Me 2 years in to playing tennios, and 12 weeks post surgery - Advice welcome

[gould2000]

I have been playing for about 2 years. The last year was spent managing a shoulder injury, so I did not get to hit a lot of balls. I finally had shoulder surgery 12 weeks ago and have been slowly working back into a regular routine. The video is of me hitting slow pace focusing more on getting feel back and trying to develop early preparation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzO3PZGRmcc

I am 36 years old and played soccer most of my life. I am still at least 4-6 weeks away from returning to serving and overheads. This week I am returning to hitting with my USTA team, most of who are better players than I am due to being more consistent.

your advice is greatly appreciated

[BMC9670]

Not sure what kind of surgery you had (RC, SLAP, etc), but 12 weeks is a fast return. How is your ROM and strength? I'm 5 months post SLAP tear surgery and was only cleared recently to hit "light" groundies. Hitting against better players means more shock to the shoulder. Be careful!

[gould2000]

I had a partial thickness tear of the rotator cuff, fraying of the labrum, bone spurs that help contribute to some nasty bursitis. The procedure my surgeon often mentioned was Arthroscopic Subacromial Debridement as a portion of what was done. My range of motion is better than it was prior to surgery. i was doing PT right up until surgery so that I would be as stong as possible post surgery. I have most of my below the shoulder height strength back. My above the shoulder strength and stability is only about 50-60%. just started weighted and resistance exercises for motions above the shoulder 1 week ago. Pain free but some minor discomfort in the mornings after sleeping on my shoulder. Surgeon says this is normal for up to 6 months.

[gould2000]

also forgot, thank you for the tip to watch it against better players. It is that shock you mention that I am trying to be extra careful about. i plan to really limit the time in the beginning. 15-30 minutes the first day hitting with them. If I feel good the next day, then next time same time maybe a bit more. I figure if I set an alarm on my phone and make myself stick to it I should be OK. nice thing is team is stacked and I am under no pressure to rush back.

[BMC9670]

Wow. You're recovery is going really well. Good luck and again, be careful.