Shoulder surgery...when we’re you able to shoot again?

[Bigeclipse]

Well I've been trying to put of my shoulder surgery but the sleepless nights are too much and they have an opening so I'm getting surgery next week. Fixing a labrum tear and a partial rotator cuff tear. The doctor says I'll be in a sling for 3-5 weeks and then physical therapy after that for a few months. He indicated that the impact of a rifle should likely be ok in a few months. Just curious what time you guys had to wait. Also, I'm considering shooting with my opposite hand. He said that should be fine once I'm out of the sling since your forehand does not really get any impact.

 

[matemike]

While I cannot speak from personal experience I think firstly it will have a lot to do with how bad the tears are. Are they partial tears or torn the whole way across? Only your doctor will know that.
I have seen coworkers recover to 100% physical duty in as little as 3 months from partial tear repair. And as little as 6 months after full tear repair.
Secondly it will depend on your own tolerance for pain and commitment to the physical training regime. But do NOT rush it or do something that you shouldn't too soon. It will make things worse and recovery time much longer. Be a good patient with lots of patience is my best advice.

 

[Bigeclipse]

While I cannot speak from personal experience I think firstly it will have a lot to do with how bad the tears are. Are they partial tears or torn the whole way across? Only your doctor will know that.
I have seen coworkers recover to 100% physical duty in as little as 3 months from partial tear repair. And as little as 6 months after full tear repair.
Secondly it will depend on your own tolerance for pain and commitment to the physical training regime. But do NOT rush it or do something that you shouldn't too soon. It will make things worse and recovery time much longer. Be a good patient with lots of patience is my best advice.

Agreed. They only appeared to be partial tears on the mri but he won't know the full extent until he gets in there. I don't want to hurt my recovery. Just trying to get a general idea.

 

[flyguy1]

He'll know better, as you said, after the surgery. Time for the heavy rifle in 6.5, .243, 6mm this season. 30 cal, magnums next year.

 

[Pdyson]

After 35 years of competatve tournament archery and bow hunting Arthritis with severe joint degeneration and Impingement pain led me to a total shoulder replacement 18 months ago. I was back shooting (bench) as soon as the stitches came out in weeks not months. In fact I started shooting before beginning physical therapy. I had pain and weakness that affected me primarily in two areas; cycling the bolt hurt a lot (still does) and I still have strength issues....I only recovered 50% of my strength and some moves/ motions I can't do at all. I often have to reach over and unlock the bolt with my left hand. The second big impact affects my CCW. I had to change my holster location. I cannot draw a pistol from behind my hip. Shoulder will not function at that angle. I had to change to the 3 o'clock position with a smaller lighter pistol. Lastly, I can't shoot my bow anymore. I moved to a 25# long bow but that's a long road too. If I knew it was going to be this bad, I would NOT have had the surgery. The price I paid was not worth it.

 

[Doom2]

I had surgery with minimal work, basically cleaning out debris and trimming the bone on top. Not much different if you have only partial tears. It took 6 months to get back to playing golf. Since it was the left shoulder and I'm a right handed shooter I was back shooting in 3 to 4 months from a bench.

What I learned was everyone really does respond differently. That's why you hear orthopedist use the words like few or several.

Your Physical therapist is key. One word of advice, don't go full macho and push too hard. Listen, follow their advice, and be open and honest about what you feel and what you do.

Good luck. You'll be glad you did this in the end and wonder why you waited.

 

[FEENIX]

I had the surgery in June 2012 >>> https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/had-shoulder-surgery.93972/page-3 and was bowhunting by September 2012 ... and of course rifle hunting/shooting by October 2012.

Physical therapy is the key to a speedy and successful recovery. I was scheduled for 40 PT sessions but only needed 2. The 1st was to measure my range of motion. I was doing PT before my 1st session and my range of motion was already in the 90%+ by August. The 2nd session was the use of PT machine strength exercises, which is already in my PT and physical training regimen.

 

[wwbrown]

I have had lots of orthopedic surgeries, including three surgeries on right shoulder that were termed total shoulder reconstruction, my best advice is to find a good physical therapist and listen to them. PT's see patients as they restart their activities after surgery or injury, surgeons see more of their patients pre-op, so I think PT's have a better base to tell you when you can return to your normal activities.

I shoot right handed so the difficult shoulder is the one that takes the recoil, and I shoot up to my 375 Ruger without problems. I add this so you see there is light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[Muddyboots]

Dec 3,2018 complete rebuild of right shoulder. Bone cyst detached all 4 rotator tendons, bicep tendon, torn labrum, impingement. Started shooting iff bench in May 2019 with .270, July with 300WM 200AB load, started bow at 55# and was up to 64 by end of Sept. Killed doe with bow in Oct, killed buck with slug gun opening day, following day killed buck in IN with 300WM. Shoulder has never felt this good. Only you will know what and how much to do. Long talk with surgeon led me to my path of recovery. PT was religion and got me back pretty fast. I never pushed my weight limits or duration but never missed my goals. PT and pain are path to recovery. Maybe I was luckier than most but I did every PT 100% no matter what. Every day, every minute you step forward is step to recovery. I am now back to shooting bow at 72 so it can be done.

 

[26Reload]

Oh cry me a river.....rowing clients on a two day,steelhead trip on the north Umpqua....stood up to push on oars and river decided to shove my right "humorous" bone out the back of my shoulder...at the same time somehow tore rhe front of my left shoulder......yeah..a little sore there for a while...but i had clients and two other boats with me...this happened in the first two hours of the first day......at lunch I told the other guides what happened..and told them I was gonna hit the soft water...
Which just happened to be where the fish were....my guys landed the most steelhead both days of fishing....three years later i finally was able to afford surgery....by this time the 90 percent of labrum of my right was ripped apart.....dr expected a patch job...4 hours later surgery was complete...but I was tossing my cookies and green.....nite in hospital....left is still torn.....i was in therapy 3rd day after surgery...100 percent in the hands of therapist for three days a week..two month.....and I had electric stimulus for muscle......doc was impressed at recovery time....when he told me "I will see you again soon"...because the way your work and play.."it wont last"....16 years later....left shoulder still has hole....right shoulder is strong.....he was at one time the Chicago White Sox team doctor....i was shooting my 70# BlackMax Mathews bow within 4 months after surgery.....of course i bought it as continued therapy.......wish the rest of my body felt as good as my right shoulder......
Scar tissue is your enemy.....thats why he had me in therapy fast......and do not do more than you're supposed to...the tissue has to heal.......

 

[Muddyboots]

Shoulders are the most complex joint in your body and takes the most abuse. Everyone seems to take joy in beating the crap out of them. Heck I was a blacksmith for a while and certain horses took glee in tossing me around. I think the most constructive advice is to work closely with your PT person. They have seen all sorts of surgeries as well as all sorts of yahoos like us to gauge what we should be doing or not doing. My only recommendation is do not do any more than what you are asked to insure the repair has time to heal. If it is a tendon reattachment, be aware the tendon must be encapsulated back onto the bone for full recovery and that may take up to 18 months so depending upon the severity, listen closely to your PT.

I think it is funny that most that have one major surgery know the other shoulder needs it as well but will "tough" it out as long as you can. I am back up shooting decent bow weight but will never go back to high 70's or even 80 since I know there could be consequences for doing so and I guess why? My right shoulder has been done twice now so it should last me until someone is wiping drool off my face.

There are a lot of ways to shoot safely after surgery with sleds etc and even dropping down in bullet weights just to have the joy of shooting.

 

[keithcandler]

I have had three surgeries on my left shoulder.

First was a "clean up", no PT required, did the PT at home on my own.

Second and third were Rotator cusp repairs, etc. Had to sleep in a recliner for a month or so after surgery, arm in a sling for a while. Total recovery took a year, and was half way normal after 6 months. I did not take many pain killers, but had pain at night.

I would offer this advise, try and find what surgeon does the local college football surgeries on shoulders....you will have one heck of a surgeon if you do. Second, find what PT that particular surgeon likes, and many hospitals demand their PT people attend surgeries in a teaching hospitals.

After my third surgery, it feels like the pieces parts in my shoulder are not connected, but I hvae full use and not quite as strong. Lifting 50 lbs, repeatedly, can give me mild pain that I take 550mg of Neproxin for. So, I baby my shoulders, can reload and shoot without issues, use muzzle breaks on everything.

I hope anyone considering this surgery will take my advise to heart on finding the right doctor. Most people go for what ever is close, really bad decision. Find a surgeon that works on athletes, they are the best along with the PT that the surgeon has hands on experience with. My second surgery was a goat roping from the surgery to the PT.

 

[26Reload]

^^^^^yep....asked my doc how many shoulder surgeries he had
done since turn of the year...this was late April...he turned to Christie the nurse...she looked up the total.....186 or so....
He told me if I was a pitcher that if i had thrown 100mph fast balls...i could only expect 70mph now.....well...i didn't have to throw them that fast in old man softball....but I could still throw hellacious curveball......

 

[brcfo_outdoors]

I had my right labrum repaired in 2012 and had an unfortunate situation with going to school in one part of the state and having my family's insurance plan in another. Long story short I couldn't afford to go through PT for a dollar a minute without insurance so I decided to try and do it on my own. Didn't work, and I regret not trying harder to get help then. With that in mind, I echo everyone above who says do the PT and make the effort.

As far as other recovery goes, my orthopedic surgeon was a ninja, in and out in 42 two minutes with the labrum tacked to the bone in two places. Was off pain killers in a few days, and ultimately got too cocky a few weeks after the surgery and jumped and attempted to grab something because it didn't hurt and I wasn't thinking about it. Went back into the sling with about two weeks of the worst pain I had ever had. Moral of the story is take it slow, even if it is feeling good. Like others have said, I have trouble drawing my CCW if it is too far behind my back, and some strength and range of motion loss. If I don't keep my upper body strong, the back of my neck and shoulder will throb when driving or standing for too long as they are compensating for the repair in the front.

I am still recoil sensitive to this day. For me a big help is placing the butt stock almost straight on my pectoralis like I do when I am "tactical" shooting. I also use muzzle brakes and avoid 00 buck. I don't want to sound like a horror story, but rather a cautionary example of what not to do.