Shoulder Injury - Posterior Labral Tear

Bigger Stronger Leaner Injuries and Rehab
1

Hi guys, first time posting here. I messed up my shoulders during a bench press in September 2011 and haven’t really been back in the gym properly since. Just looking for advice on where to take it from here, I don’t have any medical insurance as I can’t afford it and surgery is way too expensive to even think about right now. All shoulder movements feel uncomfortable and cause a clicking/popping sound, even the back squat causes pain - this makes it very hard to come up with any sort of effective full-body workout regime.

Here are the comments from my MRI report (for both shoulders):

  • The subscapularis tendon is significantly abnormal
  • Appearances indicate interstitial tear of the subscapularis tendon
  • Significant supraspinatus tendinitis
  • Severe subscapularis tendinitis and possible surface fraying
  • Mild amount of abnormal fluid in the subacromial / subdeltoid bursa suggestive of bursitis
  • Suspicious of a tear at the base of the posterior and posterosuperior labrum

How serious is this? Will I ever be able to recover fully without surgery? Are there any rehab exercises/routines people can recommend?

Will be extremely grateful for any advice. Thanks guys.

2

I’m eight years post-op for a Bankart (sp?) procedure. I had a history of subluxations. I’m a strictly an amateur, but your diagnosis sounds more severe than my pre-op condition. The only advice I can give, tentatively, is to establish a routine of band pull-aparts, no moneys and all other high rep, low weight pulling exercises. That may all be closing the barn door after the horse is gone, but if those movements don’t hurt they may help improve stability until you can afford surgery.

Good luck.