Shoulder replacement surgery and tennis

[thoughtsoc]

I had an operation on my shoulder five years ago that didn't turn out so well. Since that time, my shoulder has been lacked range of motion. Serves and overheads are a real ordeal, and lack power, but my other strokes are fairly normal. I had an xray done, and the physician told me the only possible surgery was shoulder replacement. The end of my arm bone should be a smooth ball, and instead it's badly mishapen. Through constant stretching and use of ibuprofin, I can usually get through a match okay, followed by icing and a day off. But I'm tired of the ordeal.

My concern is, what will happen to my tennis game if I go through with the shoulder replacement? My serve and overhead couldn't possibly be worse. But would I risk having my other strokes ruined? Might I have to give up tennis altogether? Is there a chance I might regain my serve? Will the new shoulder wear out in ten years? Do I have anything to lose by waiting until the last possible moment to have the operation?

 

[LuckyR]

I had an operation on my shoulder five years ago that didn't turn out so well. Since that time, my shoulder has been lacked range of motion. Serves and overheads are a real ordeal, and lack power, but my other strokes are fairly normal. I had an xray done, and the physician told me the only possible surgery was shoulder replacement. The end of my arm bone should be a smooth ball, and instead it's badly mishapen. Through constant stretching and use of ibuprofin, I can usually get through a match okay, followed by icing and a day off. But I'm tired of the ordeal.

My concern is, what will happen to my tennis game if I go through with the shoulder replacement? My serve and overhead couldn't possibly be worse. But would I risk having my other strokes ruined? Might I have to give up tennis altogether? Is there a chance I might regain my serve? Will the new shoulder wear out in ten years? Do I have anything to lose by waiting until the last possible moment to have the operation?

I have no personal experience with this procedure, but I can say that most folks who have joint replacement surgery report that their pain issues improve dramatically. They often have to give up high stress (to that joint) sports. I am pretty sure that regaining your 130mph cannonball serve will be a bad idea. However, I bet your surgeon will OK rallying and doubles.

 

[Andres]

I had a replacement shoulder surgery on my hitting arm in 2005 and I'm feeling great. It's true, I lost explosiveness and swingspeed, but I can still play without major concerns.

 

[Chauvalito]

I had a replacement shoulder surgery on my hitting arm in 2005 and I'm feeling great. It's true, I lost explosiveness and swingspeed, but I can still play without major concerns.

Andres, how old are you if you don't mind me asking? You don't look older than 30 from pictures that I have seen of you.

How did you brutalize you shoulder in such a short period of time.

Threads like this scare me a bit because my shoulder becomes a bit painful at times but for the most part I ignore it.

 

[mary fierce]

There are people on this board who report playing at least 3 hours every day. That sort of thing can destroy joints. I saw a tennis player in his late 20s in the hospital recently after shoulder replacement.

 

[Andres]

Andres, how old are you if you don't mind me asking? You don't look older than 30 from pictures that I have seen of you.

How did you brutalize you shoulder in such a short period of time.

Threads like this scare me a bit because my shoulder becomes a bit painful at times but for the most part I ignore it.

I'm 24. I played two seasons of professional basketball in Argentina. Between 2003 and 2007, I had two shoulder surgeries, one replacement, and a reconstructive one on my left shoulder. That's how I brutalized it

 

[Frank Silbermann]

If you're right-handed, you can try learning to serve and hit overheads using your left arm. I won't be easy, but it's possible. Even if they never becomes as good, it may still be effective due to the unusual spin on your serve, and having your overhead on the side of most people's backhand.

The attempt to develop your weaker hand will cause your brain to develop many new and useful connections that could help you recover better should you ever have a stroke when you get old.

 

[phoenicks]

If you're right-handed, you can try learning to serve and hit overheads using your left arm. I won't be easy, but it's possible. Even if they never becomes as good, it may still be effective due to the unusual spin on your serve, and having your overhead on the side of most people's backhand.

The attempt to develop your weaker hand will cause your brain to develop many new and useful connections that could help you recover better should you ever have a stroke when you get old.

I 2nd that, just take a look at Nadal. His serve is very effective even though he doesn't serve bomb, the lefty spin and body serve is be a lethal weapon against your right handed opponent.

 

[thoughtsoc]

Interesting suggestion, Frank. Thanks for the info, Andres I believe it was.

I went to the surgeon Monday. He looked at the xray and classified my shoulder in the worst possible range. So, I'm resigned to having a shoulder replacement. He said I'll be amazed how good it will feel afterwards, and that my tennis game will improve quite a bit. However, tennis will also cause the replacement parts to wear out more quickly. The life appears to be 10-15 years.

 

[Kaptain Karl]

I didn't even know this procedure existed yet...! Wow!

Suddenly "plain ol' shoulder surgery" doesn't seem so drastic.

Good luck and please keep us posted.

- KK

 

[vin]

Yikes! I just heard someone talking about a shoulder replacement the other day and didn't know it existed either.

Considering your circumstances, the easiest solution to painful serves and overheads is to not hit them. Seriously, have you considered enjoying tennis just from a perspective of just hitting and playing baseline games?

I have a book written by a guy who's pretty popular for saving people from surgery, particularly joint replacements. In fact, I have an exercise DVD of his and the woman on the DVD demonstrating the exercises is a client of his that is in her 50's and was scheduled to have a hip replacement. She didn't have it and you'd never guess that she has any hip problems at all from the video if they didn't say so. The book is called "Pain Free" by Pete Egosque. I highly recommend you read it before you make a decision. Your situation sounds like a tough one, but you never know.

Here's the book on Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/05...mp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0553379887

Also keep in mind that once you have a joint replacement, sometimes they can't do another one when the first one wears out. Something to consider at least and maybe look further into.

Good luck! I hope it works out well for you.

 

[Andres]

Interesting suggestion, Frank. Thanks for the info, Andres I believe it was.

I went to the surgeon Monday. He looked at the xray and classified my shoulder in the worst possible range. So, I'm resigned to having a shoulder replacement. He said I'll be amazed how good it will feel afterwards, and that my tennis game will improve quite a bit. However, tennis will also cause the replacement parts to wear out more quickly. The life appears to be 10-15 years.

He's right. The only con I had so far was lack of explosiveness compared to 2003. I can still serve without problems.

I taped this two serves early in 2008, I think. This was three years my hitting arm surgery, I can still crank it: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=fJPEKZtpOHM

My shoulder was an absolute mess: Broken ligament, broken tendom, a huge cartilage tear, the joint capsule was shattered, and I had 17 compression fractures on the humerus' head. And it turned out just fine

 

[onehandbh]

What parts do they replace in a shoulder replacement
surgery? Are they synthetic parts?

 

[Andres]

Titanium. At least, that was my case.

 

[onehandbh]

Titanium. At least, that was my case.

How about the ligaments & tendons? How do they
replace those?

 

[thoughtsoc]

Yikes! I just heard someone talking about a shoulder replacement the other day and didn't know it existed either.

Considering your circumstances, the easiest solution to painful serves and overheads is to not hit them. Seriously, have you considered enjoying tennis just from a perspective of just hitting and playing baseline games?

I have a book written by a guy who's pretty popular for saving people from surgery, particularly joint replacements. In fact, I have an exercise DVD of his and the woman on the DVD demonstrating the exercises is a client of his that is in her 50's and was scheduled to have a hip replacement. She didn't have it and you'd never guess that she has any hip problems at all from the video if they didn't say so. The book is called "Pain Free" by Pete Egosque. I highly recommend you read it before you make a decision. Your situation sounds like a tough one, but you never know.

Here's the book on Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/05...mp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0553379887

Also keep in mind that once you have a joint replacement, sometimes they can't do another one when the first one wears out. Something to consider at least and maybe look further into.

Good luck! I hope it works out well for you.

Thanks, Vin. I'll look into that book. I saw the shoulder xray, though, and it was pretty grim.

 

[thoughtsoc]

Nice serve, Andres.

In a shoulder replacement, they cut off the end of the arm bone and replace it with a spherical metal part that mimics the end of the arm bone as it should be. That part doesn't wear out, evidently. But it sits inside a synthetic, plastic-like socket. That's the part that wears out.

 

[thoughtsoc]

Vin, I ordered that book. Thanks for the lead!

 

[vin]

Vin, I ordered that book. Thanks for the lead!

No problem, I hope it helps. I'd hate to see anyone regret a major surgery like that when there may be an alternative. Best of luck!

Another thing you may want to consider is trigger points. If any portion of your pain is coming from muscle issues, it should be easy to identify and address. Certainly worth trying to rule out before surgery. Here are two articles I wrote on the subject.

What a trigger point is:
http://healthfitnessandfun.com/joint-and-muscle-pain-an-unexpected-cause/

How to manage trigger points:
http://healthfitnessandfun.com/joint-and-muscle-pain-an-easy-way-to-beat-it/

Also consider doing as much stretching and strengthening as you can without making the pain worse. This is to keep your shoulder stable, flexible, and in good balance. As an overhead athlete, specially pay attention to your rotator cuff. Even if you do have the surgery, this stuff is still important to prevent the artificial joint from wearing out prematurely.

Vin

 

[thoughtsoc]

Vin, I'll check out the trigger point stuff. I had physical therapy on the shoulder at one point, and one the guys who worked with me was pretty good at getting it to stretch and move, almost to feel normal for a time. Since then, I've continued doing all the stretches he taught me, on almost a daily basis. It does help a wee bit. But my range of motion is still limited by the shape of the ball at the end of my arm, and by the arm bone rubbing against the socket. And it seems that that's a problem that can only get worse.

I can usually get through two hours of tennis by taking ibuprofin beforehand. But at the 1.5 hour mark, the pain becomes pretty severe, probably because that's when the ibuprofin wears off. So, I'm thinking of taking a bit more during the match. But maybe the pain is just because I've been serving so much by that time.

I'm also experimenting with a topspin forehand serve. It's not that much worse than my regular serve at this point, I'm afraid, but it likes to go long.

 

[vin]

Don't become too reliant on the ibuprofen or you may end up damaging the lining of your digestive tract. And as strange is it may sound, this could actually assist in making your shoulder even worse.

Are you drinking enough water? You should be drinking roughly as many ounces as half your body weight in pounds. Being dehydrated will cause extra friction in the joint. Water is a natural lubricant.

Two other things worth trying are are a good dietary source of collagen and a high quality fish oil. This will help aid your body with any joint repair that is possible and will also keep inflammation down. Assuming you won't want to deal with making bone broth, here's an excellent source of collagen: http://www.greatlakesgelatin.com/. The gelatin will also help sooth your gut after taking all the ibuprofen. I use this product myself and really believe that it helps the occasional knee pain I have.

Hopefully I'm not overwhelming you with info. Just want to help you make sure you're doing everything you can.

 

[thoughtsoc]

I got the book on pain relief today. I'm looking forward to reading it real quick.

 

[vin]

I got the book on pain relief today. I'm looking forward to reading it real quick.

Great! Let me know what you think of it.

 

[thoughtsoc]

So far, I'm a bit puzzled by the book. I find it interesting, and I've tried some of the exercises, but they almost seem too simple. And it's puzzling how the back chapter has shoulder exercises and vice versa. I suppose it's because everything is linked with everything else. Nonetheless, I did a bunch of the exercises today at the gymn, and I must admit that my shoulder feels better than it has in some time. Like it's actually moving around in the socket. So, I'm not so convinced that I'll soon need a shoulder replacement. I suppose if you talk to a surgeon, he's going to recommend what he does as the remedy.

 

[vin]

they almost seem too simple.

If you actually work with someone who has been trained in the Egosque method, I think it gets more involved. However, there are many ways to improve joint function. The primary reason I recommended the book is because the perspective it has on surgery, particularly joint replacement, and I figured it would open your mind to alternatives which it seems to have done.

And it's puzzling how the back chapter has shoulder exercises and vice versa. I suppose it's because everything is linked with everything else.

Absolutely! Your upper back is particularly tied to shoulder function. Inefficiencies with the movement and stability of your shoulder blade can have a significant impact on the health of your shoulder.

So, I'm not so convinced that I'll soon need a shoulder replacement. I suppose if you talk to a surgeon, he's going to recommend what he does as the remedy.

Exactly! And although this doesn't really apply to you, it's not uncommon for an MRI to show damage in a pain free and well functioning joint. In some cases, the damage can be the result of the problem that's causing the pain more so than the cause. In this case, people end up needing repeat surgery.

 

[Mary Jo]

Racquet to use after shoulder replacement

Shoulder replaced 3 years ago
Playing tennis and golf with full range. Considering a new racket.
Playing with Head TiS6 total 8.5 weight strung.
Should I stay with the lighter racket?

 

[LeeD]

Stay with your racket if it doesn't get twisted around in your hand by your opponent's shots, and if it gives you the pace and spin you need.
Change to a slightly heavier racket if your opponent's overpower your racket, your racket constantly twists in your hand, and you have trouble creating enough power to counter fast incoming balls.
Only you can tell for sure, but try some of your buddette's and bud's rackets to see what weight and SW you like and need.

 

[kicker]

56 yo male, playing tennis 45 years. I am in the same position. Shoulder locking up. X rays show my cartilage worn out. Bone spurs. I'm to the point of pain if I sleep on it. Still playing though with great pain. Just cant quit.

Must consider surgery. Willing to take the risk to continue to play the game I love. Doctor warned me that if I have the replacement and continue to play tennis, I run the risk that I live my twilight years with a worn out replacement shoulder that operated erratically but pain free. I think I can take that risk if I can squeeze another 20 years out of this game.

It boils down to the age old quality of life question that only each of us can answer for ourselves.

Thoughts from those that have pulled the trigger?

http://plancherortho.com/shoulder-surgery-helps-mature-tennis-players-stay-on-court-this-winter/

I just read this.

 

[movdqa]

56 yo male, playing tennis 45 years. I am in the same position. Shoulder locking up. X rays show my cartilage worn out. Bone spurs. I'm to the point of pain if I sleep on it. Still playing though with great pain. Just cant quit.

Must consider surgery. Willing to take the risk to continue to play the game I love. Doctor warned me that if I have the replacement and continue to play tennis, I run the risk that I live my twilight years with a worn out replacement shoulder that operated erratically but pain free. I think I can take that risk if I can squeeze another 20 years out of this game.

It boils down to the age old quality of life question that only each of us can answer for ourselves.

Thoughts from those that have pulled the trigger?

http://plancherortho.com/shoulder-surgery-helps-mature-tennis-players-stay-on-court-this-winter/

I just read this.

This is a very old thread but I guess shoulder problems continue.

One of my hitting partners fell on the ice many years ago. He apparently detached a ligament but it wasn't painful but he lost a lot of power in his tennis because of it. He went to see a doctor six months later and the doctor told him that they could have reattached it if he had come to them when it happened. So he developed a two-handed backhand but that wasn't enough.

So he developed a lefty serve, lefty forehand, lefty backhands (both 1, 2 handers), lefty volleys and a whole lefty game. So when you see some of my practice videos, you'll see him hitting with either hand. It took him about ten years to get really comfortable with all of those strokes though. I've tried hitting lefty in the past and it's very challenging.

 

[SeeItHitIt]

Yes old thread and yes, shoulder problems suck! Hope the OP made the right decision and on the way back. My plight makes me want to cry but at 59, I cant seem to muster that. Doc wants surgery on the rotator cuff. I (try to) serve lefty (much better inside that outside, getting used to the high sky and toss location has proven elusive). A year ago June I had 115 flat serve and control of spin serves. Then all of a sudden the shoulder said no mas. This morning I played two sets of dubs with (very good) 4.5 ladies and didn’t win any of my service games.

I’m always looking for positive cuff surgery stories...there’s always checkers.