# rotator cuff and SLAP tears



## Ray Ray (Aug 1, 2005)

I won't lie to you. When I had my shoulder rebuilt, it took 8 months til I could shoot again. I now shoot 53 lbs., doc's recommendation. With todays equipment there is no need to shoot a lot of weight.


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## gr8outdoorzman (Mar 14, 2016)

if u don't mind me asking. how old were you when you had the surgery 

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## Trykon Mike (Aug 25, 2007)

I just had my rotator cuff repaired , was torn completely in half , also had the bicep tendon ruptured so they ran a screw thru it .
They told me it would be 3 months before I could shoot again , I hope that is true. I just started therapy , and am glad I didn't use all my pain pills.
As of right now I am not sure 3 months is going to be long enough . Hope you have a good recovery , by the way I am 58


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## gr8outdoorzman (Mar 14, 2016)

thanks. I'm 38. and my rotator wasn't as bad as yours sounds. did first day of therapy on Monday. today my shoulder feels a lot better. still can't put my draw arm up to my anchor point. but I can get it a lot closer. I told my therapist, this what I need from her to help me get back to. she is going to do everything she can to get me back by may. we are moving out of the state then. so she knows what we need to do and she is making the plan to get us there. hopefully your recovery goes well too. the home work she gave me for PT I'm going to be doing religiously. fingers crossed 

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## Ray Ray (Aug 1, 2005)

gr8outdoorzman said:


> if u don't mind me asking. how old were you when you had the surgery
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk



I was 47 when I had the surgery. I had bone spurs removed & bone cut back. RC stitched up. 2 plastic anchors to reattach everything.


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## Ray Ray (Aug 1, 2005)

Don't rush it. 2 guys that were in PT with me did & ended up getting a second surgery.


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## gr8outdoorzman (Mar 14, 2016)

thanks for the reminder. good point. it's not a sprint, it's not a sprint, it's not a sprint 

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## JF from VA (Dec 5, 2002)

I will add another story about my rotator cuff surgery. I had a 90% rotator cuff tear and a SLAP tear. After surgery, I started PT after 6 weeks and the Dr. would not release me to shoot for 6 months. I started at very low draw weight and was back to my normal draw weight at around 12 months. The draw weight you will be able to handle is dependent on the individual. In my case, I only shoot around 45#. But whatever schedule you are on, you must start slow and follow your PT. It has been 8 years since my surgery and I have not had any problems.


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## kbmcalister (Oct 18, 2013)

I am a PT and the first thing I tell people is if you rush things and do ANY damage to what was surgically repaired you long term out come is questionable. Regardless if bow or draw shoulder I'd say MINIMUM 4 months from surgery before drawing a bow, prob closer to 6. Takes a long time for those structures to truly heal. Slap with bicep anchor involvement lead to slower recovery due to most protocols not allowing for full ROM for up to 10 weeks. If only a partial rotator cuff tear 2cm or less that should heal really nice as slap protocol usually more conservative than the cuff repair giving it time to heal. Post op shoulders prob my biggest specialty so if u have any questions please ask 


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## kbmcalister (Oct 18, 2013)

gr8outdoorzman said:


> just had my shoulder put back together. tomorrow I start the long road of PT. and I am getting very nervous about moving my shoulder. its been in the sling for 6 weeks. when we started this I only had two SLAP tears. woke up from surgery and had one tear cleaned up, the second was about completely torn apart. so had to take it apart and reattach it. then found out rotator was partially torn. I was optimistic before we started. but after finding out about the rotator. less optimistic. I had just bought a new hoyt turbo last year. and now I am wondering if this bow is going to work for me again. please. lie to me and tell me that if I do everything my therapist tells me too. I will be shooting my 70# limbs by August.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk


Brad 


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## bltefft (Sep 16, 2015)

Had a motorcycle accident back in October of '03 (I was 52 at the time) that tore up both my shoulders and cost me my right leg. But, truthfully, it was my shoulders that caused me the most pain.

Pay attention to your PT (I called mine my Physical Terrorist) and DO NOT rush it - you're gonna have to be patient - my PT kept cautioning me to "slow down" - I didn't think I was pushing it.

I hadn't touched a vertical bow in 13 years and suddenly this 65 yr old guy got a notion - I wanted to shoot a bow again.

The first bow I got was a Parker SideKick XP - nice little bow with a ton of adjustability (30-50 pounds and 18-28 draw length). The bow shop cranked it down to 32 pounds and I was in business - it was the first bow i had been able to bring to full draw in 13 years - and I'd tried a few along the way, anything over 60# was out of the question. I eventually made it to 39 pounds on the Parker and knew I wanted a more advanced bow.

So, I bit the bullet and bought a 2016 Elite Impulse 31 - I didn't want a bow with a wide ATA distance and man this I31 is SWEET! It came as a 40-50 pound bow and is set to 27 inches draw length. Last time I checked - a few days ago - it was at 41.50 pounds - I'll keep it there for a while before I crank it up by a turn on the limb screws. 

The I31 is proving to be good therapy for me. I'm taking it slow and easy, my shoulders don't hurt after a session of shooting (I remembered how the use my back muscles to draw the bow) and getting stronger, and one day I'm gonna be up to 50 pounds - not tomorrow, not next week, nor next month, but one day I'll get there.

I shoot while sitting in my wheelchair and while I ain't the most graceful archer you ever saw, I consistantly hit 3-4 (5) inch groups at 20 yards (of course, I do better if I take my time, but I sometimes suffer from trigger panic) and rarely do I miss the target. When I get tired I start pulling my shots to the left. I've learned not to shoot so many arrows that I get tired.

All the best.


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## Trykon Mike (Aug 25, 2007)

That's not what I wanted to hear , I am on my 2nd week of therapy. This is going to be a long drawn out process. DANG


kbmcalister said:


> I am a PT and the first thing I tell people is if you rush things and do ANY damage to what was surgically repaired you long term out come is questionable. Regardless if bow or draw shoulder I'd say MINIMUM 4 months from surgery before drawing a bow, prob closer to 6. Takes a long time for those structures to truly heal. Slap with bicep anchor involvement lead to slower recovery due to most protocols not allowing for full ROM for up to 10 weeks. If only a partial rotator cuff tear 2cm or less that should heal really nice as slap protocol usually more conservative than the cuff repair giving it time to heal. Post op shoulders prob my biggest specialty so if u have any questions please ask
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## kbmcalister (Oct 18, 2013)

Trykon Mike said:


> That's not what I wanted to hear , I am on my 2nd week of therapy. This is going to be a long drawn out process. DANG


Yup, if u had what is considered massive tear(>4cm, plus considering your age, saying that in the nicest way possible) it would be 4 month minimum. So unfortunately just try to accept that. Focus on meeting 6 week full PROM goals then 10-12 week full AROM goals and then actual functional strengthening. Over 5 months till opening day of archery season so u should be ready, rusty maybe but ready










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## mike 66 (Jan 21, 2010)

Ray Ray said:


> Don't rush it. 2 guys that were in PT with me did & ended up getting a second surgery.


DONT RUSH IT..................get some 50-60 limbs.


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## Trykon Mike (Aug 25, 2007)

It was tore all the way thru.


kbmcalister said:


> Yup, if u had what is considered massive tear(>4cm, plus considering your age, saying that in the nicest way possible) it would be 4 month minimum. So unfortunately just try to accept that. Focus on meeting 6 week full PROM goals then 10-12 week full AROM goals and then actual functional strengthening. Over 5 months till opening day of archery season so u should be ready, rusty maybe but readyhttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160324/7c0d315909d581b33e0b2a40fcbd1b7c.jpg[/IM
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE]


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## tote (Mar 29, 2013)

After my second surgery it took my shoulder a good year to heal.
Six weeks after surgery I went to PT. After so long they gave up on me. Holding my arm straight out to the side I couldn't raise it more than ear level after 6 months.
See if you can get a bow with a much lower draw weight when you first feel you can pull it back.
It's WAY better to start super low and build up than to re-injure yourself by starting out heavy right out of the chute.


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## Dare Sportsman (Oct 27, 2008)

I was 57 when I had a complete tear across the top of my rotator cuff. I had the surgery on Jan 27th and my personal goal was to shoot my bow by April 1st. Needless to say I backed the limbs down on my Switchback down to 45lbs, I drew the bow back with no problem! BUT, I couldn't lift it up, my arm was just too weak, BUT I did shoot it, (into the ground). Every day I would draw my bow and shoot an arrow until I could finally get it shoulder high. By the middle of June I was back shooting my original 60lbs and hunt ready. Just do what your therapist tells you and you'll be fine. I personally think shooting my bow was as good a therapy as I could have had. I'm now 63 and have had no problems whatsoever.


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