Thread: Thoughts on RC recovery and AAS?

On 5/22/08 I had RC & labrum surgery for my right shoulder. I went through PT for 3 months and now see my therapist once per month. After 3 months of PT I was told I could resume going to the gym with limited weights for another 3 months then I'll be reevaluated.

Well, 10 weeks ago I took it upon myself to start a small cycle of test & deca. At that time I had some minor discomfort still lingering from surgery and thought the cycle might help speed up the healing, was I wrong to think this?

Anyway, the results seem to suggest the cycle help. Now, 6+ months post-op my shoulder is around 90% and I'm back to all activities at full strength. I had no set backs and the shoulder feels incredible.

I was curious on what others may think about this practice?

*edit* I do understand the cycle would do very little if anything for the healing the labrum, but with the RC being a group of muscle I figured it could very well speed up healing there.

I piledrived my shoulder into a quarter-pipe 8 years ago and had surgery to reconnect the collar bone to the shoulder via sewing ligaments back together again. I couldn't imagine lifting weights 3, 6 or even a year after that. The shoulder healed but it's still separated and I had minor to major pains for 3 years after that. I train in aikido and was back at that after 3 months but I had to be careful for a year due to all the shoulder throws and locks.

Anyhow, I started lifted 4 months ago and the shoulder has started to give me pain again but it's managable, but I'm very aware and will have to see how it goes. I don't know the severity of your injury or what exactly you did but if it's anything like mine you need to avoid anything that takes your arm perpendicular to teh side of your body. Mainly DB lat raises (ouch) and upright row and the Fly.

Shoulder/Miltary presses I can do with more weight taken on the good shoulder. But I think I need to work on the muscles around the shoulder as a kind of stabilizer.