golf with a shoulder injury
 

I'm trying to get real about this. If you are a golfer who had rotator cuff surgery or shoulder replacement, how long was it before got back to playing golf? I had hopes of playing after a month in the sling and 12 PT sessions for a broken shoulder, but right now my optimism for playing any time soon is pretty low. A neighbor who had shoulder replacement said it was a year before he could play. Damn. Wish I had asked for a Priority Golf fee refund.

I had rotator cuff and torn bicep tendon surgery on July 11 and I am not even close to being able to play golf. The healing takes a long time and a lot of stretching and strength exercising long after PT and OT (I had 6 weeks in home PT and 7 weeks outpatient OT). I use weights every day and only this week went up to 8 lbs. and taking 8 over my head is a little scary right now so I'm only doing a few per day, prior to that it was 5# after 3# after 2#, after stretch bands to build up strength slowly. I was told I am 60% healed and to get to 80% takes 8 months and fully healed at about 1 year. I don't want to have to start all over by jumping the gun to play golf. I am getting my other one fixed (identical injury) on January 9th so I don't see myself playing until late 2019 assuming all goes well.

My golfing partner................9 months and he said that was fairly quick.

DON'T push it.

You better be careful, hitting fat puts lot of pressure on shoulder and back. I try to hit shallow leaving little divots to lesson strain on my back and shoulder. I would rather top the ball than dig in before the ball.

I have a friend that had rotator cuff surgery 10+ years ago and it took him about 10-11 months...to start making (tentative) full swings.

I don't know if advances have been made in the surgery to shorten that time-frame up, but he was still pretty careful...even after over a year.

He's a real golf nut, so was putting as soon as he was out of a sling...and started short chipping soon after.

His short game was truly amazing afterward, so maybe looking forward to that...will ease the frustration of not playing for you.

Good luck in your rehab. :thumbup:

Great advice
 

This is great advice for all of us duffers, and especially for those recovering from any injury. "Drive for show, putt for dough" is much more than just an expression!

Don't know how long it will take but I feel for you. Swimming laps and golfing are the two things I try to do almost every day, and both require functional shoulders. Best wishes on the quickest possible recovery.

I tore my rotator cuff in my left arm last year April 7, 2017. I did not have surgery. I knew two fellows at the gym who had one and neither had surgery and one is a retired cardiologist. I asked my doctor in The Villages, Dr. Raquet and he said it would heal on it's own eventually. So I skipped the surgery and laid off golf for 3 months. Ironically my golfing neighbor partner had hip replacement surgery the same week, he also took off three months and we went back at the same time. Although he swung a lot slower at first and we moved up from the blues to the white tees.

I tore it doing chest curls of 20 pound weights in each hand and did 75 real quick without warming up because I had a class to go to. When I got into class I couldn't lift a thing. I still haven't fully recovered my strength, I can only do what I use to with 15 pound weights and the 20 pounds weights I've just moved back into, this after 18 months.

Just in case you are sidelined for extra months, and still have priority fee going on, here is a link to requesting a refund/credit.

Golf The Villages

It is the tab for "Download Priority Membership Credit Request".

I had a fellow golfer friend back in Ohio that had this done. It took him 5 to 6 months to get back in shape. He kept doing the physical therapy exercises even after he was done with the therapy sessions also.. The more work you put in the sooner you will you will get back to the course.

I had it on my right shoulder - out of golf 6 mos. Had it on the left shoulder - out 3 mos. and came back way to soon. Just had left shoulder DONE AGAIN on 11/8 and my surgeon said MINIMUM of 6-7 mos. before I even start chipping/pitching again. :ohdear:

I so wish I had taken better care of my body (we all probably do) when I was younger - football, martial arts, having a 4 wheeler wreck and a career in Law Enforcement has taken its toll.

I had a rotator cuff repair on my dominant shoulder and was back to playing golf in 16 weeks, which is when the surgeon gave me the thumbs up to start playing again. I was chipping and putting at 6 weeks when I got out of the sling. PT 3 times a week plus exercises at home every day.

Also keep in mind not all rotator cuff injuries are the same. There are actually four muscles that make up the rotator cuff and depending on which one(s) is/are damaged will determine the length of recovery time.

George

Shoulder
 

Thanks to all for advice. My deal is a fractured shoulder, in two places. Doctor said four weeks in a sling, four or more weeks of PT (Pain and Torture), and we'll see what's possible. But, he said, in any case "You'll never paint a ceiling with that arm again." Not that I wanted to. Just let me swing a golf club again.

Interesting thread as I started feeling discomfort in my left shoulder a couple of months ago. It started to become more and more painful and about 3 weeks ago it got too bad to play golf. I finally went to the doctor last Friday and his diagnosis was either bursitis or tendinitis. He gave me a shot of cortisone in the shoulder last Friday. He said at the time I could be playing the next day. Well, it has been 5 days now and I am still experiencing some discomfort but not like it was before. I have a tee time for Friday so we will see if I am actually going to play or just go out and chip and putt. Anybody have any experience with cortisone shots in the shoulder and how long it took afterwards for the pain to completely go away ?