|  |     I wrecked my rotator cuff when I crashed on Mt Washington, Aug 18,
    1983.  It was 3 months later when I finished physical therapy that
    I was "ok" again.  Lost my "overhand throw" for quite a while though
    I now have an excuse for not being able to pitch in the majors anymore
    :-).
    
    It never kept me off the bike -- different part of the cuff -- and the
    doctor was not pleased that I spent so much on the bike because that
    was a stationary position.
    
    The therapist helped me determine range of motion and told me things
    I could do to help.  If I wasn't doing my exercises the therapist
    "would have done them for me."  ("It hurts when you do this?  Then I
    will help you do it!")
    
    Are you doing therapy?
    
    ed
 | 
|  |     
    Yes, I'm in physical therapy three times a week.  My range of motion
    is still pretty limited.  I was in a brace that immobilized my shoulder
    for nearly six weeks, but I've been out of that for about ten days.
    My whole upper body is very weak now, but this biggest limitations
    right now are the tight ligaments in my shoulder.  They just need
    to be stretched out to allow me greater motion.  For that, I'm
    mostly doing range of motion in the therapy pool at the hospital,
    but they do pull on me a bit every session.  Did you actually have
    surgery, or was the therapy enough?
    
    Pat
    
 | 
|  |     I did not have surgery.  What happened was that after the accident I
    could not raise my arm beyond shoulder height so I experimented and
    found that if I could get it to that height and hold it there for a
    few seconds I could wiggle my shoulder and then raise it over my head.
    So I did things to get my hand to shoulder height, like use my fingers
    to walk my hand to the top of my steering rest it, shake it and lift it
    (with pain).  Then in the office I would find things at shoulder height
    that I could throw my hand to, the top of a terminal, top of a cubical,
    etc.  Then, finally, I went to a therapist when 75% of the problem was
    solved.
    
    ed
 |