Tuesday 27 September 2011

Week 4 - back to see the surgeon

Thought I'd save my next post until I had something to report. This is week 4 which is a key stage because I'm permitted to start passive physio and I went back to see the surgeon today.

I actually started passive physio very carefully a few days early, so I have four days under my belt. Passive means assisisted movement so no moving the arm under it's own volition. I can lift it up with the other arm or use a stick but no weights!

The range of motion is coming back steadily - probably at 75% already which is great news. The surgeon said carry on and come back in three months.

Painwise it's a different story. It does hurt - in particular, the rotator cuff repair. The tenodesis is less frequently noticeable. The pain really began after week 2 when I woke up thinking I'd broken the repair! I hadn't done anything to it nor slept on it, but it was much more painful. When I asked him today, the surgeon thought this was unlikely. Partial-thickness-tear repairs seldom come undone; it's larger tears where you have to be more careful.

Over time I've learned to work the pain out by rolling the shoulders and doing "pendulum" arm swings. I think the pain is caused by things binding together with the healing. You hear tiny cracking sounds as you move it around, followed by a feeling of relief. You have to do this four or five times a day to keep the pain at bay.

Another source of pain is trigger points in the tendons within the shoulder blade. These can be massaged out by laying on a tennis ball and pressing into the ache-spots in the tendons. Care is taken not to put any pressure on the repair site, but doing this once a day really helps.

It'll be another couple of weeks before any active physio starts, but make no mistake, this is and will be a painful ride.