Shoulder injuries

Is there any experience out there with shoulder injuries and Laser sailing? - either caused by Laser sailing, or dealing with an injury so that you can keep sailing.

I have a partial (I hope) rotator cuff tear in my left shoulder, and my wife the most-skilled physical therapist has put me on Sailing Probation! I see the biggest problem in things like sudden sheeting in movements. (And lifting boats)
 
I have some problems with shoulder luxations. Don't think it actualy hurts the shoulder to sail in that cause, probably diffrent with your though.
Still can't make myself sail my laser for at least a cople of months after it happends though, happened once in the boat and I can tell you that isn't fun =P
Got the main around my foot and where heading right for some rocks, had to keep on sailing cause if I I didn't the boat would roll over me and I'll fall in. Luckily I managed to get it back after a minute or two though :)
 
Shoulder healing is about like any other form of healing. It feels better and is OK to use long before it is fully healed and ready to stand up to the relativly severe abuse that would not have damaged it pre-major injury.

My shoulders are still screwed up from stuff done many years ago and from holding monstrous sanders over my head for way too long at a time.

The singular most important thing to my shoulder's rehab process is remembering NOT to get excited on a reach and do one of those "grab it at the block and pull as high as you can" pumps.

Every time my shoulder gets almost healed, I find myself near the front of the fleet, happy to be there and unwilling to just let the fast youngsters plane past.

I try my one hugepumpo on a wave and....that pretty much sets the healoing back for another month or six.
Other than that move, I don't see what Laser sailing should do to hurt a healing torn rotator..


If you can learn to trim with elbow movement, you can let your shoulder heal.

It really means..Occasionally let that big wave just roll under your boat and watch the kids fly by on top of it.
 
Is there any experience out there with shoulder injuries and Laser sailing? - either caused by Laser sailing, or dealing with an injury so that you can keep sailing.

I have a partial (I hope) rotator cuff tear in my left shoulder, and my wife the most-skilled physical therapist has put me on Sailing Probation! I see the biggest problem in things like sudden sheeting in movements. (And lifting boats)
if you do something check with a doctor straight away cos i dislocated my shoulder a while ago and it just poped back in so didnt get it checked out. but it just hapend again and didnt go back in so i went to the doctor now i need an operation and cant sail for a long time
 
i tore a rotator cuff ligament a number of years ago (shoveling snow i think). did physical therapy and avoided an operation.

sat down w/the therapist and explained the sailing movements that strain the shoulder. back in those days the biggie was honking on the vang at the leeward mark (pre-superpurchase systems). she designed a specific regimen to strengthen the muscles.

as long as i do the regimen i'm fine. haven't in awhile and shoulder's hurting!

marc jacobi
ct
 
Apparently holding your elbows out in front/too high while sailing the laser can damage your shoulders as well as your grip because it pulls your scapulla out of place
 
I had an AC separation on my right shoulder and did lot of physical therapy using rubber bands.

I was very careful on the first six months after the surgery, and if you don't have one, add a nice big cleat for the mainsheet, as it helps a lot...

I was pulling the mainsheet more with my left hand and just holding it with the right, and sometimes crossing the rudder to the hand in front...

It got better after six months and very good after a year. I avoid push ups though ....

Alex:
 
In Aug 2005 I fell on my right shoulder and had a grade 5 separation of the shoulder from the collar bone. One month later it was repaired using a fairly new process of "tying" the shoulder together. The result is that my right shoulder is 5 mm lower than my left, and it hurts sometimes when lifting things above my head, putting things on my shoulder (kids/backpack), and at other times.

Here is what I have figured out:
1) I am 40 years old and have a screwed up right shoulder; always have this in the back of my mind.
2) I need to continue sailing, stretching, and exercises (sit ups, push ups, & pull ups).
3) Can do what ever I want as long as I learn what is appropriate to do, and what pain threshold I have.

Regards ....
 
lol so many injuries... being 13, I haven't experienced any sailing related injuries.... well there was that one time where i didnt duck fast enough... but thats beside the point... As for you MasterMike... Get well soon so you can get back to the sport you love
 
i have had numerous shoulder problems - i had a shoulder sublaxation after i rolled into windward three years ago, had slight bone seperation along the collar bone and tore my rotator cuff. switched to trapeze boats shortly after and it sublaxed a couple more times, and now I need an operation to make it totally better.

I have a brilliant physio however that understands sailing and she says you can carry on and sail as long as it doesn't keep dislocating, you are not damaging it any further. So we worked very hard with push ups, stretchy band exercises and more, to stabalise the joint so I can sail.

An operation is definetly worth it though, I highly recommend, as I dont think you realise how much it affects your sailing until you really think about it (and other things in life to be honest). I will definetly get mine stitched back together at the end of the season, three months off but the comeback will be better.

I've done quite a lot of research if anyone has any more questions.
 

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