I will soon have shoulder surgery. Any advice?

**Gollum** · 08-29-2007, 08:15 AM

Two weeks hence I should be coming around from my first ever general anaesthetic. The keyhole surgery will repair a cartilage tear in my right shoulder (the labrum), which has been causing me chronic pain for over a year; at the same time, the surgeon may shave away some bone to increase the space around my supraspinatus tendon, to protect against possible future impingement.

I'm expecting to have my arm immobilised in a sling for about two-four weeks, and thereafter to be off badminton completely for two-three months. My post-surgery recovery will be managed by a physiotherapist whom the surgeon chooses.

I will be able to continue coaching without using my right hand, but I don't yet know whether I will be allowed to demonstrate or play with my left hand. Obviously I will follow the medical advice to the letter, rather than risk damaging my shoulder by premature activity.

Perhaps some of you have experienced similar operations. I'd appreciate any advice you can give me. Apart from the shoulder recuperation, I'll be faced with such basic problems as how to wash and dress myself (I hope I will be able to do most of this without help). At the moment, I'm thinking of buttoned shirts (not T-shirts), slip-on trousers (tracksuits), and strip-washing with a basin.

(And by the way, this will be yet another cause for delay in completing the grips guide revision. Sorry. I will get there eventually. I also may be absent from BC, because one-handed typing is maddeningly slow.)

**-Silver-** · 08-29-2007, 08:26 AM

no advice, but i wish u a speedy recovery, so u can get back onto the court and smash the birdie.

***drifit*** · 08-29-2007, 08:41 AM

Originally Posted by Gollum

Two weeks hence I should be coming around from my first ever general anaesthetic. The keyhole surgery will repair a cartilage tear in my right shoulder (the labrum), which has been causing me chronic pain for over a year; at the same time, the surgeon may shave away some bone to increase the space around my supraspinatus tendon, to protect against possible future impingement.

I'm expecting to have my arm immobilised in a sling for about two-four weeks, and thereafter to be off badminton completely for two-three months. My post-surgery recovery will be managed by a physiotherapist whom the surgeon chooses.

I will be able to continue coaching without using my right hand, but I don't yet know whether I will be allowed to demonstrate or play with my left hand. Obviously I will follow the medical advice to the letter, rather than risk damaging my shoulder by premature activity.

Perhaps some of you have experienced similar operations. I'd appreciate any advice you can give me. Apart from the shoulder recuperation, I'll be faced with such basic problems as how to wash and dress myself (I hope I will be able to do most of this without help). At the moment, I'm thinking of buttoned shirts (not T-shirts), slip-on trousers (tracksuits), and strip-washing with a basin.

(And by the way, this will be yet another cause for delay in completing the grips guide revision. Sorry. I will get there eventually. I also may be absent from BC, because one-handed typing is maddeningly slow.)

they really stated that in a letter?
hopefully this surgery will not affect your badminton in future.
do this surgery affect your fingers? why only able to type one-handed?
coaching with single-hand..... imagining now...

**morewood** · 08-29-2007, 09:13 AM

Bordem and pain from your imobilised arm will be the problems I forsee, I know from when I had my left arm in a sling last year. Getting dressed and washed you you should manage one handed, a few oversized shirts may be a good idea though.

Physio wise you will exerience pain and frustration about how little you can do, I recal grip strength testing was part of my recovery program and when it hurts to touch anything grabbing hold and squeezing as hard as you can hurts like hell.

**Gollum** · 08-29-2007, 09:47 AM

Originally Posted by -Silver-

no advice, but i wish u a speedy recovery, so u can get back onto the court and smash the birdie.

Thanks.

It will be a tedious wait, but it's worth it to end the pain.

Originally Posted by drifit

hopefully this surgery will not affect your badminton in future.

I hope and expect that it will affect my badminton: I should be able to play more vigorously and confidently once my shoulder is fixed.

Originally Posted by drifit

do this surgery affect your fingers? why only able to type one-handed?

My arm will be immobilised in a sling. That's the whole point of using a sling: so you don't move the arm.

Originally Posted by drifit

coaching with single-hand..... imagining now...

It's not difficult; I've done it before, when I was resting my shoulder. Feeding is tricky (especially multi-feeds), but you can get the students to do that.

I can do most demonstrations with my left hand. Heck, I can even beat most of my students when playing left-handed.

I can even coach with no hands if I must.

Originally Posted by morewood

Bordem and pain from your imobilised arm will be the problems I forsee, I know from when I had my left arm in a sling last year. Getting dressed and washed you you should manage one handed, a few oversized shirts may be a good idea though.

Physio wise you will exerience pain and frustration about how little you can do, I recal grip strength testing was part of my recovery program and when it hurts to touch anything grabbing hold and squeezing as hard as you can hurts like hell.

Thanks, that's helpful advice.

For the boredom, I may absorb myself in work: writing. Still, the slowness of typing one-handed or writing with my left hand will be annoying. I'm also planning to take some time out to study and play chess.

Your caution about physio is salutary. I'll really need to steel myself for it.

I suspect I'll have moments of doubt where, when I get pain, I'll wonder whether the surgery really worked.

**stumblingfeet** · 08-29-2007, 10:03 AM

Are you familiar with the different Dvorak keyboard configurations? The QWERTY keyboard configuration was devised to minimize mechanical jamming in typewriters, not for typing ability.

The dvorak keyboard arranges commonly used characters and character sequences together in the middle to improve typing efficiency. The most commonly known version is the 2 handed version, but left hand and right hand versions do exist. Look around in your computer settings to make the change.

Oh, and make sure you eat plenty of food (especially fish oil) and get plenty of rest. Your body needs all that it can get for recovery.

**kenshin_kendoka** · 08-29-2007, 11:02 AM

I dislocated my right elbow early this year (i'm right handed!!!) from falling during rock climbing. So for a while i learned to be ambidextrous. Anyway, i did not do any surgery for it (thank goodness). Just do physical therapy. I found that sometimes after getting my whole range of motion, I will bump my right elbow to god knows where, since not used to the whole range of motion.

Pretty much to get better faster, when it's time to do the physical therapy, do the exercises diligently.

According to the therapist that I was working with for my elbow, after you did not use your muscle for a while, your muscle "forgot". So physio helps your muscle remembers.

**badmad** · 08-29-2007, 12:38 PM

one thing I want to say is that physiotherapy is equally important as surgery. after the surgery, you would probably have a week before PT starts. When i was operated for my ACL tear, doctors asked me to lift/move my knee a little bit. and i ignored it.

I had tough time with the physiotherapy sessions.

***kwun*** · 08-29-2007, 12:55 PM

that sucks. but i wish you a quick recovery Gollum.

**DinkAlot** · 08-29-2007, 12:59 PM

Mike, I pray you make a speedy recovery.

**Pete LSD** · 08-29-2007, 01:03 PM

Same here, God speed with your recovery. BTW, what type of articular cartilage repair did the ortho surgeon performed on your shoulder? Was it abrasion or microfracture, or MACI?

**wood_22_chuck** · 08-29-2007, 02:56 PM

Speedy recovery, Gollum. I suspect, even one-handed, your posts'll outshine the dozens other "Which racket, what bag, which tension, etc" posts out there.

-dave

**ants** · 08-29-2007, 03:23 PM

Wish you a speedy recovery. Pray that you will heal faster. Take good care of yourself and eat healthy.

**ae86trueno** · 08-29-2007, 11:01 PM

Sorry not able to give any advice.. but wish you to recover fast and able to play badminton again. All the best and God Bless you, I'm sure He will look after you.

Rgds,
Andrew

***drifit*** · 08-30-2007, 12:41 AM

Originally Posted by ae86trueno

Sorry not able to give any advice.. but wish you to recover fast and able to play badminton again. All the best and God Bless you, I'm sure He will look after you.

Rgds,
Andrew

do less drifting... hahahahha

to Gollum,
get more rest after surgery, you will recover at the soonest.
quite boring without you at here...

**Linus** · 08-30-2007, 02:43 AM

Dont have any medical advise for you unfortunately. But hope you will recover as soon as possible and be able to play again!

***Oldhand*** · 08-30-2007, 03:18 AM

Originally Posted by Gollum

The keyhole surgery will repair a cartilage tear in my right shoulder (the labrum), which has been causing me chronic pain for over a year; at the same time, the surgeon may shave away some bone to increase the space around my supraspinatus tendon, to protect against possible future impingement.

Just one point:

Shaving the bone to make room forces the body to generate tissue to take up that tiny space.

Now, this could be either normal tissue or scar tissue.

If it's normal tissue that comes along, then it's absolutely OK... however, if it's scar tissue that creeps in, it might lead to some complications. For one, scar tissue could actually hamper things as its grain will not match that of the adjoining tissue.

I'd suggest you ask your doctor again about this.
I also hope I'm absolutely wrong about such fears.

Anyway, make sure you're surrounded by lots of pretty nurses... that's as vital to recovery as anything else.

Finally, when you're recovering and also berating the physio, always have a racquet nearby. Seeing it is the best form of encouragement to get yourself back to active play.

All the best.