Ouch!!

Well.... I had MORE surgery! This one I actually elected for. For those of you training with me, you are aware I have had shoulder problems for quite sometime. After trying therapy, cortisone, and rest from exercise, it was apparent I would need surgery. On June 10, 2010, I had Subacromial Decompression Surgery.
Subacromial decompression is used to increase the subacromial space, the area between the humerus and the acromion. I had a large bone hook that was tearing my rotator tendon and I needed it removed.

The doctor ground .5 cm from my acromion. That's A LOT of bone. He also ground off my humerus, & clavicle (collar bone).	The yellow stuff near the tool is my bone hook. They ground all of that off.	The humerus should be nice and smooth. Mine was cobbled like a golfball. That is all arthritis they ground off.

The subacromial space is the area between the top of the humerus and the acromion. This area is also the home of the rotator cuff tendons, the subacromial bursa, and the shoulder capsule. With impingement syndrome, these soft tissues become inflammed and can cause pain and shoulder problems. This is extremely common with overhead athletes. Hmmmm.... I bet martial arts is considered overhead..haha. Subacromial decompression is performed as an arthroscopic procedure. This means that you have 3 or 4 three small incisions on the front, back, and side of your shoulder. The surgeon uses a small camera and small tools to decompress the subacromial space. The rehabilitation is not fun, but I did have full range of motion after 2 wks. The doctor said that was incredible. I did therapy for 7 visits and worked out at the gym. After 7 wks I was doing everything I normally did other than pushups and bench press. After 9 wks I started those. I am what you would call an impatient patient! I like to get back into doing things quickly, but I was very obedient in following the PT and Doctor's rules. Now I am good as new! Yea!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In April 2002 I broke my ankle and ruptured my ACL (along with several other things!) After two surgeries and lots of hardware, I am up and running again! Thanks Doc!

Isn't that pretty?

A spiral fracture, sometimes called a torsion fracture, is when a bone has been twisted apart. These fractures are unstable and tend to slip and redisplace even if the bone is splinted. After four weeks, my bone had split open even further, so the doc had to re-break my leg and install hardware to keep the bone in place.

I look like Home Depot! Except these screws are a few hundred $ each!

Six months later I had surgery to have the knee portion repaired.

Hamstring was used to create a new ACL for me.
(Anterior Cruciate Ligament)

An ACL-injured knee will never be completely normal, no matter what. Approximate cost for ACL reconstruction (including:  surgery center fees, surgeon's fees, physical therapy, brace , etc. is $10k-15k

The three factors that determine a good outcome after reconstructive surgery include:  an experienced surgeon, a compliant ambitious patient, and a knowledgeable physical therapist.  If any one of these factors is deficient, the outcome is likely to be less than optimal. Physical therapy will allow the knee to regain its range of motion and strength over a prolonged period of time, in a safe fashion. It takes 9 to 12 months for a reconstructed ACL to completely heal and regain its strength.

In total, I had a spiral fracture of the Fibula, a ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament, Meniscal tears, a chipped Kneecap, Cartilage torn to the bone, lower leg Muscle tears, and torn ligaments in my ankle..... What Fun!

It takes 9 to 12 months for a reconstructed ACL to completely heal and regain its strength.

Back To Top