Surfski Knowledge Base

bill
03/05/19 #24422

Hi paddling community… I’d like to pick your communal brains on rotator cuff surgery. I haven’t been paddling since August when I aggravated old but stable shoulder issues. An MRI showed fraying in my Subscapularis and Supraspinatus tendons but no major tears. I did several months of focused PT and it never got any better. So, they are going in and fixing it… I’m waiting in an appointment but it will be in the next 2 months, maybe sooner.

My questions are about recovery. I know a number of people here have had rotator cuff surgery. I’m curious on the outcome, what you would do different, thoughts on timeline to recovery and over all happiness with the outcome. Essentially I’m looking for some hope and encouragement but would like to hear any thoughts on it not working as well as hoped and recommendations.

It’s a bit nerve wracking as if it doesn’t work, that’s it… no more paddling for me and that’s a really depressing thought.

No need to clog things up here, send me an email at newbflat(at)gmail.com. If you have any thoughts.

I will miss the gorge this year but hopefully the fall storms will have me surfing again.

Bill Cirino
Seattle.

Reivers Dustin
03/05/19 #24423

no surgery here, but 9 mo rehab for broken scapula. It took a very long time of tedious PT for me to get back in the boat. The orthopedic said it was luck. He looked at x-rays every week or two for first three months. Lots of radiation, but I was able to avoid surgery (which would have ended paddling regardless of success.) Note, there have been several canoe paddlers who could not get their shoulders back in service. I think that stroke must be harder on shoulders.

I'm two years recovered and still do shoulder stabilizing exercise 5 days a week. Many years ago I happened to sit next to a really electric paddler named Eric Soares. This was at a sea kayak symposium out at Port Townsend, probably 1988 or so. Eric was one of the principles of the Tsunami Rangers. Eric spoke quite a bit about off the water shoulder stabilizing work. Back then I didn't give it the attention I should have.

Good luck Bill.
rd

bill
03/06/19 #24426

Thanks Reivers… I originally hurt my shoulder 25? Years ago surfing sea kayaks in the Oregon winter surf on a biggish day. I use to do it a lot but it finally bit me. I was tired and resting between sets and didn’t notice I was in the rip. By the time i realized I was way out there in the big waves in came the big set.

Some general brain dead mistakes and misjudgment had a huge wave brake on my bow and that was it. A friend said I did 4 end for end cartwheels on the face of the broken wave. All I new is I was being twisted in a knot and hitting my forehead on the deck, then the back deck, then the for deck, back deck…. I couldn’t roll and almost bailed but finally rolled up and side surfed to the beach. My shoulder was never the same….. a year later an MRI said I had a small tear in my Supraspinatus. I continued to paddle a lot of whitewater and strong shoulders supported the injury, it just ached but worked. I stopped paddling and switched to sailing for a while and when I started paddling again I found I basically couldn’t. My shoulder was week and the pain was too much. So I didn’t for about 10 years. One day looking at all the kayaks I had in storage I decided to try that stupid PT they told me to do years ago or get rid of my boats. . I spent 2 months doing PT before even paddling and started slowly in a sea kayak. After 2 more months I realized I could do this again… One day I was paddling on Lake Union and some guy shot past me on a long sleek “kayak”. I had spotted my first surfski. I realizes if I was going to paddle flat water I needed something faster than my old Mariner Express.. I looked up Surfski’s on YouTube and saw people in South Africa surfing…. holy shit!… that was it, i never looked back.

My shoulder has always been delicate even with PT… it finally got the best of me teaching a friend during seafair. We were out in crazy big chaotic boat wake chop and i was in my swordfish and my friend in a Bluefin. He was going really slow and falling out a lot but having a blast. I was wallowing going nowhere and throwing lots of braces trying to stay up while just sitting there waiting for him to remount or coaching him on catching waves. My shoulder never recovered.

Anyways… surgery on the 20th… woo hoo!

Bill