Labrum Surgery

I wish you the very best in your recovery.

Others here might be able to give you details if they or their sons have had that surgery, but in general that is a question that your doctors can answer better than we can.

Just make sure to stick with the rehab plan and don't overdo it or skip steps.  Also really pay strong attention to getting great nutrition and getting plenty of sleep.  

Unfortunately, recovery from shoulder labrum surgery is much less predictable than from other surgeries, like Tommy John. Here's a thread with the experiences of several recent members.

https://community.hsbaseballwe...pic/labrum-surgery-1

I'm sorry you're having to go through this. Lacking detail regarding your injury I'm going to assume it's your throwing arm and that it was caused by some sort of event, since this also includes biceps repair. I'm not a medical professional but I can provide you some detail as to my son's process with a similar situation. I say similar because my son's injury was primarily due to overuse and not a major event. He had a tear in the posterior portion of the labrum in his right shoulder that required two anchors, with sutures, to repair. He is now about 7.5 months post surgery and approaching full range of motion and throwing velocity, with little to no pain. As 3and2 mentioned, sticking to rehab precisely is key. I'm not going to sugar coat it, this is going to be really tough and, for the first few days, likely very painful but you'll get through it. Whether or not you return to form is dependent upon so many variables that it would be unrealistic for anyone to try to give you odds. As my son's ortho told him, there is a chance you'll not make it back and you need to go into it knowing that. However, there are plenty of success stories out there and we have our fingers crossed that my son will be another one of those. So far it's looking positive but you absolutely have to be a stickler for the things that you can control in the process and let time take care of the others. There are no shortcuts, no certainties, and no two cases are the same. We've found that towards the end of the process things become very fluid and day-to-day so don't expect that when you reach the end of your prescribed rehab that you will just magically be ready to go. You will need to adaptable. deliberate, and very much in tune with your body especially with what pain is expected (because there will be some) and what feels wrong. My estimate is that, barring any significant issues, my son will be 100% in 12-14 months post-op. That might sound somewhat shocking to you but these things simply take time. Don't get me wrong, he's playing for his HS team in most games currently and has been making the throws to 2B (he's a catcher) over the past three games at 80-90% effort (and is 5 for 5 on CSB). However, there is a big difference in what he's doing now and 100% healthy. As a pitcher you may not be able to perform if you're not 100% but only time will tell with that.

I started a thread out here when my son first started having issues and I would encourage you to read through it if you have some time. I have been fairly regular with updates so that others might benefit from my son's process and progression. https://community.hsbaseballwe...ry-bad-timing?page=1.

I also concur with the most recent post in the thread MidAtlanticDad referenced about babying the arm during rehab, especially in the later phases. I think my son is in that mode right now and is learning how to turn it loose a bit more. This is 100% due to fear of re-injury. The last thing he wants to do is tear it again after having been through what is probably the most difficult thing that has happened to him in his life to date.

Best of luck and, if you think I can provide any information that will help, please don't hesitate to reach out either in this thread or PM.

tequila posted:

I'm sorry you're having to go through this. Lacking detail regarding your injury I'm going to assume it's your throwing arm and that it was caused by some sort of event, since this also includes biceps repair. I'm not a medical professional but I can provide you some detail as to my son's process with a similar situation. I say similar because my son's injury was primarily due to overuse and not a major event. He had a tear in the posterior portion of the labrum in his right shoulder that required two anchors, with sutures, to repair. He is now about 7.5 months post surgery and approaching full range of motion and throwing velocity, with little to no pain. As 3and2 mentioned, sticking to rehab precisely is key. I'm not going to sugar coat it, this is going to be really tough and, for the first few days, likely very painful but you'll get through it. Whether or not you return to form is dependent upon so many variables that it would be unrealistic for anyone to try to give you odds. As my son's ortho told him, there is a chance you'll not make it back and you need to go into it knowing that. However, there are plenty of success stories out there and we have our fingers crossed that my son will be another one of those. So far it's looking positive but you absolutely have to be a stickler for the things that you can control in the process and let time take care of the others. There are no shortcuts, no certainties, and no two cases are the same. We've found that towards the end of the process things become very fluid and day-to-day so don't expect that when you reach the end of your prescribed rehab that you will just magically be ready to go. You will need to adaptable. deliberate, and very much in tune with your body especially with what pain is expected (because there will be some) and what feels wrong. My estimate is that, barring any significant issues, my son will be 100% in 12-14 months post-op. That might sound somewhat shocking to you but these things simply take time. Don't get me wrong, he's playing for his HS team in most games currently and has been making the throws to 2B (he's a catcher) over the past three games at 80-90% effort (and is 5 for 5 on CSB). However, there is a big difference in what he's doing now and 100% healthy. As a pitcher you may not be able to perform if you're not 100% but only time will tell with that.

I started a thread out here when my son first started having issues and I would encourage you to read through it if you have some time. I have been fairly regular with updates so that others might benefit from my son's process and progression. https://community.hsbaseballwe...ry-bad-timing?page=1.

I also concur with the most recent post in the thread MidAtlanticDad referenced about babying the arm during rehab, especially in the later phases. I think my son is in that mode right now and is learning how to turn it loose a bit more. This is 100% due to fear of re-injury. The last thing he wants to do is tear it again after having been through what is probably the most difficult thing that has happened to him in his life to date.

Best of luck and, if you think I can provide any information that will help, please don't hesitate to reach out either in this thread or PM.

Sorry for the lack of information, my labral tear is a 12'o clock to 9'o clock. I was diagnosed back in November with a 3'o clock to 5'o clock tear and due to the tear being so small I was just put into PT for 3 months. My PT was going great and I was ahead of schedule so my therapist said I could try to hit. Hitting did not seem to cause pain but in the middle of a live in game at bat I felt a pop after a swing. I immediately shut my self down and rested until I could see my ortho again. He suggested we do another MRI because he thought the tear had gotten worse. He was right and the MRI showed the 12'o clock to 9'o clock tear. Thank you for taking the time to reply your advice is much appreciated.

Labrum Surgery is tough. My son was a 2016 LHP. Recruited by a D1 school in the south , he had Surgery his freshman year.

The big question he had and the question most often posted here at HSBW is 'How soon until I can play again?' What my son and I learned is that the honest, accurate answer is : We don't know. The Orthopedic surgeon doesn't know. And parents here don't know. Not really.

The reputable medical timeline data says approx 8-10 months for position players , 12-14 months for pitchers.

But every human body is different. My son didn't throw off a mound until the 14th month mark. His rehab was full of setbacks. In the beginning just playing catch was hard. For him, he say's he ' had to learn how to throw a baseball all over again' . It was tough. When he got on a mound, he ramped it up and the Velocity was there. But it didn't feel right. He was constantly changing his arm slot and trying different stuff. Also, the normal post pen muscle soreness in his shoulder freaked him out. Ultimately he decided pitching like this just wasn't fun anymore.

He left the NCAA D-1 school and pitching behind and is now a hitter at a JUCO in Southern California. The throw is nice from CF with plenty of gas but it took him a long time. He says 18-20 months before it felt really good. You have to listen to YOUR body regardless of projected rehab timelines. You can't rush it. It doesn't work like that with shoulders. The anatomy of the human shoulder is very complex.

Having watched my son go through all this , I learned that It's not about how soon you come back. It's about coming back healthy and pain free. That's the goal. Whether it takes 12 months or 20 months is irrelevant and I say this with a full understanding of high school player recruiting timelines and NCAA clocks. Trust me . I get it. But fundamentally, if you can't throw a baseball, none of the aforementioned matters.

I've come to realize that the 'How soon until I can play again?' question asked here so often is really unanswerable. We can only share our personal experiences. Nothing more.

Sorry to hear of your situation.  Some great insight and info offered here already.  Not much else to add but a mere two-cents:

Son is a freshman RHP at a P-5.  His situation sounds similar to yours.  Torn labrum.  Had shoulder surgery last October.  Now a Medical RS.  Is scheduled to throw a baseball later this month (6-months post surgery).  He hopes to throw off a mound in late August (10-months).  Hopes to be competitive off mound next fall (12-months).

Timeline we're working with:  12-18 months (from surgery to "full capacity")

Keep your head up.  Keep us posted.