SLAP tear grade 1 - way to recovery

[yourtennisfit]

Hey Team,

recently I have been dealing with post match soreness + some sharp pain in my left dominant shoulder. After some icing and pain killers I decided it is time to see a doctor and: Grade 1 SLAP tear, even though only partly visible on the MRI images.

The doc himself said that he would not go for surgery at this point, because the biceps tendon is not inflamed and the slap tear is only minor - but told me to look out and not play in case of pain. Plus I will be getting PT, some enzymes against inflammation in the bursa and will do all strengthening I can.

We all know that "taking it slow" is not really going to work , but of course I am interested what helped others of you with similar diagnoses?

 

[taylor15]

Did your physician give you a list of stretches to do? I have a grade 2 in my left shoulder (righty) and I was scheduled for surgery back in November.

I decided that wasn’t the path for me, and did a lot of stretching and exercises outlined by a PT. Since you have a meeting with PT also, I think you’ll have positive results. I’m not 100% pain free, and my backhand is a little flat bc I can’t follow through high, bhe positive is that it doesn’t catch any longer and hasn’t dislocated in a few months.

 

[travlerajm]

How old are you?

I ask because when I was 30, my injuries healed up pretty fast. Rest was an option.

Now that I’m 50, my next injury crops up before the last one has healed. No such thing as playing uninjured anymore.

 

[yourtennisfit]

Did your physician give you a list of stretches to do? I have a grade 2 in my left shoulder (righty) and I was scheduled for surgery back in November.

I decided that wasn’t the path for me, and did a lot of stretching and exercises outlined by a PT. Since you have a meeting with PT also, I think you’ll have positive results. I’m not 100% pain free, and my backhand is a little flat bc I can’t follow through high, bhe positive is that it doesn’t catch any longer and hasn’t dislocated in a few months.

So my shoulder doesn't dislocate or really hurt badly so far - it is rather a kind of soreness after playing or lifting extensively. But I have a list of strengthening excercises mainly and then some stretches for my biceps, chest and shoulder as well.
I am a certified Crossfit and mobility coach luckily and can do some maintenance work myself, but I am also happy that my shoulder is only grade 1 - I probably would fix it right away if it was to dislocate and/or hurt during play.

How old are you?

I ask because when I was 30, my injuries healed up pretty fast. Rest was an option.

Now that I’m 50, my next injury crops up before the last one has healed. No such thing as playing uninjured anymore.

I'm 32 right now, believe me I feel a difference as well from my college days - but it's still manageable
A bit scared how it will feel in a couple of years tbh

 

[travlerajm]

So my shoulder doesn't dislocate or really hurt badly so far - it is rather a kind of soreness after playing or lifting extensively. But I have a list of strengthening excercises mainly and then some stretches for my biceps, chest and shoulder as well.
I am a certified Crossfit and mobility coach luckily and can do some maintenance work myself, but I am also happy that my shoulder is only grade 1 - I probably would fix it right away if it was to dislocate and/or hurt during play.



I'm 32 right now, believe me I feel a difference as well from my college days - but it's still manageable
A bit scared how it will feel in a couple of years tbh

My rough rule of thumb:

Every decade, your body becomes about twice as fragile and heals twice as slowly as the decade before.

 

[yourtennisfit]

My rough rule of thumb:

Every decade, your body becomes about twice as fragile and heals twice as slowly as the decade before.

And the mileage just keeps on mounting up - I played competitive tennis, soccer & crossfit multiple years and it just takes its toll
My ankle and knee are already aching from all the hardcourt tennis in winter

 

[travlerajm]

And the mileage just keeps on mounting up - I played competitive tennis, soccer & crossfit multiple years and it just takes its toll
My ankle and knee are already aching from all the hardcourt tennis in winter

Time to start prioritizing your physical activities.

One thing that I’ve found helps keep me healthier as I age, is to do your strenuous activities for shorter session length, but more frequently.

So if you currently play tennis for 2h sessions twice a week, you may be putting your soft tissues into a continuous inflammatory state, where the inflammation from the previous session is peaking by the time you play your next session. Injury risk is high.

If you can find a way to play for 1h, 4x per week, the inflammation level resulting from each session will be a lot lower, and your tissues can actually be strengthened each time you play.

Trust me on this one, your body will feel younger.

 

[mmk]

66 and going through the same thing, but with a few more ligaments also frayed. I probably waited too long to see an ortho, and when he manipulated my shoulder he said "did you hear that?", I'd been hearing it for months. I haven't gone to PT yet, instead he gave me 10 pages of stretches and strengthening exercises which have helped, and during my third appointment he gave me a cortisone injection which has also helped. Before the cortisone I could only spin serves in, since the shot I can occasionally hit a hard serve. The most painful thing has been when I've had to reach for a forehand, maybe someday I'll learn to just let those go.

 

[yourtennisfit]

So I played the first time since resting a bit in two weeks - it actually felt great on groundstrokes and volleys, I didn't serve and stayed within an hour of total playtime

So far I 've been training rotator cuff and deltoids with bands, mainly inward/outward rotations, rows, raises etc
Plus every morning stretching out my lats, spine, chest and overhead mobility

I've added some enzymes that should decrease inflammation, put ice on the arm after fitness/cardio sessions and used Voltaren forte lotion when needed
Seems like all of this works pretty well, my first PT session is on Thursday but I am super anxious to start serving tbh

 

[dannyslicer]

my third appointment he gave me a cortisone injection which has also helped. Before the cortisone I could only spin serves in, since the shot I can occasionally hit a hard serve. The most painful thing has been when I've had to reach for a forehand, maybe someday I'll learn to just let those go.

Please update this thread when the cortisone wears off.
I have heard anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months.

 

[dannyslicer]

I've added some enzymes that should decrease inflammation,

What enzymes exactly?

 

[dannyslicer]

How about another update ?

 

[yourtennisfit]

So here is the update

I have now been in PT for about 3 weeks - the main focus is to reduce my hunched back from desk work and strengthen the rotator cuff + back muscles.
There is about 1-2 sessions a week + I hit an accessory plan at the gym that is a lot of banded work for the shoulders and isometric excercises such as Kettlebell arm bars, prone swimmers etc

Then I went to training camp, which basically was 2x 90mins of hard tennis training a day for a week. And it went surprisingly well I must say.
Things I have learnt there from a former pro:
- warm up your shoulders every session with bands from about 5 mins
- stretch and ice after the session
- take first couple of strokes and serves super easy to get it going.

It might seem all pretty basic stuff, but the focus on this has got me almost back to 100%, even on serve.
Only problem now is that everytime I stop playing for more than 2-3 days, it feels way worse

And the enzymes product I am taking is called Karazym (sold in Germany I guess) - with Papain, Bromelain, Pankreatin and Rutin (all the German names).
It is supposed to dampen the inflammation and help with recovery.

 

[dannyslicer]

Only problem now is that everytime I stop playing for more than 2-3 days, it feels way worse

That's strange. Normally, rest and inactivity are what calm down the discomfort. Activity tends to aggravate the shoulder.

 

[yourtennisfit]

That's strange. Normally, rest and inactivity are what calm down the discomfort. Activity tends to aggravate the shoulder.

It is - the day after an intensive match I feel soreness, but nothing crazy
But whenever I sit on my desk for a couple of days, it gets way worse in the next session - PT blames my posture

 

[dannyslicer]

It is - the day after an intensive match I feel soreness, but nothing crazy
But whenever I sit on my desk for a couple of days, it gets way worse in the next session - PT blames my posture

Millions of people with bad desk posture do not get SLAP tears

 

[yossarian]

Millions of people with bad desk posture do not get SLAP tears

Plenty of people have slap tears and are asymptomatic. Plenty of people can also achieve good outcomes with rehab

Complete inactivity is about the worst thing you can do in the management of an injury

I am a PT.

 

[lee.jake]

How old are you?

I ask because when I was 30, my injuries healed up pretty fast. Rest was an option.

Now that I’m 50, my next injury crops up before the last one has healed. No such thing as playing uninjured anymore.

Would switching to a heavier racket help treat the effects of slap?

 

[yourtennisfit]

Would switching to a heavier racket help treat the effects of slap?

I think from experience - the worst part is switching between different swing- and racket weights.
When I am dialed in with my 340SW Gravity, it is better than switching between 300, 340 and 320