Linda’s Rotator Cuff Repair

Linda Lewis is an inspiration. An avid tennis player and fitness aficionado, she was referred to me 10 years ago by her Personal Trainer.  I have had the honor to fine tune her minor tweaks with great results. She always plays an active part in her healing, and is enthusiastic about learning anything she can to help her mobility.

She suffered a major set back in 2015. Though quite strong, she tore the Supraspinatus in her right shoulder. A previous injury to her right clavicular area did not help the situation, and the resulting scar tissue hindered anterior to posterior movement of the Glenohumeral joint. Overall, Linda was in a lot of pain and trying to get better with little success.

Her doctors suggested Rotator Cuff surgery. She decided to “go for it”. She knew that scar tissue would set in right away, and thought aggressive Physical Therapy post-operation would keep her mobility acceptable. Her doctors thought so too. Unfortunately, her range of motion in elevation was still not good.

She decided to undergo mobilization under anaesthesia.  This freed up the shoulder more, and I was able to work on her once a week to release capsular adhesions and ligamentous thickening. I coached her on stretching her scapular stabilizers, (Latissimus Dorsi and Serratus Anterior), as they were so tight her scapula could not ride upwards on her rib cage, further hindering elevation. She performed stretches and strengthening exercises assigned by me and her Physical Therapist every day, with the focus and determination that came from being a serious athlete.

I was astounded at her progress.

She was improving by leaps and bounds, yet I realized she needed help from her chiropractor, Dr. Alec Isabeau, to increase movement in her upper thoracic rib area. His treatments helped her elevate her shoulder even more.

Linda’s “Team Right Shoulder” consisted of yours truly, Dr. Isabeau, her Physical Therapist, and herself. It took two and a half months post operation, but she is now swinging a racket and elevating her shoulder with ease. I attribute most of her amazing recovery to her mental focus, commitment to exercising daily, and desire to trust others to assist her in her healing.

See her story below~

I had rotator cuff surgery to repair a tear in my right shoulder in October of 2015. The surgery went well. Rehab was long, slow and painful. I had a lot of stiffness in my shoulder post-surgery that, over time, (even with physical therapy three times a week), was hampering my progress. At the end of December I sought Amanda’s help. Thus began several weekly sessions with Amanda doing shoulder mobility work using the Hendrickson Method®. 

The work is amazing! Over time I gained more and more shoulder mobility and range of motion. In addition to Amanda’s work,  I was also doing daily exercises twice a day, and weekly physical therapy. By the time I had reached four months post-op my progress was good enough that I was released from physical therapy to continue on my own.

I attribute a good part of my recovery to Amanda’s skills, knowledge, and techniques (Hendrickson Method®). I don’t think I would have progressed as quickly had I not had Amanda’s help.