicep tenodesis surgery. He had me take some x rays and the xrays came back negative. There was no fractures in the shoulder or anything else on the xray that would indicate a problem. He said an MRI isn't needed at this time but maybe later if problems still persist.

He than went on to have me do some physical tests where he twists my arm certain ways and other little tests to see where my pain was coming from. He came to the conclusion that my bursa is inflamed. He thinks that because he said that whenever you get an acromioplasty the bursa gets inflamed thereafter.

He asked if I was doing any rotator cuff exercises the last few weeks. I told him no because I thought he didn't want me going to PT. He apologized and said that he should have been more clear with me. He thought I was doing rotator cuff exercises on my own. I told him I wasn't.

He said the reason I still have some soreness 8 weeks later is because my bursa is still inflamed and any time I move the arm in a certain direction the rotator cuff muscles are not strong enough to support it and the bursa is taking the force of the action. He than went on to say that seeing I wasn't doing any RC strengthening and just jumping right into weightlifting and shadowboxing, that would cause alot of stress on the bursa thus causing inflammation. I said yeah but I'm only doing 5 lbs. dumbells. He said "it doesn't matter, even no weight will stress the bursa right now." He also said I may have strained my RC.

I asked him if I was screwed. He said absoloutly not. He said it would be a good idea if he gave me a cortizone shot with lidocaine to bring down the inflammation in the bursa. He said he would NOT be putting it in a tendon. He said 1 shot should do the trick but sometimes another shot later is needed but he doesn't think that will be necessary in this case. When he gave me the shot he said that when he injected the needle into the bursa that the bursa felt thick. He said even if he didn't give me a shot that eventually the inflammation in the bursa would go down. But he gave me one anyway to speed things up.

He than said for the next 6 weeks i should STOP weight lifting and start doing RC exercises 3x a week at 3x10 reps. He also said I should start running on the treadmill as well to get some blood flow and get my wind back up. He said after 6 weeks I could return to LIGHT weightlifting. And he also said in a few weeks the RC should be strong enough and the inflammation should be down enough where I could return to boxing.

I than asked him if I would ever box again. He said "listen, you had a pec repair, a biceps tenodesis, acromioplasty, bone spur removed, a partial labrum repair, and now an inflamed bursa. That may seem like alot but let me tell you, none of those injuries will hinder you in boxing. Now if you had a shoulder replacement...that would be a different story and I would tell you boxing may not be in your future. you can absoloutly come back from this. If i didn't think so I would tell you."

I than expressed concern about how my shoulder will feel when I hit the heavy bag in a couple months. He said hitting the bag will be easier on the RC than shadow boxing. He said because when you shadow box your just punching in the air and your shoulder/RC has to stop the punch. He said when your hitting a bag or a person, there is an object your hitting that gives thus the RC won't be doing all the work.

So he gave me a list of RC exercises to do and said he wants to see me back in 4 weeks. So what do you think? Am I gonna be OK? Was this good news or bad news? Do you guys think I'm eventually gonna need another surgery? Should I get a second opinion?

[AnabolicBoy1981]

stop the boxing stuff...wait till he gives u the green light to lift again...and take things super slow...

it sounds like youll be okay. you just did to much too soon.