Hi all,

Been a climber for 6+ years… had an injury, and now after 8 months of no climbing and many doctor visits/ X-rays and an MRA (MR arthrogram) I have been told I have a SLAP lesion in my shoulder. My basic understanding is that the tendon that connects my bicep to something in my shoulder has torn… pretty bad.

I’m 22… and this blows!

Doc says next step is surgery… so no more climbing for quite some time : (

Anyone ever had this?
Any real bad shoulder injuries…?

After surgery and that recoup time next step is to hit physio and then start training to get back in shape for climbing…

Looking for motivational stories of “hey I was there - now I’m back to climbing those hard routes” “hang in there little buddy” and such…

M@

Hey you are in good company with this injury. You’ve joined the likes of Paxti Usobiaga, Ethan Pringle, and Nels Rosaasen (from what I understand).  Myself also, but I really can’t lump myself into the same group as the ones above!

I’m just recovering from surgery to fix a Slap Lesion, and while the surgeon was in there he also found and fixed a rotator cuff tear.  The surgery was early February.  First 3 months were brutal! Lots of pain and discomfort, and I could barely move my arm, much less lift it. I “slept” in a sitting position for the first month.  I really didn’t know what I had got myself into.

After continuous physio sessions for 6 months, however, I felt like I turned the corner. Since then my shoulder has continually improved, it is definitely stronger than before the surgery, and I have almost full range.  The pain has settled out and I do think I did the right thing in getting the repair. I’m thinking I should have full strength back in the second year of recovery (hopefully)

I can’t really give advice as each case is unique, but what I can say if you do decide to get it done is: 1) Make sure you have a good surgeon, find out who is the best shoulder guy in your area and do your best to have him do it.  (talking to physios can be insightful, as they usually get a first hand look at the the after effects of surgery and can give you a good idea of who seems to have good results (and possibly who have nightmares!)) 2) find a good physio, and make sure you stick to the exercises.

Good luck, man, hope it goes well!