Week 3 Rotator Cuff Surgery Recovery - Weight Loss, Starter Workout, Sleep, and PT

[@katd6580]

Agree on sleeping.. (and having to sleep in the sling) that is the worst part...not painful, but just can't get in a comfortable position since I am a side sleeper. Tons of pillows on the bed to help. I have been walking around the house with a small pillow to mimic the sling pillow instead of my sling sometimes.. That's feels way more comfortable for me.

[@livelongerlivestronger]

@Kat D sleeping is for sure an adventure and often times not a fun one. As you watch the videos I talk about it more, but for me it was about finding several positions that were most comfortable, then I rotated between them. My go to was lying on my good side with a large pillow under my arm/sling and another large pillow directly behind me. It was the most comfortable for me, but easy to come out of the sling. Putting the thumb strap down and strapping my arm in the sling a bit differently helped keep my arm in place in that position. Next, I would roll slightly onto the pillow behind me. It was like sleeping on my back, but still on my side. Between those two positions and the occasional recliner, I made it work. I plan to put out a "How to Sleep During Recovery" video in the future. I'm glad you have found a more comfortable position when walking. You will get there with sleeping too!

[@happychappylife4283]

I'm week 3 no pain either. Back toy office job 4 days a week. Walking 30 minutes a day. My wound is uncovered now and looking so good. I'm sleeping well on my side in my bed now. Sling is off when I'm home. Sleeping without sling too. Thanks for videos.

[@livelongerlivestronger]

@Happy Chappy Life No pain is great! Being back to work, walking longer distances and sleeping...wow you've got most people beat by a mile. You're doing fantastic and that's great to hear! I'm guessing your recovery will go very smoothly!

[@josephlyons2413]

Im 1 week in. Im watching these as i go. I can't hardly sleep

[@livelongerlivestronger]

It was tough to get good sleep consistently. I found getting as much rest as I could in chunks was the way to go for me in the initial weeks.

[@animaroy9650]

Hi, your videos have been a great help, I’m about 2 1/2 weeks post surgery. I just wanted to ask are you pretty much back to how you were pre surgery and problems? How long did you mindfully continue specific exercises for shoulder rehabilitation or are you still continuing?

[@livelongerlivestronger]

Hey there! Yes, I am fully recovered and doing really well. I’m able to function at 100% of where I was prior to my injuries. I mindfully continued shoulder mobility and strengthening through my entire recovery. The movements changed through different stages of recovery, but I consistently did movements appropriate to that stage of recovery. You can find all those details throughout the 31 videos on the channel. That’s one of the topics I addressed to help others each week. To this day, I am doing CrossFit, weight training, and doing CrossOver Symmetry for my shoulders. It allows me to do other active sports and activities as well. Hope that helps!

[@Melodycat918]

I'm going on week 3 right now I've had a supraspinatus infraspinatus and a subscapularis full thickness tears along with the biceps tenodesis procedure

[@livelongerlivestronger]

Melody. I'm sorry to hear you required surgery. The good news is, that is the first biggest step to having a normal life again. Follow your healthcare team's advice, be consistent with therapy, and stay positive. Shoulder surgery recovery takes time, but if you are patient, the outcome should be life changing.

[@billvega1995]

Thank you so much for your videos. Very helpful as I’m going in for similar procedure this coming Thursday. You mention losing weight. Why is that? I assumed just due to lack of activity I would gain weight. Thanks

[@livelongerlivestronger]

Hi Bill. You are most welcome! I'm glad the video was helpful. I was super active and did CrossFit prior to surgery. I was eating about 3800 calories a day. I intentionally reduced my calories substantially right before surgery and during recovery. I lost weight simply due to muscle atrophy, it was substantial. If you watch my videos (Such as Week 11 Pain vs Discomfort) I show B-Roll clips in many where I was doing active things prior to surgery, like lifting weights, bar muscle ups, etc. As the videos progressed over the weeks, you will see how small my right arm got in comparison. I lost about 6" or so on that arm and about 3" on my left, good arm. So yes, be prepared to lose some muscle mass. The good news is I got it back after. Here is a playlist of all 31 videos if it will be helpful to you: kzbin.info/aero/PLQSf5JL3jJjSHFX3dxy1_j9Hxyv-jKAoo&si=mrNCn9WNVguBrtvu

[@TheMusicman961]

1 week in, sleeping in my bed after 2nd night. Pain is minimal, I have been taking OXY only 1 a day before bed and get up around 2:30 or 3:00am and take Benadryl to relieve itching (also helps with sleep). I've had a couple of mishaps that were a bit painful. One, my wife accidentally hit my shoulder, the other my pup came up ang licked my arm which made me jerk my shoulder up. Not really taking anything for pain throughout the day, I have only taken Motrin or Tylenol a couple of times over the last week. I keep a journal of my medication and pain levels, the highest pain was an 8 after the nerve block wore off. That was short-lived as I took Motrin and an OXY once I felt it wearing off.

[@livelongerlivestronger]

You have a lot of similarities to my experience. One thing I learned that may be helpful is that if you don’t have any pain five minutes after a small incident like you experienced,, you are good. I had a few things happen, like you, but no issues after five minutes. My recovery went well.

[@TheMusicman961]

That's really good to know, thanks. Pain after these incidents went away within a few minutes. Thanks for all of the details in your videos. It's truly been helpful and will continue to be as I move through this journey.

[@livelongerlivestronger]

You are most welcome!

[@sethcohen797]

This is my week 3. I pain level is more of just a soreness. I’m doing my home PT. I have 2 PT Sessions this week. My biggest issue has been sleeping. 2-3 hours segments at night. Any more tips and tricks for that would be greatly appreciate. Thank you for your videos!

[@livelongerlivestronger]

Seth, I'm glad you are over any major pain. Stiff, sore, and achy will last for a while, but will become less over time. It's great you are continuing with PT, many drop out too early. Sleep can definitely be an issue. You may have already watched, but on night two, I couldn't take sleeping in the recliner anymore and figured out a way to sleep in bed. What I did was put a BIG pillow behind me, something that was taller than me lying on my side, I did the same for the front and had a comfortable pillow under my head/neck. I laid on my good side and carefully positioned my sling/arm so it would stay in place. I used the pillow in front of me to help rest my arm/sling on it. With the pillows on either side of me and a good angle under my head/neck, I was able to find a great sleeping position. I also slightly rolled onto my back/side from that position. It was my 2nd position so I could move. Experiment with different pillows/positions. You will likely find something that will work.

[@suzannekiser4011]

I have trouble getting up and down from the floor due to knee and hip issues. I’m 16 days postop from similar shoulder surgery. Is there some other move I could do that protects the shoulders but works the core? Maybe something isometric?

[@livelongerlivestronger]

@Suzanne Kiser - I made this video for you. Let me know if it helps. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5CxhGWcrc-ioqs

[@cdnrider6200]

week 3 and i get short intermittent pain , like someone has a volume knob . On for 3 seconds then off . its a very weird feeling. Can you relate?

[@livelongerlivestronger]

Yes! This is totally normal. I have talked about this several times through the 31 videos I created for recovery. Below is a link to one clip indexed at the time in the video I talk about it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ62dWpvf7yqnck

[@jmielatl3981]

Great content!!! Are ya tracking macro/calorie intake with fitnesspal? Weighing out foods, protein, measuring carbs etc? Maybe throw in some refeed days to fill up those muscle glycogen stores.

[@livelongerlivestronger]

Thank you! Yes, I have tracked my intake and weighed all of my food over the past four years. The first two weeks PO, I did not. I did eat mostly the same meals I normally do less a few calories due to less activity. I knew approximately the number of calories I was consuming. I eat over 200+ grams of protein daily, based on my body weight of 200 pounds pre-surgery. I haven’t been allowed to do any strength training at all, thus the atrophy. Even though I’ve lost weight, I can’t see my abs any better than before surgery. It may be a little worse! I’m thinking this is just a natural process with muscles deflating without stimulus and the corresponding loss of weight. Not fun! I’m hoping it comes back quickly once I can train again!

[@kiklocus4660]

you seem like a rich guy

[@livelongerlivestronger]

I only wish.