Injuries and Training

Dave,

I was wondering what your thoughts were on training with injuries? I ask because, having started martial arts this year, I have had to 'soldier on'
with a condition known as sub-acromial impingement - basically a condition of the shoulder where by the rotator-cuff muscles and tendons 'pinch' on the top of the acromium.

I've been to the physio for a while and he's 'fixed'' one arm, and the other has improved, but not healed properly, and I am basically having to come to terms with the fact that to continue training will mean putting up with pain to varying degrees (I'll also be honest - the locks and moves applied to me during training at the 'Batley Bashers' don't make it easier..!! )

I was wondering a) if anyone suffers / has suffered from this condition (it restricts movement above the head and behind the back basically) and if so what they did to overvcome it and b) if anyone else has a long standing injury that won't go away and who just basically adopts the 'well - there's nowt I can do so I'll just have to put up with it' approach.

Cheers

Chris Webb

Chris,

First off, I like your user name. Baloo, cool character, whether from the books or from the movie (very different, like 'em both).

I've had both rotator cuffs rebuilt. Tear in the RC, tear in the labrum, (and a bunch of other damage) on one, impingement on both.
The impingement, for me at least, was at least partly structural - my bone structure just didn't leave much room for the nerve to go through.
It was difficult (actually impossible) for me to get my arms overhead.

I don't recommend surgery lightly. It will put you out of commission for several months, and its success depends hugely on your doctor. The surgery involves, in addition to fixing whatever damage is there, shaving the bone to create more room for the nerve. My surgeon refers to this as "raising the ceiling" (he called reattaching my torn labrum to the bone as "tacking down the carpet" - I think he'd like to be a carpenter).

My right shoulder was the worse one. I did Physio on it for a year, steadfastly, with no real improvement. Only after that did I consider surgery.
It was a great decision.

When I fried the other one grappling, and the x-rays showed the same bone structure, I decided to go for surgery. I'd rather face 2 months out of training, with a good chance of training fully again, rather than re-injure myself every 2 months and miss 6 weeks recovering from the injury each time (which was what was happening).

At this point (3 years post surgery on one, 2 years on the other) I can lift my arms overhead. That is incredibly cool. I can do handstands and handstand pushups. Also incredibly cool. I can press bodyweight overhead. Also incredibly cool. Well, none of these things may seem cool to people with healthy shoulders, but if you couldn't lift your hand, let alone a 2 lb dumbell, over your head because of joint issues, they become cool indeed.

Having a good surgeon is key. If you consider it, talk to your physio about who has the best success rate. The physios rehab all the post surgery patients, so they know the butchers from the good surgeons.
And if you do it, do your rehab religiously.

Good luck, mate.

JK

JK,

I really appreciate the post - sounds like you had it worse than mine to be fair.

I did discuss the possibility of surgery with the physio, and we kind of decided that it was a bit risky and not necessary if the condition kept at the same level of discomfort / inconvenience. Trouble is after training last Wed it's flared up pretty badly again, hence the question.

Luckily I'm off on holiday for 2 weeks so I can get to rest it, carry on with the physio exercises and have a think about my options when I get back. Surgery does sound like a more serious option now though - I've had the condition since I was about 17 (I'm now 36!) so it's time I got it sorted once and for all I think.

Cheers for taking the time to respond! I'll keep you informed of progress...

Chris

P.S. - Baloo was the name I used when I did a bit of house DJing - I always loved the character and it seemed perfect for me at the time really - brings to mind an image of something cuddly, furry and funky. I was furry and cuddly (!) and the music provided the funky..!

Feel free to PM me if you want to talk further.

Baloo in the movie was voiced by Phil Harris.
Phil Harris was on the old radio Jack Benny show, playing a very hip, very funny, rather alcoholic Jazz bandleader.
He played it the same as he played Baloo - Baloo was that character in a bear suit.

I've always loved that.

JK

Holly shit JK youve had some "nice" injuries!



Real glad youve come through so well!!

When I trained in Krav Maga and doing some ground work, my arm got slammed on the floor awkardly and I had an annoying pain at the bottom of the deltoid that I'm sure was something to do with the rotator cuffs. I had it xray but no bones broken. For about 6months I would get annoying twinges in that spot. I didnt train for several weeks soon after but occassionally when I did start to train again it would feel better, especially doing hooks on the pads. But I don't want you start hitting things because my injury was slight.
The other day my partner did a neck leverage on me and I had a sore neck from bad sleep, so I told him do it again but the other way to even out the stiffness. Felt better after.