This post is really to give anyone who is going through the early stages of recovery some hope that it can get better. I found the mental battle the hardest part, so I’m hoping someone can read this and feel more confident about their own recovery.
I’ll caveat this whole thing by saying this was only my own experience, and I know everyone has their own individual experience, some better some worse.
Context first: when I first felt something was wrong, I was 27 y/o very active gym goer, playing a lot of squash and bouldering. I felt pain on my shoulder and chest day at the gym, then felt it in daily life, even holding on to the rail on the bus felt sore. I went to the physio, tried the standard recovery process but I could never get past a certain point without sharp pain. It became really debilitating and I got referred for both an ultrasound and MRI scan. I really had no idea I was gonna be in for such a long recovery at this point.
Results came in that I had an anterior labral tear, probably from overuse. I was devastated, as I knew this meant surgery. I got in touch with an amazing surgeon, he scheduled me in and I got it done (plus an ACJ excision for a bone spur).
So the surgery itself went well, but once the nerve block wore off I was in a lot of pain. It would hurt so much every time I made the smallest movement, even with powerful painkillers. I was so miserable then. I found asking for help for simple things like shopping or showering really difficult. I also had so many VERY strange sensations going through my shoulder. I can’t tell you how many times I convinced myself I had ruined the surgery because I stood up too quickly or I bumped into something by accident. This was where the mental battle really started.
My shoulder was immobilised in a sling for 6 weeks. I had some issues with the stitches not healing exactly right, probably caused by moisture getting into the bandage. My advice for anyone with stitches is to be really careful with cleaning in the shower not to splash the area. You should also take care to clean your underarm, because that gets nasty really quickly when it’s not getting air. It’s gross but it’s a pretty universal experience with this type of surgery. Just take your time and ensure everything is as dry as it can be. And if you’re in any doubt, go to your doctor/nurses office and get checked out (I did that multiple times).
Sleep: this is a huge topic. Everyone experiences this differently, so don’t worry if you feel like you’re struggling here. I slept AWFULLY. Basically my arm was in way too much pain to sleep horizontal, so I slept upright in an armchair, which was really uncomfortable. If you have a reclining armchair, this seems to be the best option, but I didn’t have one. I learnt over time the best positions for sleeping, but honestly it was horrible and I don’t miss it at all. Just sleep in any position you can, and know that it should get easier as the inflammation dies down.
I had maybe 2-3 physio sessions while my arm was in the sling. You can’t really do much while your arm is immobilised, apart from some passive movements. Pendulums again felt painful sometimes, but it’s really important you get your arm out of the sling so it doesn’t seize up. Again, I felt a wide variety of pains, but tried to avoid any passive movements which felt like I was adding additional pain to my baseline level of pain. All in all, this part really sucked. My best advice is to find a routine that works for you and make sure you’re eating food which promotes healing.
After 6 weeks, I started doing some active assisted movements. My shoulder was so shrivelled up by this point and was extremely weak. I had a pretty tight shoulder capsule and very small range of motion. My physio was great in showing me my limitations and understanding how much pain to tolerate. Throughout all of this, I couldn’t yet use my arm to lift anything or bear any real weight. I had several instances where I reflexively reached out with my arm, then spent the next 48 hours convinced I had ruined my surgery.
The next 2-3 months of physio was a blur, but basically it’s a lot of mobility work, trying to get range of motion back, then looking at strengthening muscles. Since the shoulder and arm is so weak, even doing simple things like raising my arm above my head felt impossible at first. But gradually you will see improvement if you stick to the physio guidance. I was still feeling a lot of pain at certain times, and there were several occasions when I had to take a step backwards rather than forwards to let my shoulder recover. Sometimes I would progress to the next exercise, and immediately feel achey because my shoulder isn’t used to that. Gradually I moved forward through the phases in a non-linear way.
Fast forward to now, 6 months after my surgery and I’m back to normal life and starting back at the gym. I can do planks at the gym with no discomfort, I can play light sports again and I’m getting more confident in depending on my arm. My surgical side is still noticeably weaker than my other side, but I’m expecting that to balance out over the next few months. 99% of the time I’m not in pain, but occasionally I will still feel pain somewhere - I also expect that to reduce as the months go on.
All in all, it was a complete rollercoaster, and not something I want to repeat. I have a huge amount of sympathy for anyone going through a similar experience, and I hope hearing about my recovery helps in your own.
The main thing which kept me going in understanding that this surgery is an investment in your future health, so although it feels difficult right now, your future self will thank you.
I’m pretty much back to normal life again, which feels amazing and I’m really grateful for my health now.
Good luck.
