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Shoulder injury!
Hi every one! So exited to be back in the website! After a succesful recovery from my breast augmentation surgery and work my strength back, I am back on the pole and taking classes!. However, my shoulder has been hurting a lot and that made me go to the Dr. He examined me and diagnosed me with an SLAP tear and impingement syndrome. Treatment: PT which has not helped to much because I was already strong and was not too much left to work on…and now surgery :((. I am terrified i won't be able to pole again!! Has any body had shoulder surgery and being able to pole afterwards? any feedback is greatly appreciated. It will help me to take my desicion about doing it or wait and let it heal. Thanks all!!! :))
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9 Replies
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No advice but just wanted to say that must really suck and I feel for you 🙁 🙁 I hurt a shoulder muscle a few months ago and couldn't pole for over a month cos I had nerve damage and it sucked! But I healed. Can a SLAP injury heal with non surgery? If so you would have to rest it and not be tempted to pole as hard as it is 🙁 I moved onto pilates when I couldn't pole and I loooove it so you can find other ways to still feel a bit fit
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I think in your situation that you should stay off of the pole. Pole does put a lot of stress on the shoulders and a tear like that shouldn't be overworked until it heals properly. Focus on stretching and other exercises with less impact to the shoulder for the time being. When you are 100%, you can come back to pole safely and progress again without fear of reinjury. Feel better!
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Ice and Rest…Get a second opinion …you might be strong and weak at the same time, ie. Large global muscles strong and intrinsic stabilizers weak.
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I had shoulder surgery 4 years ago. It's a really long recovery process. You'll probably need to stay off the pole completely for, just estimating, 6 months, and you won't have your strength back for a year.
Definitely get a second and a third opinion. I talked to three doctors at different hospitals and they all agreed I should get the surgery.
I'm glad I did it because back then I was always risking re-injury, and now I can do most things without problems. However, there are some moves I will just never ever do, because I would worry about reinjury. I have most of my strength back but nowhere near the flexibility. I can do things now I never could do before the surgery, but at the same time the time off set me WAYYY back in terms of my progress.
My advice is:
1. Get three different opinions
2. Seeing that you're in NY, consider going to Dr. Rose at the NY Eye and Ear Infirmary; because of Harkness Dance Injury Clinic he has operated on tons of aerialists, including polers (including me).
3. Plan on being COMPLETELY off the pole for an extended period. Use that time to develop supplemental skills. Other kinds of dance are great. Focus on flexibiliy and strength training. I picked up hula hooping and poi spinning, because they both involved keeping my arms up, so they built shoulder strength gently.
It's such a tough decision. Good luck!
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TO all thank you very much for the recomendations. Pippi, I'll see a second doctor in 1 month thank you for the advice. I actually know Dr. Rose so I'll see him. I guess I just have to take it easy on my shoulder and see what the outcomes of the Drs. visits are…but it is hard to quit again…ahhhgggg.
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Wow, what a small world! I'll have to message you my real name so you can tell Dr. Rose I say hi. 😉
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A SLAP tear will not go away…they usually recommend surgury. And again its a long process. Everyone recovers differently, but you cannot rush back into anything because you will re-injure it. Absolutely get several opionions.
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You poor thing 🙁 Especially after you just had a BA! I am going through the exact same thing, but in my hip. My doctor didn't call it a SLAP tear, maybe because that's a term more used in the shoulder, but it's a complete tear of the labrum (the diagnosis said "complete detachment tear of the anterio-superior labrum"). It was a tough decision for me because I will be on crutches and my only exercise options will be swimming with leg floats, but my doctor was clear it's my only real option.
I do have a student in my advanced classes who is a gymnast and had this surgery on her shoulder. She regained full range of motion and strength and she can perform handsprings, etc, but she still gets pain in her shoulder and blames it on rushing her recovery. She told me NOT to rush back into activity because of impatience, and that's what I will tell you! (And myself …)
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Lilblondie thank you very much for the advice! This type of injuries are not easy to deal with. I'm staying off the pole and just got my first steroid injection yesterday to relieve the pain, although the Dr. was not happy about giving it to me because of the long term effects of tissue damage but he said it is an option to work my rehab exercises pain free and get full benefit from them in order to avoid surgery. So here I am with a sore shoulder and hoping that it gets better with more PT exercises. I'll see a second Dr. in a month to have another opinion. But if the only option I have is surgery, that's the way it will be. Thank you all for the great advices. I actually have been refocused on rotator cuff strengthening (working out both shoulders) to get better joint stability and will be testing my self in a month to see how much I have progressed. I'll keep everybody posted ;))
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