rotator cuff surgery - how do I maintain fitness?

[maxrider1]

As per title. I'm due a rotator cuff repair next week and I'm told it will be 6 weeks in a sling and a further 6 weeks to regain mobility (let alone strength!).

I've been weightlifting 4x a week for over 25 years and follow a high protein diet eating 5x a day, I originally started off bodybuilding but gave that idea up due to crap genetics and now just train to stay fit and defined.

The thought of potentially 3 months of inactivity is really p!ssing me off and I need to sort some sort of exercise/eating regime out that allows my shoulder to heal. I'm bothered about losing definition/lean muscle and altering diet to avoid piling on lard.

I have a stationary bike, swiss ball and chinning bar in the spare room and there is an adequate gym a short walk from home. For the record I'm 51, 5'9" 11 stone and I'd quite like to keep the 30" waist.

[Hoofy]

That's annoying!

You may find certain exercises are fine eg pulling vs pushing but frankly I'd take the doc's advice - if he says stay away from heavy lifting then I'd do that.

Stick to doing loads of leg presses in the gym.

[Loopyleesa]

I've recently had mine repaired!

I had mine done privately and the physio is amazing! Sorry can't be any more help! I would speak to the surgeon about the healing and what you can and can't do!

I had my other shoulder operated on about 4 years ago (20 years of swimming and horse riding) which was badly torn, and I didn't listen to the advice I was given, which was a bad, bad mistake!

Feel free to pm if you need any more information!

[Tribal Chestnut]

Good luck! st injury to have. I've had to avoid flat benching all the way down for a few years now because of mine.

You don't realise how involved with most lifts your shoulders are until something like this.

[Tribal Chestnut]

Oh, watch your diet too.

So there we are:

Diet
Leg presses
Cardio

[maxrider1]

Loopyleesa said:

I've recently had mine repaired!

I had mine done privately and the physio is amazing! Sorry can't be any more help! I would speak to the surgeon about the healing and what you can and can't do!

I had my other shoulder operated on about 4 years ago (20 years of swimming and horse riding) which was badly torn, and I didn't listen to the advice I was given, which was a bad, bad mistake!

Feel free to pm if you need any more information!

Thanks for the replies, I'm in tomorrow to have it done. I had a bone spur removed a year ago which had caused a 3/4 tear in the supraspinatus tendon and my bicep tendon was like a piece of frayed rope.

At the time it was not repaired just 'cleaned up' and after about 12 weeks of playing with the rubber band I was given I thought I could resume the weights, so gradually eased myself into it but never regained even 1/2 the strength of before and consequently I've torn the remaining bit that was left so it now needs a full repair.

I'd be interested to know what things you could/couldn't do and how long the recovery was and what was the bad, bad mistake?

[MrWhale]

Currently waiting surgery following tearing my pec tendon (FML!).

Still training legs / back / arms but mainly isolation for upper body and am on a upper / lower split.

Upper
Lower
Rest or Cardio
Upper
Lower
Rest or Cardio

Think i will be out a similar amount of time so going to do everything in my power to maintain gains! will focus on building up weak points and flexibility etc.

this was a good read for me:


http://forums.musculardevelopment.com/showthread.p...

if you are not really concerned about muscle mass etc and just want to stay lean then could easily start doing some fasted LISS training as soon as you can walk.

[Marlow11]

All, I think I might have this problem? Pain in my should, hurts like hell, painkillers take it away, but my arm; tricep & biceps have pain, fingers tingle/numb........did you have these symptoms?

Cheers

[pilchardthecat]

Marlow11 said:

All, I think I might have this problem? Pain in my should, hurts like hell, painkillers take it away, but my arm; tricep & biceps have pain, fingers tingle/numb........did you have these symptoms?

Cheers

Tingly fingers is most likely elbow-related - there's a nerve in there that can get trapped/agitated when you have tendon inflammation in the elbow.