The Road to Shoulder Rehab - Part 1

It's been ONE YEAR {literally to the day} since I got the MRI results on my left shoulder. The final blow to my shoulder happened on March 20th, 2021.  We were rock climbing for my son's 12th birthday, and I reached out just a little too far with my left arm.  I didn't feel a tear or hear a pop, but as the afternoon went on, my shoulder became extremely painful.   **Note that this was most likely an injury that had been brewing for a long time...I speak to the prior events in the podcast.** I had an MRI on March 30th, 2021 and received the results one day later. The report was lengthy, but here are the highlights.... SLAP (superior labral anterior posterior) tear Soft tissue Bankart/inferior labral tear Small rotator cuff tear (infraspinatus) Moderate tendinosis of subscapularis insertion Moderate AC joint arthrosis Ugh...the recommendation I received {from multiple medical professionals} was that surgery would be my only option if I wanted to regain full shoulder function and continue to workout and do the things I like to do. I decided to challenge this opinion and see what would happen if I committed...fully committed...to rehab. It's been a year, so I want to share my rehab journey.  It's been a LONG road, but I've learned so much, I've grown so much, and I really can see all of the great things that happened to me through this process. I share this quote in today's episode, but this quote hit me hard, and it became a bit of a mantra for me on days that I felt tired or frustrated with the process.  It's from the book, The Obstacle is the Way. "This thing in front of you. This issue. This obstacle—this frustrating, unfortunate, problematic, unexpected problem preventing you from doing what you want to do. That thing you dread or secretly hope will never happen. What if it wasn’t so bad?  What if embedded inside it or inherent in it were certain benefits—benefits only for you?" - Ryan Holiday In part 1, I will detail the timeline of the start of my shoulder issues all the way through the actual injury.  I'll also discuss the mental struggle that accompanied the injury...this was something I wasn't prepared for...AT ALL.   In part 2, I will go through the physical rehab process.   Enjoy!