No, Jeff wasn’t being arrested, but he was trying to get through airport security to visit friends and family in Las Vegas, then Los Angeles. His flight was in February, about a month after we’d started him in physical therapy. He was improving and was sleeping better, had better arm range of motion, and his pain had gone down. But when TSA asked him to lift his arms for the body scan, Jeff couldn’t do it. He couldn’t make the shape of that outline you’re supposed to copy in the body scanner. They still let him on the plane, but it gave him a good indication of where he was at and where he still needed to go.
A Bad Shoulder injury
Put your hands in the air, and wave ‘em like you just don’t care! Well, Jeff couldn’t, and it wasn’t for lack of trying. After a terrible accident in November, Jeff was left with a shoulder blade fracture, a collar bone fracture, and several rib fractures. He ended up needing a plate and 11 screws in his collar bone and, by the time we started his physical therapy in January, he was in pretty rough shape.
Injury Is For Now, Not Forever
Jeff was physically struggling after his surgery. He wasn’t sleeping well, he couldn’t do the things he did a few months ago, and he was hurting all the time. Asking someone to start exercising in this condition seems weird, but it is absolutely critical in the recovery process. Work done early in the recovery process means a better overall outcome, but you need to be strategic in where you start with exercise and how you progress.
In January, Jeff could barely lift his arm–it was both weak and painful. When I asked him to raise his arm out to the side on our first visit, Jeff could barely get it as high as his belly button. This motion is called shoulder abduction and Jeff’s was 65 degrees–90 degrees is straight out to the side, 125 degrees is what you need to do the YMCA properly.
Stretch or Strengthen?
Jeff was going to need his arm for more than just an occasional dance at a wedding reception, so we had to figure out where to start. He can’t lift his arm up, so let’s strengthen it, right? Not quite. Even with the help of his other arm, Jeff’s range of motion and flexibility were really limited.
Having worn a sling for 2 months, that tightness is expected. In my experience, trying to strengthen a shoulder that has really limited flexibility (most people after a shoulder surgery) is a great way to piss it off; it also doesn’t address the flexibility issue. This approach usually leaves people with an equally tight but way more crabby shoulder. For shoulders, flexibility is important, so we started with a focus on safely gaining back that range of motion, which is a necessary but slow process.
Injury Affects More Than Just Your Body
The Jeff I spoke to in January wasn’t the same Jeff I’d known from previous physical therapy work. He’d been hurting for a long time, and things that used to be easy (like putting on a shirt) were now big challenges. “I’ve been feeling really drained, and kind of depressed, which isn’t normal for me,” Jeff said during our video session in January.
This was not the Jeff I knew. Jeff is a positive and motivated guy. I had worked with him for about 6 months before this accident on a painful ankle, and, when that improved, he wanted to continue to work on more strength and flexibility. He completed every single exercise I put on his calendar and, while we joked about the ones he didn’t like (side planks), he always got them done. He works, he stays busy with family, he travels, and he loves getting to spend time with his grandkids. Jeff was very clearly feeling down.
Pain and injury affect more than just the body part that hurts. Injury disrupts your life by taking things away from you that you loved–like a good night’s rest or lifting up a grandkid. And there are countless studies out there that show us how living with pain has very real consequences on a person’s mental health. I am not a mental health expert, but I do know that improving Jeff’s physical status can result in an improved mental status, so that’s where I put my focus.
Jeff’s body started to improve, he started sleeping better, and his mood began to brighten. He could see he was improving, so there was hope he’d continue to, even if he couldn’t lift his arm all the way up at the airport.
Back In The Airport
Jeff went on to have a great trip seeing his friends and family. In typical Jeff fashion, he kept up with his exercises, because they were all on his calendar. Taking a vacation didn’t mean taking a vacation from his recovery, because Jeff wanted to get better. Two weeks later, he had to fly back home to Minnesota, which meant another trip through airport security.
The TSA worker waved him forward. Jeff walked with a touch of nervousness as he entered the machine with 3-D millimeter wave technology. Am I ready for this, he wondered. “Okay, now lift your arms up like the picture in front of you.”
Jeff raised his arms slowly, ascending past the 65 degrees he’d started with in January, continuing past the 90 degrees straight out to his sides, and up, and up, and up, until he reached the 125 degrees of shoulder abduction needed to match the outline. The machine swirled, and it was done. Jeff made it through without needing to explain his injury.
Recovery Is A Process
Now that Jeff can get through an airport, and dance along with the YMCA, we get to celebrate his gains, but we’re not done yet. His range of motion is almost symmetrical to his other arm, and we’re starting to put more focus on strengthening, putting weight through his arms, and getting back to his day to day activities without compensating for his shoulder. Jeff will get there–I have no doubt about it.
So the next time you go through airport security and have to put your arms above your head, think of Jeff.
Jeff, who is moving better, feeling better, and living better.
What about My Shoulder Pain?
If you need guidance on getting started with healthy exercise for your body, or if you’re dealing with pain or injury, contact us. Dr. Alex is here to support you every step of the way, no matter where you are. Book your free 15-minute consult to talk with Dr. Alex about your concerns and learn more about how we work! Our online physical therapy and personal training can help you regain what you thought you’d lost and go strongly into your future.
At motivPT, we believe your body deserves to feel great.
