I am scheduled to have a reverse shoulder joint replacement surgery on August 3. Over the years, I had several injections in the joint to relieve some of the pain but severe arthritis and deterioation of the bone leave me with on option but to replace the joint. It will be 6 weeks of keeping the shoulder immobile in a sling and then months of PT. The surgeon did say I would be able to be on a trainer soon after the surgery as long as I don’t move the shoulder. I’m probablly more motivated, than the average patient, to do the PT and recover ASAP. I am wondering if anyone else has had this replacement surgery and how recovery went. What should I expect? Thank you.
Not replacement but I’m about 2 months into rotator cuff and labrum surgery.
My practice is foot and ankle but 2 of my partners do shoulder replacement. Did them in residency, havnt done one in ages but have a good idea of how they work…
It’s not really the replacement that’s gonna slow you down, it’s the soft tissue around it that has to heal. 6 weeks or so before you’re gonna be able to flex your shoulder to get your hand to the bar. If you have access to smaller bike with shorter reach, that will help. I put my mtb on the trainer while I was healing since the reach was a bit shorter.
The trouble people get into is that you’re gonna feel pretty good in around 4-6 weeks as far as pain goes and your ability to get on the bike. The issue is you have no ability to protect yourself in a wreck or if you have to make an abrupt maneuver. Plan on 3 months on the trainer no matter how good you’re feeling.
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I had 4 anchors in my shoulder 3 years ago. After the first week I was back on the trainer. 6 weeks out I was back on the bike. I hadn’t ridden in 3 years but needed to exercise so I started to ride again
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A word of caution about training with one hand on the bar. My best riding buddy had rotator surgery and was back on the trainer within a few days. One hand on the bar and the other in a sling. After 6 weeks of that imbalanced body position and his shoulder was great but his back was totally messed up. He had to go straight back to the PT to fix the back and lost another 6 weeks of riding and training.
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I ended up taking the should out of the sling since it was way to hot in the garage. I wrapped a dog leash around the repaired arm and wrapped the leash around my neck to support the arm. The better option would be to get a 2nd sling to support the repaired arm.
After 2 weeks I started doing full body exercises minus the repaired arm. I would do all the standard stuff but focused on making sure the core was being utilized. I was back to playing basketball in under 6 months. I even crashed 2 months out and was ok. I raced 90 post operation.
Yea I had a “sweaty sling” and a sleeping sling. It’s a must if you’re gonna keep working out.
Something to keep in mind after replacement… really go through the healing process as directed by your surgeon. Shoulder replacement is kinda the last straw for a crap joint. If you damage this, the outcomes of revisions are not the same as primary replacement. I’m not saying sit on the couch all day and quit riding, but be mindful that your arm isn’t going to act the same way in a wreck. Especially if this is your dominant arm, there’s life altering repercussions when things go wrong. That being said, I’m 2 months out and gently back on the road bike so I’m not exactly practicing what I preach to a T either. Just be aware of the risk
