Today was a big event. No, not the first round of the 2019 Masters Tournament. The big event was the eight week anniversary of my shoulder surgery for torn rotator cuff, torn bicep tendon, and torn labrum. My last report at the six week mark was not good. My physical therapy was not going as fast as I’d hoped because I have what is called “frozen shoulder.”
This report is a little better than the six week mark. My pain level, which is and has mostly been in the area of the bicep work, is slowly decreasing. It has been constantly painful, extremely enflamed, knotted, and sore 24/7. That’s going away, ever so slowly. But at least it is going.
I’ve found that my range of motion is, very slowly, improving. I could not reach up much higher than waist height two weeks ago. Now I can reach up to about shoulder height before I can’t go any farther. I’m now able to do some of the basics like putting my socks on without too much effort and with little to no pain. I can reach the steering wheel in the car now. Still can’t reach the radio. Can’t brush my teeth with the right hand or for that matter, pick my nose. Can’t dry my back off or pull my pants up with the right arm yet.
Today at the rehab facility I reached one of the mini-goals that I’ve been wanting to reach. This is drill they tried to get me to do several weeks ago but due to the bicep scar tissue and damage, I failed. Today I was finally able to do the arm pulley drill. This is a drill where I sit in a chair and pull my bad arm up via pulley with my good arm (photo below). Being able to do this today meant that I was at least progressing.
I expected the drill to be a relief. I’ve been aching to fold my arms or put my arms behind my head etc. It was not a relief though, it was very still and painful. But I would call it a “good kind of pain.”
At this point in my rehab I’m going to get to start doing more strength building and more mobility building, which I’m looking forward to. During my treatment today we felt several “pops” in the shoulder tissue. The therapist said that was scar tissue breaking. This is good. The scar tissue is what’s making the shoulder sore and impossible to move.
I’m still fairly gimpy with the right arm. I feel like a T-Rex. But it is improving. Given the extent of my surgery and the resulting scar tissue and damage, I fear the 2019 golf season will be completely lost. I hope I’m wrong. I’m religiously doing two rehab sessions per week and daily rehab exercises.
I sill have yet to sleep in my bed. Can’t be horizontal without it hurting. I hope to be over that soon because I’m not getting very much sleep at all in a sitting position.
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