Surgeon tells me I go under the knife asap...left AC shoulder bone looks like its got a bite out of the end like a bite out of an apple... and bursar also inflamed.....

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/generalshoulder/a/acarthritis.htm

Old age and too much music he says !!!

Anyone had this issue and how long did you take to get back to comfortably playing..accordion, guitar .

Darryl,
I had a torn labrum repaired in my right shoulder last July. Against doctor's orders, I played a gig on accordion eight days later. The guitar; however, was quite different. I wasn't able to comfortably put my arm over the guitar to strum until late December. It's all good, now.

Surgeons always want to cut you up, the only thing they learned in school. My grandfather, a general practitioner, warned me already a long long while back.

Had a shoulder issue a few years ago, specialists said it was chalk sedimented on my shoulders' tendons, proofed by x-ray photo's and all. Those guys are world famous running a specialist shop especially for musicians and ballet dancers, mind you!

Accidentally i ran in to an old friend who was a (also renown) physiotherapist. She said they're crazy, and sent me to a friend doing Tai Chi lessons of the sports type, not that hippie-religious thang.

Within a few months, weeks even i was up and running again with exercises she taught me. It also helped me out of my fiddle-hand tendinitis problems definitively. - Nout

have to agree with nout. Just finished a Yoga oriented shoulder rehab class. sports injuries in my youth gave me a separated AC shoulder joint along with some rotator cuff issues 25 years later. Recent surgeon advice claimed it was "shoulder impingement syndrome" and wanted to cut me up. But, past experience with tendonitus and carpal tunnel in both elbows and wrists found that once you remove the source of the repetitive movement and rest a while, the body will recover. I have found that working with computers, mouses, etc (plus responding to forums-LOL) is a great way to exacerbate all of these problems. Correct posture and ergonomically correct devices will help begin the recovery process. What Yoga ( a much less expensive form of physical therapy) does, is strengthen the core muscles we don't use anymore when we were young. Those muscles need to be restrengthened with short simple exercises that you can easily find on-line. Jumping jacks and jogging don't work on old fellers any more. They are too strenuous. You need a Yoga or Pilates based program to prevent further injuries plus, as one accordion player noted, adding an extra strap to the traditional one-row strap helps pull the shoulder back into it's correct place. The pain you get is when the shoulder wants to return to it's normal spot but can't anymore due to years of not being a kid anymore. As mentioned, it is a "process" but, with a little attention, can bring you relief within a few months. A surgeon can cripple you for life and it could take a year or more to return to some sort of normalcy. Best of luck!

Now we all have two new songs to learn. The Yoga Waltz, and the Pilates two step. Get on it who will be first to post a you tube vid?????

I too am experiencing occasional discomfort in the left shoulder. I've been playing for about a year. My first box was an Arrietta and I played it on both legs. Never had any shoulder problems. However, I now play a 2 row Weltmeister and that sits on the left leg. Now my arm is further away from the body and now I have discomfort after an hour of practice. I think a couple of factors are involved here. First, you need a good box with top quality reeds, as they need less air and work to play. Cheaper reeds will really work your arm, especially with an Arrietta. Also, I think position is important and I may return to using the two straps that came with my box instead of just one over the right shoulder. They centered the box and my left arm was closer to the body and thus less strain and discomfort. I have noticed the difference when I play my friend's Master Accordion, on both legs and it is very comfortable.

Don't under estimate the LH wrist strap. I find it quite important that it sits pretty tight, so that the bass end is really strapped onto your arm. This for better bellows control, and will also bring relief to your shoulders muscles etc. Practice with the bass end not dangling down. Also try to avoid too much force as a great many players seem to do by keeping up air pressure to a max most of the time. The bellows should be following the depressed notes & the music more in a sort of way, than that a key is used as emergency safety valve as with steam engines. - Nout

Thanx guys n gals..

I guess at the end of the day my injury involves a section of bone that's disintegrated, and I have raw bone on bone that's also affecting adjacent tissue.

As my Physio and Chiropractor both say..we can give some temporary and marginal relief, but it will never fix the problem.

My real query is just what rehab time, and associated restrictions, has anyone experienced with a similar condition and surgery.

Darryl, I feel your pain (sorta). I have severe numbness in my right hand 24/7 from carpal tunnel and MS combined. I always make it worse playing accordion (especially those dang Hohners 114s). The triple row is a literally a pipe dream at this point. The angle I have to position my right hand kills

I hope your recovery is swift my friend. Please keep us posted on how things turn out.

Thanx Jim...appreciate your thoughts...and your situation....frustrating and painful for both of us but in different ways.
We support my wife's sister who has MS ...can be a bit ' wearing' at times but we just do it..as the Nike slogan says.

The irony is it's only day surgery for me...but when I ask the surgeon how many weeks/months before I can play my accordion and guitars,pain free, he looks like I just landed from Planet X in a far away galaxy. !!
Think he's used to be asked by athletes and sports folks...when can I play ball next, Doc,.. Coach wants me back for the finals ?..That he can answer confidently.

So..that's why I posted on the Discussion board...for any rehab, time frames.

I've had to call a time out for my band for the period May - August...but we're trying to establish if I'm gonna be fit for gigs in Sept - December.....
and I'm also trying to plan a re-re-re-visit trip to the USA in the next 12 months...Louisiana etc etc.
Those suitcases are bloody heavy when you have a ' dicky ' shoulder.

Oh well..enuf of my medical story.....let's move on...thanx again Jim and all.

Where abouts are you from Darryl?

Wait for it...Australia...Adelaide , the capital city.

We have great, great friends in Eunice and in Morrilton , Arkansas and Tampa , FL.

Been to Eunice/LA/New Orleans many times..it's our second home.....did the Mardi Gras run out of Eunice..that was somethin' else. Folks at KBON radio station are real buddies...Paul, Todd and all.
My wife and I are Honorary Citizens of Eunice...not sure what the benefits are , LOL...but sure was a nice thing that they arranged for us.

Got my C box ( Master ) from Ganey and my Bb Bon Temps from Jude Moreau...VERY happy...both have done a LOT of work and still as sweet as.
Got a band here that's been together for 5 or 6 years now...done plenty of work..mix of Cajun, Creole, Zydeco, Country , Blues....all tailored to suit Aussie audiences.
So..there you are...Darryl.

Darryl- Do you have a website for your band? Watcha guys called?

I've heard that one row Hohners are somewhat popular in Australia for styles much like Irish?

Hi Jimbo,
I am pretty sure that you and Darryl were at Augusta together in 2003 cause I knew both of you...lol! Maybe your paths did not cross then, just saying
Bob S [KarlS is my nom de rue...ha ha ha]

Now that I think of it, I think I do remember meeting Darryl.

Darryl, you could use this kind of strap for a while, it would be more comfortable :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35WCuRoBHKM

Christian

Meant owned by our bull terrier:



- N