As some of you know I suffered a big shoulder injury in 2011, and as a result my ticket to the National Spearfishing tournament held here in Florida was dropped, needless to say most of my spearfishing training and hunting was also put on hold for most of 2011. My first line of action was to visit my doctor who after a little pushing & pulling, coupled with X-rays and MRI’s diagnosed some shoulder tendonitis, and luckily no rotator cuff damage other than the tendonitis in and within the area-prognosis R&R and a rx to get some physical therapy. Soon after my visit to her I proceeded to my physical therapist….wrong move, as my PT turned out to be not a a physical therapist, but rather a physical terrorist 
Its pretty amazing the anatomy of the shoulder and how interrelated every shoulder muscle is to each other and especially the back and arm muscles-2 very important muscles related to spear fishing, as these are incorporated into pulling tight spearfishing gun bands or loading pneumatic spearguns
Lets start with an acute injury (one that’s happened recently) first thing is to apply the RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation) principles:
Apply ice to decrease swelling do this ASAP it really makes a BIG difference , in the rehab. Get a Zip lock bag filled with ice double it in another zip lock then wrap it in a cloth to avoid discomfort to the skin. Apply the wrapped ice 8-10 minutes at a time or more if you can bear it. This is most helpful in the first 1-2 days. Support the arm in a sling to rest the rotator cuff muscles as well as the trapezoid muscles. The sling may be taken off at night, ideally you want to sleep in a position that creates zero pressure on the injured shoulder- face up with arms crossed over my chest (yeah like Dracula) worked well for me. Also you may want to take anti-inflammatory medications as these may help reduce pain and swelling, but take it on a full stomach trust me on that…
Your next step is to make an appointment with your doctor for an assessment. The physician may ask you to be seen for follow-up, either by a primary care doctor or an orthopedic surgeon (specialist), which may want further assessing via imaging to determine the degree and involvement of the muscle tear. This is often done via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Perhaps surgery within an allotted time might be needed to repair the tendon, especially for younger, more active people with larger tears. But don’t be to hasty to make that call ( I’d wait about 6-8 weeks while following a shoulder rehab program, unless you have a full out rotator cuff tear beyond repair)- depending on your Dr. sometimes they’re quick to cut in, when the body itself might repair the tear, just at a slower rate- sometimes the time to recover from the surgery can be longer than the actual recovery from the tear . Also age is an important component in the decision, generally the older you are (40 >) the less the surgery’s benefits will outweigh plain rehab…so if you opt not to go the surgery route read on!
The major objectives of rehabilitation from a rotator cuff injury or shoulder injury are to increase flexibility (this is perhaps the most important as it relates to spearfishing), obtain pain-free range of motion, and strengthen the muscles of the shoulders, upper back, front chest, and upper arms. In severe cases, you should avoid activity that causes shoulder pain altogether. In these cases, you can still maintain cardiovascular fitness by cycling (swimming if tolerable is good, but in most cases you’d have to wait some time before you are able to hit the pool), unless otherwise prescribed by your doctor.
Stretching and strengthening of the 4 shoulder rotator cuff muscles (subscapularis, infraspinatus,
Do 3 sessions a day
Clasp hands together and lift arms above head. Can be done lying down (drawing A) or sitting (drawing B). Keep elbows as straight as possible. Repeat 10 to 20 times.
Do 3 sessions a day.
Keep elbow in place and shoulder blades down and together. Slide forearm back and forth. Repeat 10 times.
Do 3 sessions a day.
With elbow straight, use fingers to ” crawl ” up wall or door frame as far as possible. Hold 10 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
Do 3 sessions a day.
Raise arm to point to ceiling, keeping elbows straight. Hold 10 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
a day.
Raise arm out to side, elbow straight and palm downward. Do not shrug shoulder or tilt trunk. Hold 10 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
Do 3 sessions a day.
After you are comfortable with these stretches and have minimal pain and good/fair range of motion in your shoulder, you can move onto resistance exercises. These usual start with what is known as tubing exercises. The ‘tubing’ is also known as a theraband, which is just a big rubber elastic band that you tie, at one end, to something and you hold the other end and pull the band thereby stretching it and providing resistance for your shoulder.
Phase 2 – Tubing exercises
External rotation: Stand resting the hand of your injured side against your stomach. With that hand grasp tubing that is connected to a doorknob or other object at waist level. Keeping your elbow in at your side, rotate your arm outward and away from your waist. Make sure you keep your elbow bent 90 degrees and your forearm parallel to the floor. Repeat 10 times. Build up to 3 sets of 10.
Internal rotation: Using tubing connected to a door knob or other object at waist level, keep your elbow in at your side and rotate your arm inward across your body. Make sure you keep your forearm parallel to the floor. Do 3 sets of 10.
Extension: Same principles as the other two. Keep the arm parallel. 3 sets of 10.
As you feel more confident and you find your strength increasing, you can add more resistance – either in terms of shortening the length of the theraband so you need more resistance to stretch it or by increasing hand held weights in small increments.
Of course, these aren’t the only exercises for shoulder rehabilitation. There are many more. Ive listed a few more below that I’ve found from a good website:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Overhead stretch
Lie on your back with your arms at your sides. Lift one arm straight up and over your head. Grab your elbow with your other arm and exert gentle pressure to stretch the arm as far as you can.Cross-body reach
Stand and lift one arm straight out to the side. Keeping the arm at the same height, bring it to the front and across your body. As it passes the front of your body, grab the elbow with your other arm and exert gentle pressure to stretch the shoulder.Towel stretch
Drape a towel over the opposite shoulder, and grab it with your hand behind your back. Gently pull the towel upward with your other hand. You should feel the stretch in your shoulder and upper arm.Shrugs
Stand with hands at sides with no weight in either hand. Raise shoulders to the point of pain and hold for five seconds. Relax for five seconds. Perform this sequence 10 times, 3 times daily. As pain permits, hold dumbbells of equal weight in each hand while performing this exercise. Add weight by using hand-held dumbbells as pain permits.Bicep curls
Stand with arms fully extended at sides while grasping 2- to 5-pound weights in each hand, held palm forward. Flex the arms at the elbow to approximately 100 degrees, or to the point of pain, whichever comes first. Hold this position for 5 to 10 seconds. Return to the start position. Rest for 5 seconds. Repeat this exercise 10 times. You can increase the weight as pain allows and strength develops.Triceps curls
Stand with elbows directed upward over the shoulders and with arms relaxed. Extend arms at the elbow so that the hands proceed upward to the point of pain. Hold this position for five seconds. Return to the starting position and relax for five seconds. Perform this sequence 10 times, 3 times daily. As pain permits, add weight by using hand-held dumbbells.
Chest raises
Lie on belly with hands extended along sides of the body. Raise the upper chest from the floor to the point of pain and hold this position for 5 seconds. Return to the start position and relax for 10 seconds. Repeat this sequence 10 times, 3 times daily.
Saws
Reach out and place the unaffected side hand on a corner of a table. Bend at the waist. Flex the injured side arm at the elbow and pull the injured side arm backward and upward as if sawing wood. Slowly bring the shoulder blades as close together as pain will permit. Slowly bring the injured side arm down to its beginning position. Repeat this sequence 10 times, at least three times daily.Pendulum swings
Stand with the hand of the unaffected arm resting on the corner of a table and supporting some of the body weight. Slightly bend the knee on the unaffected side and extend the other leg sideways. Allow the injured arm to hang loosely over the unaffected side foot. By shifting the body weight, cause the relaxed injured arm to swing in circles to the fullest extent possible as limited by pain. Perform 25 swings in a clockwise direction. Allow the injured arm to cease swinging. Perform 25 swings of the injured arm in a counterclockwise direction. Repeat this sequence at least three times daily.
Flexed elbow pull
Bend and raise the injured side elbow to shoulder height. Grasp the injured side elbow with the uninjured side hand. Gently pull the injured side elbow toward the opposite shoulder until limited by first significant pain. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Relax for 10 seconds. Repeat this sequence 10 times at least three times daily.
And make sure to check these out too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Now the $100 question-When can I start spearfishing again? There is no definite answer for that. It depend on the degree of your injury, how dedicated you are to your rehab and the rate at which your body heals and your age. Some people with minor tears can return to spearfishing in as short as 4 weeks. Other with larger tears have to have surgery and can be out for a year(s). For me it took 8 weeks to get back into the groove with stretches , at about 16 weeks I was hitting the gym doing light exercises and about 20 weeks I was doing a couple of hours of spearing fish, at about 30 weeks I was benefiting from the results of my weight training and spearfishing stretches to the point I could dive a full day-not over exerting myself-and feel little discomfort, by about the 40 week I was doing well, but one-two days a week was my max spearfishing, and often the following day I was sore, today I can’t say my shoulder is at 100%, but I do dive the entire day and flow pretty well throughout the week with little discomfort.
My advise to you is, don’t rush it. Let your body take its time to heal. Be strict in doing your shoulder rehab exercises and the results will come with time. Impatience is one of the biggest causes of re-injury.
And most importantly, always consult your physician for advice. While this report/tips may help point you in a right direction, nothing can replace a one-on-one physical examination and a good consult with your Doc.
Till next spearfishing report, tight bands, straight shafts, and smooooooooth triggers!
Tone
http://www.settingsteelspeargear.com
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