Reverse Bankart lesion - What to look for in a racquet?

[Tronco20]

After having read a lot of related posts in this forum, I still have one question unanswered and will be super grateful for any advice!

A bit of backgroud info: The shoulder issues started when I was 16 (I served a lot both in tennis and volleyball without proper - or any - warm-up) so I've had this pain for about 15 years now. I didn't play much in my 20s, but the last 4 years I've been playing a lot and experiencing a lot of pain. I used Wilson BLX Tour limited (at that time had no idea there's sth called flex/stiffness and that this racquet was like 73 RA), then Blade 104. 2017 - Babolat Pure Strike 16x19, then Prince Tour Pro 100 thinking it would solve my issues (open pattern, flexy, low vibration) but I kept breaking strings after 3,5-4 hours. So it was becoming too expensive and the pain was still there. Then I read that arm-friendly racquets are heavy and flexy ones. Confusing "arm-friendliness" for "shoulder-friendliness" I bought a Babolat PC 95 (320gr unstrung, flex 58 I think) and Prince Tour 95 (325gr unstrung+heat shrink sleeve, flex 60). At first it felt good. After about 8 months my shoulder was KILLED. I experienced a different kind of pain and it was much worse than ever before.
I consulted an orthopedic, had MRI done and the result was Reverse Bankart lesion 9 to 6 and the doctor said he can fix it by surgery. I told him that after trying some resistance band exercises from Youtube it got a bit better so he agreed to first try the conventional way and prescribed PT. The physio taught me some exercises (similar to Throwers Ten, only the band instead of weights) and I've been doing these every other day since the summer 2019 and it has done wonders!

So, obviously, strengthening the shoulder was essential. I wanted to do anything to avoid surgery and it has been working so far, the pain is 30% of what it used to be (2-3 years ago I wasn't able to take out/put away 2 plates from/into the top shelf in the cupboard or anything which required applying force above shoulder height)
I've been playing with Blade 104 2015 model and it's been much better. High static and swing weight are definitely killing a weak, torn shoulder.
My question is: what about other specs. I've been changing racquets, studying all kinds of specs but have no idea which specs are even relevant to my problem.
The only info I've found here was: strung static- and swingweight should be max 320. Is the lower the better..or when is it already too low? What about stability?

Could anyone indicate which of the following specs are irrelevant/relevant/crucial? I'm thinking of buying something higher powered in future (I think I overstrain my arm too much with these flexy frames) and more stable than the Blade, but not too heavy at the same time. What specs should I look for? And what are the best numbers/values for each spec?:
-headsize:
-weight:
-swingweight:
-balance:
-stiffness:
-virations:

Thanks very much for any tips!
PS. I've only played with multifilaments (RIP Control and Velocity MLT) for the last 4 years (not necessarily knowing they were arm-friendly at the beginning, I happened to get them at low prices and enjoyed the pillowy feel since. But I'm using hybrid these days, Sonic Pro or YPTP mains, Sensation or sth similar crosses)

 

[onehandbh]

How long do the strings you currently use last?
You might consider switching to gut.

 

[Harry_Wild]

 

[Tronco20]

How long do the strings you currently use last?
You might consider switching to gut.

I currently use Head Sonic Pro Edge 17 as mains and Wilson Sensation 17 as crosses and the thin multi lasts max. 6,5 hours. So I restring pretty often. Gut is too expensive for me, especially being a string breaker. The 1.30mm thick multis I used in the 16x18 Prince lasted 4 hours on average, having to have the racquet restrung so often was driving me nuts.

Thanks for the videos (I think I've already seen one or two of them, not sure if it mentioned the right type of racquet for posterior labral tear), are you saying the racquet doesn't really matter as long as I customise it properly? Or I'd better watch the videos first and then ask questions

 

[Harry_Wild]

 

[Harry_Wild]

Thanks for the videos (I think I've already seen one or two of them, not sure if it mentioned the right type of racquet for posterior labral tear), are you saying the racquet doesn't really matter as long as I customise it properly? Or I'd better watch the videos first and then ask questions

I guess I am suggesting that a custom setup like the tour players have, could benefit you. Might want to have a talk with certified a tennis stringer on this?

 

[Tronco20]

I guess I am suggesting that a custom setup like the tour players have, could benefit you. Might want to have a talk with certified a tennis stringer on this?

So I've watched the videos, taken down notes. The guy said increasing the RW helped his shoulder a lot.
The thing is, my experience is that high static and swing weight were devastating on my shoulder. Do you think I can increase the recoil weight while NOT increasing the static and swing weight too much? If I add some lead at 12 o clock and to the buttcapp, the recoil weight should go up with minimum increases to the two weights. (If I understand the concepts correctly, right?)

So higher recoilweight should be beneficial to shoulder issues. Is frame stiffness/vibrations relevant to shoulder at all? (I've never felt in my 23 years of playing tennis even the slightest amount of pain in my elbow, so I'm not trying to focus on saving it too much) I'd like to draw from other people's experience since I'm not able to test many different frames.

 

[Villain]

So I've watched the videos, taken down notes. The guy said increasing the RW helped his shoulder a lot.
The thing is, my experience is that high static and swing weight were devastating on my shoulder. Do you think I can increase the recoil weight while NOT increasing the static and swing weight too much? If I add some lead at 12 o clock and to the buttcapp, the recoil weight should go up with minimum increases to the two weights. (If I understand the concepts correctly, right?)

So higher recoilweight should be beneficial to shoulder issues. Is frame stiffness/vibrations relevant to shoulder at all? (I've never felt in my 23 years of playing tennis even the slightest amount of pain in my elbow, so I'm not trying to focus on saving it too much) I'd like to draw from other people's experience since I'm not able to test many different frames.

That’s correct. Adding weight will increase recoil weight generally speaking but you don’t need a high SW to have a high RW. The Clash 98 has a recoil weight of 175 at a SW of 326. By contrast the Yonex Ezone Tour has a RW of 154 at a SW of 330. This is because the Clash has a much more polarized weight distribution and a lower MGR/I. You can check the TWU racquet recommender tool if you want check the RW on racquets. The Yonex VCORE 95 is another racquet that has a high RW for its SW: 167 RW and 325 SW.

 

[Harry_Wild]

I was not that hot in physics so I can’t comment further. If I do, I will probably wrong.

 

[Yamin]

104 v7 will offer you a bit more power from the string pattern and is the best racket IMO for shoulder issues that has some power. Why are you making the switch or what specifically are you looking for? I went through a latarjet procedure that had lots of complications (I'm on second year of recovery and still far from recovered) and have demoed most offerings available. More head light balance is better, low stiffness, higher static weight and swing weight in the 320's would be optimal for shoulder health and playability.

 

[Tronco20]

104 v7 will offer you a bit more power from the string pattern and is the best racket IMO for shoulder issues that has some power. Why are you making the switch or what specifically are you looking for? I went through a latarjet procedure that had lots of complications (I'm on second year of recovery and still far from recovered) and have demoed most offerings available. More head light balance is better, low stiffness, higher static weight and swing weight in the 320's would be optimal for shoulder health and playability.

Thanks a lot for your insights.
High static weight was bad for me though, I had two heavy racquets, one with low swingweight (Bab.PC95) and one with high SW (Prince tour 95), and even though they were super flexible, they caused me a lot of pain in the shoulder after playing.(The truth is until that time I did zero strengthening exercise for the shoulder)

After searching for about two weeks I had to conclude that my Blades 104 2015s are really some of the best I could wish for. It was probably more of wanting new racquets rather than genuinely needing them. When I checked the TWU racquet recommender tool, I didn't find anything that would be significantly more powerful and as comfortable.
I was pondering the idea that I don't need low flex for the shoulder. Some posters here say that racquet flex is relevant for the wrist and elbow, but by the time the vibrations reach your shoulder they are insignificant/harmless. So I was thinking that if it's just weight that matters to me (both static and swing), I could find a more powerful alternative, stiffer, easy to swing, etc. and save energy and shoulder when hitting strokes, serves and trying to hit a winner.
Then came the concept of recoilweight (some say it's a major contributor to comfort, the guy in the video spoke about his shoulder specifically), I found e.g. the new Pure Aero VS quite good. Static and swingweight around 320, recoilweight high, around 167, my favourite string pattern 16x20 (that and 18x19 are my favourites. 18x20 is too dense, little spin, whereas I keep breaking strings on the open ones too quickly). Stiffness 67- which is a big question mark.

But for now, I decided to keep playing with the Blades for the next year or two and then definitely demo some options first, see if stiff racquets really harm my shoulder or not, bc as I said, in my 23 years of playing I've never felt any pain in my wrist or elbow. And I will focus on the playing experience, not numbers. Will try to get my hands on B104 v7 too, wonder how long the strings will last with that open pattern and big headsize. Unfortunately, the demo options in my area are so poor, even TW-Europe sends demo racquets to all countries around but mine. So you're lucky to have been able to try out mo

Over these two weeks, I played three times for an hour, hour and 1/2, and didn't feel pain whatsoever, which only persuaded me to stick to the current sticks for now.

And sorry to hear that you have complications after the surgery, hope you'll be able to return to courts painfree soon.

 

[Tronco20]

During the two week search for the racquet, I was specifically looking for sth like this:
Weight: 290-300gr unstrung (max 305)
SW: max.320
Pattern: 16x20
Headlight: 4-8 points
Flex: 62-67 (not too flexy and not too stiff. But stiffer than the current Blades with 58 RA)
I almost bought a pair of Pure Strike VS, they ´re on sale now on one website plus a temporary Black November discount, so they'd be quite cheap. But I resisted. There's no chance of demoing the racquet first so I'll pass.
I'm not planning on selling the Blades, just wanted a more powerful, a bit spin-friendlier alternative. The Blades really satisfy almost all my needs.

 

[Harry_Wild]

just wanted a more powerful, a bit spin-friendlier alternative. The Blades really satisfy almost all my needs.

Go look at the powerful racquets then: Ultras(except Pro and Tour), Burn, Pure Drive, Pure Aero, Extreme, etc...

 

[fuzz nation]

Over these two weeks, I played three times for an hour, hour and 1/2, and didn't feel pain whatsoever, which only persuaded me to stick to the current sticks for now.

I agree that if those Blades are working, there's no need to mess with success. Best of luck going forward