Recovering from (Another) Shoulder Surgery


When I posted the above photos to my social media accounts, one of my friends wondered if I had shared pictures from the Mars lander. Those are actually images taken inside my shoulder, by a doctor on April 26.

During the middle of 2020, probably in June or definitely by July, I noticed that I had severely injured my left shoulder. I was familiar with the pain caused by a rotator cuff tear. I had partially torn my right rotator cuff during Air Force Academy training in 1991, but didn't get it repaired until I experienced three surgeries in 2007 and 2008.

I tried to recover on my own using exercises from the last sets of therapy sessions. In the summer of 2020, in the middle of the first US Covid surge, I was reluctant to see a doctor, have an operation, or attend months of physical therapy.

By the end of March 2021 I was vaccinated. I made an appointment to see a doctor and also got MRI scans of my arm. The doctor informed me that not only was my rotator cuff fully torn, but that I also had a torn bicep. 

Last week, the doctor repaired both. Today he removed my stitches and we made plans for physical therapy. The first month will involve the PTs moving my arm. The second month I will move my arm using my good arm. The third month I should be able to move my repaired arm but not lift anything heavy. By the fourth month I should be able to lift about 10 pounds, and by the fifth month probably 20 pounds. Possibly in the sixth month I could return to jiujitsu, but I wouldn't plan to roll or work on anything that would target my left shoulder.

That's where I am right now. Just as the US is starting to see some hope, I had rotator cuff and bicep surgery last week. There’s no way I’m doing BJJ for another 6 months. Still, I can either decide to quit, or to continue training when I can. I’d rather look back in 2031 and see 9 years of training than 0.

The major way I continue to stay engaged with jiujitsu is by watching instructional videos. My last push occurred during the first 90 days of 2021, with my #90DayswithDanaher program. As one of my goals for 2021 is to watch all of the other instructionals I've purchased over the years, I have plenty of video from which to learn before returning to the mat in person.

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