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Latarjet Procedure (Shoulder Surgery) - Anyone? (2 Viewers)

Steve Tasker

Steve Tasker

Footballguy
Shot-in-the-dark question here but I will keep it relatively brief.

I have a history of shoulder instability going back about 10 years now. I had an arthroscopic surgery in 2006 and an open reconstruction in 2008. I went to the doctor today after a recent dislocation and he informed me that based on my history and my X-Rays, I am likely experiencing significant bone loss. His words were that pretty much the only hope I'll ever have to really stabilize my shoulder at this point is a Latarjet Procedure, which involves bone grafting a portion of the scapula to the socket to provide stability. He described it as a risky and serious procedure, but one that has great results in the vast majority of patients. It would require multiple screws in the shoulder, a very lengthy recovery time, and a permanent loss of some range of motion, in exchange for increased shoulder stability.

I have been reading about this online today and have found a great deal of medical journals and other medical resources, but have found very little in the way of people actually having personal experience with this. It seems to be a pretty rare procedure. Does anyone here have any experience with this? I would love any details about the amount of pain, rehab, results, etc.

 
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Yikes! Are you still active in sports that this will affect long term? Don't know about the pain for that procedure - but I had surgery for a frozen shoulder and it hurt like a mofo for over a month ...to the point of not being able to sleep much, even on pretty good pain meds. The rehab is gonna suck really bad also.

Sorry man.

 
Thanks guys. The only sport I play is soccer, which doesn't seem like it'd require much shoulder use, but resulted in the most recent injury. I gave up all other contact sports years ago, even things like pickup basketball or touch football.

The good news is that I am not in pain or having any problems with my daily life, so it's an optional surgery at this point. But if I suffer another serious dislocation, there's a good chance I could tear something and the surgery won't be optional anymore. They said that if I am willing to take a risk, I can try to continue to play soccer and wear a shoulder harness. But any time I step on the field it's a serious risk.

It's weird...all surgeries are serious, but for some reason a labrum repair or a reconstruction with rearranging your muscles and rotator cuff sound fine....but actually cutting a piece of bone and inserting screws, worrying that the bone graft doesn't take....that all terrifies me.

We'll see. Hope your frozen shoulder rehab goes well Binky.

 
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Steve Tasker said:
Thanks guys. The only sport I play is soccer, which doesn't seem like it'd require much shoulder use, but resulted in the most recent injury. I gave up all other contact sports years ago, even things like pickup basketball or touch football.

The good news is that I am not in pain or having any problems with my daily life, so it's an optional surgery at this point. But if I suffer another serious dislocation, there's a good chance I could tear something and the surgery won't be optional anymore. They said that if I am willing to take a risk, I can try to continue to play soccer and wear a shoulder harness. But any time I step on the field it's a serious risk.

It's weird...all surgeries are serious, but for some reason a labrum repair or a reconstruction with rearranging your muscles and rotator cuff sound fine....but actually cutting a piece of bone and inserting screws, worrying that the bone graft doesn't take....that all terrifies me.

We'll see. Hope your frozen shoulder rehab goes well Binky.
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Thanks - but no luck needed, had it done about 3 years ago. After ####### around with rehab without surgery for more than 2 years - I finally had the surgery and rehab and the shoulder is almost like new! Really glad I did it. Was not fun though.

 
Steve Tasker said:
Thanks guys. The only sport I play is soccer, which doesn't seem like it'd require much shoulder use, but resulted in the most recent injury. I gave up all other contact sports years ago, even things like pickup basketball or touch football.

The good news is that I am not in pain or having any problems with my daily life, so it's an optional surgery at this point. But if I suffer another serious dislocation, there's a good chance I could tear something and the surgery won't be optional anymore. They said that if I am willing to take a risk, I can try to continue to play soccer and wear a shoulder harness. But any time I step on the field it's a serious risk.

It's weird...all surgeries are serious, but for some reason a labrum repair or a reconstruction with rearranging your muscles and rotator cuff sound fine....but actually cutting a piece of bone and inserting screws, worrying that the bone graft doesn't take....that all terrifies me.

We'll see. Hope your frozen shoulder rehab goes well Binky.
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I'd switch to cycling, but that's just me.
 
I have taken up cycling in the past 3 years now. I've also started fencing. Still, it's tough to come to terms with giving up the sport you love at age 28.

 
Wow, good luck. This is useless, but count me among those that have had open reconstruction (huge scar to prove it, dislocated nearly 50 times, etc.) Just chiming in for sympathy, or maybe this thread becomes relevant down the road. I have an AC joint that now needs repairing, but I'm simply too old and don't care enough to have surgery to fix it. I'll just do elliptical and cardio. It's different at 28 than at 41.

Also, I suffered my worst shoulder dislocation playing light pick-up soccer with mini nets. I've never felt anything like it, so it certainly isn't the particular sport that's the culprit. It's the joint.

 
my only experience is some discussion with my doctor when i had my acromion shaved. this is the procedure where you are basically stretching a queen sheet to fit a king bed......? this force stabilizes the shoulder, but severely restricts range of motion. cant drive for 2-3 months?

you need to be dedicated to rehab for an extended period and have the mindset to go thru with it...........

gl peas

 
Steve Tasker said:
Shot-in-the-dark question here but I will keep it relatively brief.

I have a history of shoulder instability going back about 10 years now. I had an arthroscopic surgery in 2006 and an open reconstruction in 2008. I went to the doctor today after a recent dislocation and he informed me that based on my history and my X-Rays, I am likely experiencing significant bone loss. His words were that pretty much the only hope I'll ever have to really stabilize my shoulder at this point is a Latarjet Procedure, which involves bone grafting a portion of the scapula to the socket to provide stability. He described it as a risky and serious procedure, but one that has great results in the vast majority of patients. It would require multiple screws in the shoulder, a very lengthy recovery time, and a permanent loss of some range of motion, in exchange for increased shoulder stability.

I have been reading about this online today and have found a great deal of medical journals and other medical resources, but have found very little in the way of people actually having personal experience with this. It seems to be a pretty rare procedure. Does anyone here have any experience with this? I would love any details about the amount of pain, rehab, results, etc.
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Just an update, I guess.

16 months later, after two more major dislocations while doing mundane daily living tasks this summer (cleaning the garage and watering my landscaping), I am scheduled for this surgery next Tuesday.  My CT scan indicated major bone loss in the shoulder joint, approximately 25% of my joint has deteriorated and is gone, which combined with my unfortunate shoulder genetics is a major problem.  Per the docs, at this point I am still a good candidate for a Latarjet, but if I postpone the surgery too much longer, there is a risk that I will have no recourse other than a full shoulder replacement once the bone deteriorates further.  This is apparently my last resort for regaining stability without a full replacement.  I will lose my most extended range of motion, but should have no loss of "functional" range of motion - ie there shouldn't be anything I can do now that I won't be able to do after the surgery.

The major risks, other than infection which is always a risk, are apparently bone non-union, hardware failure, or "overtightening" of the joint which would significantly reduce mobility going forward.  The procedure itself will last 2 - 2.5 hours (!!).  I will be in immobilizer for at least 6 weeks and a sling likely for an additional 6 weeks thereafter, for at least 12 full weeks of immobilization allowing the bones to fuse together....so through the entire holiday season and nearly to MLK Day, at the earliest.  The doctor has described the rehab as pretty similar to my 2008 reconstruction though it will be more painful in the beginning and progress quicker at the end.  Rehab will start around 6 weeks when they move me from the immobilizer to the sling, and will be "ramped up" once I am out of the sling.

 
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Shoulder replacement an option?  My MIL is having one in January. 

I've had 4 shoulder surgeries for torn RC but nothing like you've experienced.

GL and my only advice is to get a Game Ready ice machine.  I've used one for all of my surgeries and I believe it helps the recovery extensively.  After every surgery, I've lived in the machine and the PT always comments about how quickly I'm recovering.

 
chet said:
Shoulder replacement an option?  My MIL is having one in January. 

I've had 4 shoulder surgeries for torn RC but nothing like you've experienced.

GL and my only advice is to get a Game Ready ice machine.  I've used one for all of my surgeries and I believe it helps the recovery extensively.  After every surgery, I've lived in the machine and the PT always comments about how quickly I'm recovering.
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4 torn rotator cuff surgeries?  Damn, that's crazy.  To my knowledge I've never actually torn my rotator cuff (knock on wood).  My shoulder problems thus far all seem to be bone/cartilage related.  Per the doc, I drew the genetic very extremely short straw and have very little cartilage - labrum - in the shoulder to begin with, meaning that my shoulder is more naturally unstable than like 99.9% of people and, his words, the most unstable he has ever seen.  He called it a "ticking timebomb" and was amazed that I never had a problem until I was 18.

I assume replacement is an option but I suspect they want to avoid it for a 29 year old.  I don't know if a shoulder replacement is similar to a knee replacement but I believe they can only do 2 knee replacements until there is nothing further they can do.  If this surgery goes well, they said I will likely develop arthritis in my 50s/60s and may eventually need a replacement or a similar surgery, but there's a chance this will hold me over for good.  

I did use a similar cold therapy machine with my second surgery, so I should probably see if I can get one.  

 
Forget the surgery, just go full Robocop and replace everything with a robot body.

When I was in karate class in high school, there was a guy that dislocated his shoulder all the time.  I can only imagine what that guy is going through 30 years later.  probably falls out of socket when he waves to people.  Certainly no more karate chops.

 
ChiefD said:
1. Good luck with your surgery.  :thumbup:

2. Would LOVE to hear the story of how a guy dislocates his shoulder watering landscaping.  :popcorn:
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It's about what it sounds like.  I was watering the flowers with the hose held in my right hand (the bad arm).  A bumblebee - the big fluffy harmless ones, not the ####ers that sting you - landed on my right arm unexpectedly, and I flinched.  Popped right out.  This happened in August and really prompted me to seriously look into this surgery.  I was coming to terms with no more contact sports, ever, but once this just starts happening in my daily life and requiring multiple ER visits, I guess it's time to do something.  Apparently what will happen eventually when it gets really bad is you'll start dislocating your shoulder while rolling over in bed at night....I'd like to avoid that one.

I've also got a better story.  When I was in college back in 2007, I was getting dressed for class in the morning and went to grab a t shirt out of my laundry hamper with my right arm....popped right out as I reached into the hamper.  

 
Had surgery yesterday early morning.  Procedure was approx. 90 minutes and I was out of the hospital start-to-finish in about 5.5 hours.

They gave me a nerve block yesterday, which pretty much had my entire arm numb all day into the evening.  Wore off in the middle of the night but I started with a Lortab and it got me back to sleep.  Not in a ton of pain yet, thankfully.  Gonna be on the couch for a few days.

 
6 weeks out and all seems to be going well.  Bone is fusing together nicely though won't be entirely fused for another few weeks.  Basically I am now walking around with a slightly broken shoulder.  Very little pain throughout the entire process, but my shoulder is unbelievably stiff.  I am officially out of my immobilizer/sling and start PT later this week; I'm expecting it to be a nightmare.  

 
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Steve Tasker said:
6 weeks out and all seems to be going well.  Bone is fusing together nicely though won't be entirely fused for another few weeks.  Basically I am now walking around with a slightly broken shoulder.  Very little pain throughout the entire process, but my shoulder is unbelievably stiff.  I am officially out of my immobilizer/sling and start PT later this week; I'm expecting it to be a nightmare.  
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Good luck. I hope everything goes well. 

 
Steve Tasker said:
Had surgery yesterday early morning.  Procedure was approx. 90 minutes and I was out of the hospital start-to-finish in about 5.5 hours.

They gave me a nerve block yesterday, which pretty much had my entire arm numb all day into the evening.  Wore off in the middle of the night but I started with a Lortab and it got me back to sleep.  Not in a ton of pain yet, thankfully.  Gonna be on the couch for a few days.
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while I am nowhere near your point, myself and my doctor suspect I have a torn labrum in my non dominant shoulder (left).  I just am sucking up the pain and getting shots, as I don't want to spend over a grand on an MRI ++.  I have had the same dislocation effect during mundane activities (sudden movement).  last time I needed to bang into a wall to reset the socket.

keep me posted on recovery, I have read not good things. 

took me 18 months to feel somewhat normal after a RC scope.  I suspect a labrum is much much worse.

 
Steve Tasker said:
6 weeks out and all seems to be going well.  Bone is fusing together nicely though won't be entirely fused for another few weeks.  Basically I am now walking around with a slightly broken shoulder.  Very little pain throughout the entire process, but my shoulder is unbelievably stiff.  I am officially out of my immobilizer/sling and start PT later this week; I'm expecting it to be a nightmare.  
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Hopefully this was in your non-dominate arm.  Or I'd imagine wiping and other fun stuff would be extremely difficult.  

 
James Daulton said:
Hopefully this was in your non-dominate arm.  Or I'd imagine wiping and other fun stuff would be extremely difficult.  
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They actually grill you on personal hygiene, using the toilet, etc. and coach you on it after surgery.  I'm naturally somewhat ambidextrous - use my left arm for writing, eating, fine motor skills but am naturally right-handed for gross motor skills, throwing a ball, golfing/hockey.  Over the past 10 years I've taught myself to do a lot of these things left-handed anyway.

Your "other fun stuff" is the #1 joke/offhand comment I get from people....

 
Steve Tasker said:
They actually grill you on personal hygiene, using the toilet, etc. and coach you on it after surgery.  I'm naturally somewhat ambidextrous - use my left arm for writing, eating, fine motor skills but am naturally right-handed for gross motor skills, throwing a ball, golfing/hockey.  Over the past 10 years I've taught myself to do a lot of these things left-handed anyway.

Your "other fun stuff" is the #1 joke/offhand comment I get from people....
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You're telling me my joke wasn't original?   :rant:

 
Chemical X said:
while I am nowhere near your point, myself and my doctor suspect I have a torn labrum in my non dominant shoulder (left).  I just am sucking up the pain and getting shots, as I don't want to spend over a grand on an MRI ++.  I have had the same dislocation effect during mundane activities (sudden movement).  last time I needed to bang into a wall to reset the socket.

keep me posted on recovery, I have read not good things. 

took me 18 months to feel somewhat normal after a RC scope.  I suspect a labrum is much much worse.
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We definitely have different injuries as I never really had a lot of pain with mine.  Only during the frequent dislocations, which are unbelievably painful as you know.  For the most part it wasn't really painful otherwise, never had to have any cortisone shots.  I think my surgery may not be the one you noted above ("stretching a queen sheet to fit a king bed").  How old are you?

I don't really know about the "feeling normal" thing because my labrum scope repair failed in a matter of months.  Honestly my shoulder hasn't felt the same since my first dislocation in 2006, and I suspect it never will.  They did look at my rotator cuff yet again during this most recent surgery and it is still intact.  Not sure how that's happened but I've been lucky I guess on that one. 

I'm a little sore today but it's been nice to be out of the sling and moving a little bit.  I've always had a pretty good pain tolerance and have recovered quickly from my previous injuries so we'll see.

 
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Steve Tasker said:
6 weeks out and all seems to be going well.  Bone is fusing together nicely though won't be entirely fused for another few weeks.  Basically I am now walking around with a slightly broken shoulder.  Very little pain throughout the entire process, but my shoulder is unbelievably stiff.  I am officially out of my immobilizer/sling and start PT later this week; I'm expecting it to be a nightmare.  
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Physical therapists of today were the torture chamber attendants of the middle ages.

But I'm sure it'll go well.  Good luck.

 
Chemical X said:
while I am nowhere near your point, myself and my doctor suspect I have a torn labrum in my non dominant shoulder (left).  I just am sucking up the pain and getting shots, as I don't want to spend over a grand on an MRI ++.  I have had the same dislocation effect during mundane activities (sudden movement).  last time I needed to bang into a wall to reset the socket.

keep me posted on recovery, I have read not good things. 

took me 18 months to feel somewhat normal after a RC scope.  I suspect a labrum is much much worse.
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MRI never showed my torn labrum, only showed under and arthrogram...that was neat. The surgery and recovery was a mf'er though, but seems to be significantly better than what Tasker went through.

Hope you recover quickly and pain free!

 
This is  now my personal recovery blog.

First PT session this morning.  Went fairly well but I am extremely weak and stiff.  I feel like this PT started much slower than my previous recoveries....we are doing the bare bones basics.  More stretching than anything today, no real strength exercises.  It's clear from this first session that I have a long road ahead, time-wise.  The therapist says that my range of motion and strength are in line with what he has seen from Latarjet patients in the past.  He says he has started seeing 3-4 per year, which is pretty much what my surgeon says he does annually, whereas he used to see maybe 1 per year.  

I will say that while doing table stretches - where you are laying on your back and the therapist is contorting your arm and stretching you - for the first time in god knows how long I felt like my shoulder was not going to dislocate.  I've been to PT sporadically over the years after major incidents, and the table stretches were always a chore, I always felt like I was a millimeter from dislocating.  This time, while the shoulder is super tight and can't be stretched too far yet, it feels solid, locked in, tight.....dare I say the way it SHOULD feel.

 
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Tasker, just wanted to see how you were doing with the recovery of this procedure. I am 21 year old male with pretty much the same exact symptoms you had. I first started to dislocate my shoulder at 18. Then it become more and more frequent, like you said reaching for something in your laundry basket, but for me it was reaching for eggs in my fridge... it even got to the point where it would dislocate in my sleep when I would roll over. I had two prior surgeries to repair my labrum and they both didn't work after a few months my conditions began to start again. I am a hockey player and just a guy that enjoys being active whether it's pick up sport games with friends, lifting, swimming, and much more. I too have been forced to give all that up the past few years since my shoulder would just dislocate with any minor movement or fall. I recently had the latarjet procedure on April 13th, 2018 and wanted to know how your recovery process is going and how your shoulder felt a month or two after surgery and when you started to feel it coming back to normal. I have started physical therapy about 2.5 weeks after surgery and everything is very limited and going very slow for now. Hopefully you are all better now and this surgery was a successful one. Also if you have any tips or advice for me moving forward that would be greatly appreciated! Just like you I really do not want to give up the sport I love at such a young age and would still like to remain active in the long life ahead of me!

 
Samk said:
Tasker, just wanted to see how you were doing with the recovery of this procedure. I am 21 year old male with pretty much the same exact symptoms you had. I first started to dislocate my shoulder at 18. Then it become more and more frequent, like you said reaching for something in your laundry basket, but for me it was reaching for eggs in my fridge... it even got to the point where it would dislocate in my sleep when I would roll over. I had two prior surgeries to repair my labrum and they both didn't work after a few months my conditions began to start again. I am a hockey player and just a guy that enjoys being active whether it's pick up sport games with friends, lifting, swimming, and much more. I too have been forced to give all that up the past few years since my shoulder would just dislocate with any minor movement or fall. I recently had the latarjet procedure on April 13th, 2018 and wanted to know how your recovery process is going and how your shoulder felt a month or two after surgery and when you started to feel it coming back to normal. I have started physical therapy about 2.5 weeks after surgery and everything is very limited and going very slow for now. Hopefully you are all better now and this surgery was a successful one. Also if you have any tips or advice for me moving forward that would be greatly appreciated! Just like you I really do not want to give up the sport I love at such a young age and would still like to remain active in the long life ahead of me!
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First, I'm sorry to hear about your shoulder problems.

Honestly, after the first 2-3 days post-surgery, I didn't have a lot of pain.  Obviously have to be careful and not stupid but in all it wasn't too bad.

Physical therapy went very well, I thought.  It went about as fast as my previous surgeries, maybe even faster, except for the very end.  Basically I got maybe 85% of the way "back to normal" in terms of range of motion and strength very quickly, but the remaining 15% was extremely difficult.  That's pretty common with this surgery, from what the PTs say.  I do have one sensitive spot, if you can visualize where your pec meets your armpit, right in there is extremely sensitive as a result of the surgery.  It was visibly bruised for probably close to 2 months after surgery, they basically described it as collateral damage from the surgery and that everyone has different results.  I can't even put two fingers worth of pressure on it without wanting to jump out of my chair or scream....but the entire spot is maybe the size of a quarter so it's not a big deal.

I don't think I'll ever truly be "normal" again.  I regained the majority of my range of motion overall but it is not the same as my other arm.  Something like this throwing motion, I really can't do.  If I put my arm behind my back, I can't really get my hand above the small of the back (whereas I can get my other hand up between my shoulder blades).  I wasn't much of a weightlifter beforehand and I haven't benched since the surgery - that might be a psychological fear more than anything.

All that said, I've had virtually no change in my quality of life.  I have resumed playing soccer without incident to date.  I have had moments in my daily life where in the past I would've definitely dislocated my shoulder - doing things like reaching for eggs, like you described - and the shoulder has held firm.  They say it takes a monumental force to dislocate a successful Latarjet shoulder and that seems to have held true.  

I'd say just to follow your doctors' orders and don't try to push it too much.  You're way too young and have many good years of hockey ahead.  They say that this surgery is remarkably effective for contact sport athletes.  Nathan Horton is the poster child for the surgery and he returned to have a nice NHL career, so I'd say that's a positive for you.  Good luck in your recovery.

 
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Samk said:
Tasker, just wanted to see how you were doing with the recovery of this procedure. I am 21 year old male with pretty much the same exact symptoms you had. I first started to dislocate my shoulder at 18. Then it become more and more frequent, like you said reaching for something in your laundry basket, but for me it was reaching for eggs in my fridge... it even got to the point where it would dislocate in my sleep when I would roll over. I had two prior surgeries to repair my labrum and they both didn't work after a few months my conditions began to start again. I am a hockey player and just a guy that enjoys being active whether it's pick up sport games with friends, lifting, swimming, and much more. I too have been forced to give all that up the past few years since my shoulder would just dislocate with any minor movement or fall. I recently had the latarjet procedure on April 13th, 2018 and wanted to know how your recovery process is going and how your shoulder felt a month or two after surgery and when you started to feel it coming back to normal. I have started physical therapy about 2.5 weeks after surgery and everything is very limited and going very slow for now. Hopefully you are all better now and this surgery was a successful one. Also if you have any tips or advice for me moving forward that would be greatly appreciated! Just like you I really do not want to give up the sport I love at such a young age and would still like to remain active in the long life ahead of me!
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Wow. I had the same thing happen in the same sport. I blew out my shoulder at first just taking a backhand shot and then it progressed to simply dislocating when rolling over in bed. I wish you the best.  

 
I’m 19 and having this same procedure 9/11/18. I injured my shoulder in a car accident, but ironically played soccer as a goalie for ten years prior. I originally had two arthroscopic surgeries, and then an open. I’ve had seven total anchors put in, and still have the ability to dislocate on command without pain. Having three surgeries already I’m fairly familiar with shoulder surgery in general. But, I just wanted to know if the initial recovery was any different for you? If you had to change one thing you did, or didn’t do what would it be? I’m generally nervous because I personally don’t know of anyone who has had this surgery. Hope you’re doing well! Thanks! 

 
I somehow missed this thread. I have recurrent shoulder dislocations too, starting from high school football in the late 70's (and thanks to know nothing high school coaches who just grabbed my arm and jammed it back into socket after the first dislocation, according to Doctor). I had recurrent dislocations in both shoulders, though the left was far worse. High school baseball my right shoulder would dislocate like 25% of the time just from throwing from the outfield. Needless to say, didn't last long in baseball.

Throughout college and through my 20's my left shoulder dislocated easily a couple hundred times. It would dislocate just from lifting my arm up to throw it into the sleeve of a coat. It dislocated during flag football and pickup basketball all the time. I used to make a fist and put it in my armpit, then bounce off a wall (when available) to relocate it. Around that time I got into lifting weights semi seriously, for about a decade or so. This made all the difference. Neither shoulder dislocated for a few decades.

Fast forward to old (er) age. I'm 56 now; two summers ago I jumped in my pool with both arms extended, trying to grab/land on a floatie. I should have known better-arms extended was always when my shoulder dislocated. Sure enough, arm hit floatie, body went under, shoulder dislocated. Spent a good 45 mins trying to pop it back in myself with no success. Finally had to go to ER. Spent 6 hours there with shoulder hanging out, two ER docs tried to pop it back in with no success, got put under twice for further attempts, they finally called in an orthopedic surgeon who relocated it on first try. I wanted to hug him, it was such a relief.

Got the MRI later, PT, etc. Talk of that surgery, I also had significant bone loss in the socket, had bone spurs as well. Ultimately I didn't get surgery, Doctor said I would lose a lot of range of motion. I don't play sports anymore of course (a little b-ball in driveway with son) so im just very cautious now. I'm able to still lift weights and I dabble a little here and there. Can bench, do lateral dumbbell raises, etc. Just was told to stay away from behind the neck movements (eg shoulder presses, lat pull downs).

I also apparently drew the genetic "short straw". My 75 year old father has had chronic shoulder problems and several surgeries, can barely lift one arm now. My grandfather, uncle, brother, 2 male cousins, have all had chronic shoulder problems and multiple surgeries.

 
OP-  is there a way to private message me? I have This surgery Monday 8/27 and have some questions. I’m scared and worried. I cant Find anyone else online like you and me- with chronic dislocations. Can you please Help? Please email me- I’ll reply right away.

cjs010916@gmail.com

thanks so much, CJS

 
I feel bad that I missed the 2 people who posted in here asking for advice/help.  

If you find this thread on a Google search and you have questions about this surgery, please send me a PM and I am happy to respond.  I did not notice this thread had been bumped by the two people who posted in it - my apologies.

 
Hi tasker-

Checking in and wanted to see how you are doing now?? Have this surgery coming up in August and I'm nervous. 40+ dislocations, however I can do 99% of life now. Comes out every so often doing normal things as you mentioned (in my sleep, weird high five, overhead stuff on accident.). 

I'm sick of not being able to play sports without it dislocating. I'm 29 as well and want to be able to enjoy life....not looking to do contact sports but would like to surf and play basketball again. 

Seeing a surgeon in LA that does this procedure arthoscopically..

Hope all is well

 
Steve Tasker said:
Two year anniversary.  Still alive.
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I have just had this done about a month ago I'm so scared because at the moment it's like my arm won't lift past shoulder height is this normal

 I'm having panic attacks that I won't be able to lift my arm again 

Please help with advice xx

 
Binky The Doormat said:
Thanks - but no luck needed, had it done about 3 years ago. After ####### around with rehab without surgery for more than 2 years - I finally had the surgery and rehab and the shoulder is almost like new! Really glad I did it. Was not fun though.
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####. That's sucks. I had it in both my shoulders but was able to overcome it with therapy.  

 
Kirsty said:
I have just had this done about a month ago I'm so scared because at the moment it's like my arm won't lift past shoulder height is this normal

 I'm having panic attacks that I won't be able to lift my arm again 

Please help with advice xx
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you’ll need to post your full roster for advice.  thx

 
Kirsty said:
I have just had this done about a month ago I'm so scared because at the moment it's like my arm won't lift past shoulder height is this normal

 I'm having panic attacks that I won't be able to lift my arm again 

Please help with advice xx
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I mean, I'm not a doctor but I'm pretty sure I was in an immobilizer for like at least a month after the surgery with basically no movement for the arm.  I'd say that if it was a problem, your doctor/PT would probably tell you.

 
Myshouldersucks23 said:
Hi tasker-

Checking in and wanted to see how you are doing now?? Have this surgery coming up in August and I'm nervous. 40+ dislocations, however I can do 99% of life now. Comes out every so often doing normal things as you mentioned (in my sleep, weird high five, overhead stuff on accident.). 

I'm sick of not being able to play sports without it dislocating. I'm 29 as well and want to be able to enjoy life....not looking to do contact sports but would like to surf and play basketball again. 

Seeing a surgeon in LA that does this procedure arthoscopically..

Hope all is well
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I'm closing in on 3 years now with very minimal side effects, knock on wood.

Pretty crazy that they can do this arthroscopically.  Mine was an open surgery, but it was presumably a little easier because I'd already had one open surgery and they went in through the same incision.  Hope it went well for you, if you ever see this.

 
Kirsty said:
I have just had this done about a month ago I'm so scared because at the moment it's like my arm won't lift past shoulder height is this normal

 I'm having panic attacks that I won't be able to lift my arm again 

Please help with advice xx
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If it makes you feel any better, this was my post from ~6 weeks after surgery.  

Steve Tasker said:
This is  now my personal recovery blog.

First PT session this morning.  Went fairly well but I am extremely weak and stiff.  I feel like this PT started much slower than my previous recoveries....we are doing the bare bones basics.  More stretching than anything today, no real strength exercises.  It's clear from this first session that I have a long road ahead, time-wise.  The therapist says that my range of motion and strength are in line with what he has seen from Latarjet patients in the past.  He says he has started seeing 3-4 per year, which is pretty much what my surgeon says he does annually, whereas he used to see maybe 1 per year.  

I will say that while doing table stretches - where you are laying on your back and the therapist is contorting your arm and stretching you - for the first time in god knows how long I felt like my shoulder was not going to dislocate.  I've been to PT sporadically over the years after major incidents, and the table stretches were always a chore, I always felt like I was a millimeter from dislocating.  This time, while the shoulder is super tight and can't be stretched too far yet, it feels solid, locked in, tight.....dare I say the way it SHOULD feel.
Click to expand...

 
Steve Tasker said:
I feel bad that I missed the 2 people who posted in here asking for advice/help.  

If you find this thread on a Google search and you have questions about this surgery, please send me a PM and I am happy to respond.  I did not notice this thread had been bumped by the two people who posted in it - my apologies.
Click to expand...
Just to reiterate this again - it is clear from this thread that people do randomly stumble onto this while Google searching.  I know how difficult it is to find information about this procedure.

If you find this thread and have questions, I am happy to answer them, but it's much more likely that I will see your question if you send me a private message.  Click on my username and find the "message" or "send message" box....makes it much more likely that I will see it and take the time to answer it.

 
Wow, a lot of shoulder probs here. I dislocated my right shoulder for the first time back in about 1991 while playing volleyball, and I was able to pop it right back in. Over the next few years it popped out 20-30 times and I was always able to get it back in socket...until I couldn't and had to go to the hospital.  Since that time Ive been to the ER maybe 8 times over the years, and they always have to knock me out to pop it back in. Like a couple of you guys, it was always popping out when doing mundane things but mostly when reaching up high for something, or rolling over during sleep, it even popped out once during sex, and once by just putting my car from drive into park. I've even driven myself to the ER twice when it popped out in the middle of the night and I was living alone. Not fun. Having to pull over for fear of passing out from the pain was pretty crazy. 

Had MRI and all that stuff about 12 years ago and I elected not to get surgery because I felt I couldn't miss work with a lengthy recovery, and learned how to deal with it and not put my arm in a position where it might pop out until it was pretty much second nature. 

So, It hasn't popped out in about 9 years now, but every now and then I'll be doing something and I'll get a twinge where it feels like it almost wanted to slip out. It's still pretty loose and I have chronic dull pain and can't lay/sleep on my right side for more than a few minutes, but at this point I feel like I can just ride it out and have no plans on surgery. I know I'll probably have bad arthritis later on, but it's a risk I decided to take.

Good luck to all those that have to have or have had surgery. I know it's a painful condition to deal with.

 
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