Complete Shoulder makeover

[Nobackhander69]

The shoulder has bugged me for 2.5 years now and prevented me from playing proper matches so I went in last week to get surgery on my biceps tendon, the surgeon ended up fixing some other issues that he discovered while in there:

1. Biceps tendonesis- was initially between this and a slap repair but he told me it was not saveable
2. Dorsal Labrum Tear - we did not see it in the MRI but he fixed it as well
3. Decompression - removed some bone to avoid any problems with the supraspinatus that may come back

I am a 23 YO reasonably fit guy and i want to return to competing at 100% asap. I know the road will be long but I am ready for that. Has anyone else had something like this done at this young age and returned to full form?
Also thinking about just switching to the left hand but I am a really clumsy with it and suspect it would take a looong time to get to where I am now ( if it is even possible, even if i am just a 4.0)
Am I nuts for thinking it will all work out and i will be back to 100% when all is said and done ( was told to expect 9 months in a best case scenario)

 

[ProStaffFanatic]

I don't know what to imagine with these surgeries nor am I a doctor.
But if the surgeon expects you to be able to make a full recovery, even if it takes long, then I don't see why you couldn't.

Looks like it will take you a year though. That's rough. But hey, it could be worse.... you could also look at the prospect of never being able to play again. So focus on the positive side of things.

I would suggest to not push yourself, which in general will just make the year turn into a year and a half.... Get physio therapy to help with revalidation and ask him / her for exercises you can do at home, or perhaps even draft up a complete training schedule with them to make the revalidation work as good as possible. Make sure to do regular follow ups to see if you are good on track or need to slow things down.

What I would also advice is to NOT neglect the rest of your body while revalidating your shoulder. You should certainly stay away from the court for the time being, but there's plenty of other stuff you can do to stay "tennis fit" in the meantime. Like jogging, sprinting, sit-ups, etc.

Your tennis muscle memory isn't going anywhere. If you make sure to stay "fit" in the legs, abs, back,... you'll pick up your tennis rhythm again in no time once you can get back to court.

Take it from a guy who sat on his behind for 27 years and then returned to tennis..... My muscle memory was completely intact. In just a couple hours of hitting, my rhythm was back. The only thing that held me back was the total neglect of my body.
That was 27 years of course, not "9 months". But in my experience, "losing fitness" goes a LOT faster then rebuilding it. Make sure to maintain it. That way you'll be ready on day one once your doctor / physio gives you the ok to pick up a racket again.


Much good luck and courage to you...

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

The shoulder has bugged me for 2.5 years now and prevented me from playing proper matches so I went in last week to get surgery on my biceps tendon, the surgeon ended up fixing some other issues that he discovered while in there:

1. Biceps tendonesis- was initially between this and a slap repair but he told me it was not saveable
2. Dorsal Labrum Tear - we did not see it in the MRI but he fixed it as well
3. Decompression - removed some bone to avoid any problems with the supraspinatus that may come back

I am a 23 YO reasonably fit guy and i want to return to competing at 100% asap. I know the road will be long but I am ready for that. Has anyone else had something like this done at this young age and returned to full form?
Also thinking about just switching to the left hand but I am a really clumsy with it and suspect it would take a looong time to get to where I am now ( if it is even possible, even if i am just a 4.0)
Am I nuts for thinking it will all work out and i will be back to 100% when all is said and done ( was told to expect 9 months in a best case scenario)

Which biceps tendon are you referring to? The tendon(s) that attaches the biceps to the elbow area (just below the crease in the elbow, I believe) or the tendon(s) that attaches the biceps to the shoulder area?

 

[ollinger]

If I had that collection of maladies, I'd resolve to take up pickleball and work to become a good player. Far less strain on the upper body.

 

[Nobackhander69]

If I had that collection of maladies, I'd resolve to take up pickleball and work to become a good player. Far less strain on the upper body.

Yeah i get it but pickleball is not for me xD

 

[Nobackhander69]

Which biceps tendon are you referring to? The tendon(s) that attaches the biceps to the elbow area (just below the crease in the elbow, I believe) or the tendon(s) that attaches the biceps to the shoulder area?

The long biceps tendon. Its actually quite a "routine" surgery, just not happy to have it at 23 xD

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

The long biceps tendon. Its actually quite a "routine" surgery, just not happy to have it at 23 xD

So that’s a tendon that attaches the biceps to the shoulder (rather than the elbow) — as I suspected.

Did the problem arise from tennis, volleyball or something else?

 

[Jsummers1]

What have you also tried before surgery? e.g. PT and weight training exercise for the shoulder, back and bicep muscles?
it seems a bit drastic to surgery at your age.

 

[Enkitec]

Man, reading this brought back memories of when I had my own shoulder rebuilt in my late 20s. I was terrified I'd never play again, but honestly the surgeon mattered more than anything. The rehab was brutal, but I got back to full range in about 10 months. If you're still worried about long-term stability, it's worth checking in with this really experienced Dallas shoulder doctor - the kind who does these complex multi-fix surgeries all the time. Makes a huge difference knowing they've seen cases like yours hundreds of times

 

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

The shoulder has bugged me for 2.5 years now and prevented me from playing proper matches so I went in last week to get surgery on my biceps tendon, the surgeon ended up fixing some other issues that he discovered while in there:

1. Biceps tendonesis- was initially between this and a slap repair but he told me it was not saveable
2. Dorsal Labrum Tear - we did not see it in the MRI but he fixed it as well
3. Decompression - removed some bone to avoid any problems with the supraspinatus that may come back

I am a 23 YO reasonably fit guy and i want to return to competing at 100% asap. I know the road will be long but I am ready for that. Has anyone else had something like this done at this young age and returned to full form?
Also thinking about just switching to the left hand but I am a really clumsy with it and suspect it would take a looong time to get to where I am now ( if it is even possible, even if i am just a 4.0)
Am I nuts for thinking it will all work out and i will be back to 100% when all is said and done ( was told to expect 9 months in a best case scenario)

Checking in... I was 22 when I had a similiar enough surgery. It was my 2nd surgery to add onto that:
1) Partially torn supraspinatus (2nd tear, but unrelated to the first surgery)
2) Partially torn posterior labrum (new injury)
3) SAD (Subacromial Decompression) (2nd time, but also unrelated to the first surgery)

Honestly, it wasn't until I turned 25 that I could play without any hesitation. Being medically clear and back to full 100% competitive form for a sport is very different. So it wasn't until 25 that I could actually serve out an entire match.

I'm 40 now, and no one knows I've had 2 surgeries on the same playing shoulder unless I talk about it. Rehab and sports medicine is very different than almost 2 decades ago, I think you'll have a better time coming back just because sports medicine has advanced so much in these years. But know this, listen to your body, know that setbacks in your recovery journey WILL happen, and you HAVE to accept them as part of the journey.

 

[Nobackhander69]

Just a small check-in, as it’s been a while. I had the surgery three months ago and, apart from a hiccup, things have gone exceptionally well. I had an excellent surgeon, and during the first month, we were beating all expectations. Both the physio and doctor were (and still are) extremely happy with the progress.
Unfortunately, five weeks after surgery, when I was already allowed to start slow training, I damaged some nerves in my underarm, which sidelined me for seven weeks. It’s still not remotely good, but I’m now able to train again,slowly. It feels very weird for me to go to the gym and do exercises at really low weights, as even now, with a lot less muscle (wasn’t much there to start with, lol), it doesn’t completely push my muscle, though I’m probably doing more than enough for the tendon.
Anyway, mobility is very good,way better than it was before the surgery. At the very top, there’s still a sense of pressure or discomfort, but I hope that will slowly go away with time. My main challenge now is probably pacing myself and not overdoing it in training. I moved to the UK shortly after the surgery for my masters so i am pretty much on my own for my recovery but overall life is better than i expected, was the best decision i have taken in the last few years but boy the first few days were rough. still worth it

 

[Nobackhander69]

What have you also tried before surgery? e.g. PT and weight training exercise for the shoulder, back and bicep muscles?
it seems a bit drastic to surgery at your age.

Ignored it for the first year, then tried everything there was to try. But my surgeon showed me some pictures from inside and told me it was a lot worse in there than he had anticipated from the MRI. There was no chance I would have even remotely recovered from this.

 

[Injured Again]

That pressure you feel is probably similar to what I’m experiencing, and that seems to be the bone responding to the bending it is experiencing as you near the top of your range of motion.. The subacromial decompression takes a while to heal - a layer of bone needs to grow over the exposed inner layers and that just takes time.

What seemed to help for me is eating a lot of canned salmon with the bones, to give me both omega fatty acids and calcium. Good luck and I hope you have continued improvement.

 

[arthell]

Hey @Nobackhander69,
Sorry to hear about you needing surgery and indeed you will probably have a path to walk to get back to form. You can however significantly speed up recovery using a proper training protocol once you've recovered from the surgery. It could look something like this
- Phase 1 – Controlled Mobility & Activation (~8 weeks): Regain range of motion and re-engage stabilizers safely.
- Phase 2 – Strength Integration (~12 weeks): Build balanced rotator cuff and scapular strength.
- Phase 3 – Power & Return to Sport (~8 weeks): Rebuild speed, coordination, and overhead control.

Those phases and corresponding exercises were taken from a sports injury recovery app that my company is currently building. If you're interested in trying it for free, please send me a DM (we need feedback from real-world testers).

Wishing you a speedy recovery!

 

[ClownCar96]

With a disciplined approach to rehab, you should be able to start hitting again in about 4 months post op. At your age, you will recover well and will do great. Focus on range of motion stretching first and foremost, strength will come with time. You don’t want to strengthen too much before your ROM is good.

I had a surgery more severe than yours in Dec 2024, bicep tenodesis along with total joint resurfacing and was able to get back on the court at about the 4-5 month point. I’ve been crushing the ball all summer and started serving again. It feels a little different but it’s solid.