Anybody in here have a shoulder replacement? I'm looking to find someone who has had this and find out if you can do things like hit (punch) the speed bag or double end bags for a workout.

I take the speed bag pretty seriously, so any information would be helpful.

SpeedBagCentral.com (http://www.speedbagcentral.com)

thanks for any insights

Hi, speedbag. How bad is your pain? I have no cartilage left in my right shoulder due to arthritis, and am definitely a candidate for eventual shoulder replacements, according to my orthopaedic surgeon, who has now been inside both of my shoulders, thanks to a kayaking accident last spring. My right shoulder is bone-on-bone in several positions, yet I have rowed two 18-day Grand Canyon raft trips since being diagnosed and 'scoped in that shoulder in 2001. The left one was the recent traumatic damage: torn sub-scapularis, torn labrum, partial tear of the supraspinatus. Extreme impact and hyper-extension without dislocation. Had full open surgery in Aug. 05 on that, now have 4 nylon anchors in the arm bone holding the sub-scap back in place, plus various other "tucks." Surgeon says even without the crash, the arthritis is showing in the left shoulder, too, and it's only a matter of time before it catches up with the right. What I've learned about shoulder replacement (for me, anyway) is that it is the end of whitewater kayaking for me, but possibly not the end of rowing rafts, mountain biking, climbing, and skiing. My surgeon had another patient who returned to competitive power lifting after double shoulder replacements (complete), so it seems like the type of desired sport has a lot to do with it. Seems like speedbag work is not "extreme load bearing," but would be "repetitious high rpm," which is somewhat similar to kayaking. The advice I was given was "deal with the discomfort until you can't do simple things like reach up to a cupboard to get a glass, or reach across to put on your seatbelt. By then, you'll be done kayaking anyway, maybe." At that time, he didn't understand my obsession with river running, which he does now. He said that after one or both replacements, I could still "canoe, raft, and probably sea kayak, but the hard whitewater kayaking will definitely be over." I have strong bones, just bad arthritic joints/cartilage loss, and the replacement he is considering for me is the "Copeland shoulder resurfacing technique." You can do a Google search and learn a lot about it. It is lots less invasive, doesn't cut off the top half of the arm bone, and, in theory, the replacements can be replaced more than once. Anyway, I'm 45, still whitewater kayak an average of 80-90days a year, plus 40-50days skiing, 50-60days mountain biking, and training, and he wants me to try and grit it out till my mid 50's if possible. I take Aleve occasionally, but don't live on it yet. He figures in another ten years I may slow down (no way), but he also feels pretty strongly that the replacements are improving at a faster rate than I am declining. I would put it off as long as you can deal with the discomfort, unless they give you solid assurances that you can keep doing the things you love after the replacement(s). I am getting some results from above-average doses of Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM supplements, and yoga to help with more correct alignment, but the damage has been largely done for me. It's like my ortho says, "It's not the years on your body, boy, it's the mileage." If you're gonna be dumb, ya gotta be tough, right? ;-) Hope this helps.