The Power of Proper Rehabilitation – Part 2
May 16, 2010 by admin
Author: Fernando Solis
This is the second part to the news post The Power of Proper Rehabilitation – Part 1
The Recovery Process
A measured and gradual approach is the key to a successful rehabilitation program. You should choose a health professional that understands your needs and someone you can trust to get you the end result you want. This may be a sports doctor, personal trainer or physiotherapist. Never be afraid to get second opinions, ask plenty of questions and do some of your own research. You need to be patient and in your mind believe that you will be stronger and better at the end of the process. Visualizing a positive result is essential.
Basic Principals of Shoulder Rehabilitation
The exact details of your program must be set by a professional. Do not attempt to prescribe your own exercise as a proper understanding of the injury, human anatomy, biomechanics and suitable exercise is essential. One wrong move and you will risk further injury and perhaps lose the chance of making a safe surgery free recovery.
Week 1-3
In the initial stages my aim was control the swelling and let the soft tissue repair itself by keeping movement down to a minimum. To reduce the swelling I took some anti inflammatory tablets for the first week then moved on to drug free alternatives. I consumed tumeric, apple cider vinegar, fish oil and glucosamine which all have great natural healing properties. I made up a chicken bone stock and cartilage soup and maintained proper hydration levels. I wanted to provide my body with all the shoulder joint needs to make a natural recovery.
Week: 4-6
In this period I introduced mobilization exercises to the shoulder and scapula. The exercises comprised mainly of medial and lateral rotations and I was very conservative with any movements involving shoulder flexion and extension. There were no abduction or overhead pressing movements as I still experienced pain through the shoulder and had restricted movement.
I also worked on my co-ordination and worked on integrating my shoulder and scapula movement with that of the trunk, pelvis, knee and ankle.
The mobilization exercises continued alone for 2 weeks and still remain part of my shoulder workouts.
Week: 6-8
I had now achieved the joint stability, strength and mobility necessary to undertake more demanding weight bearing exercises.
The strengthening exercises targeted the 4 rotator cuff muscles and the associated muscle groups (mentioned in the first article) that provide shoulder girdle stability. Little resistance (1-3 kgs) was used for these exercises.
The initial results were extremely encouraging and my shoulder was responding wonderfully to the exercises. The more I did the better it felt!
In this period I experienced an increased range of motion to my exercises, so the complexity of my workouts evolved accordingly.
Week 9+
It’s now been 9 weeks since my injury occurred and my progress has been all positive. I can perform all my day to day tasks both in and out of the gym with no recurring pain or concerns. I’m still working hard on the same exercises from the early stages which focused on mobility and stabilization.
I’m now able to do full body weight push ups and a variety of overhead pressing exercises – naturally with only moderate weights and a great deal of care and emphasis on maintaining impeccable technique – I’m confident I’ll be back to 100% very soon and performing my usual gym workouts.
Conclusion
My personal rehabilitation path has been a great eye opener and learning experience on many levels. Getting back to normal function involves the practice of mental and physical discipline. It’s very important to make an informed decision before considering any type of recovery path, particularly one that involves a surgical procedure.
There is certainly a time and place for surgery to help recover normal body function and at times is the correct option. My advice is that you exhaust all other options before considering surgery.
I’ve been able to prove yet again that my knowledge and expertise will help overcome injury and restore quality of life. I’ve done it for clients and now for myself!
It’s been both a great psychological and physical challenge for me but I believe I’m in tune with my body and prepared my mind for only one outcome – A successful and full recovery!
My message……Trust your body.
For more information about how Fitness Goal Personal Training can help you recover from an injury concern send us an email though our contact link and take a look at our website for more information.
