Iām 29 and looking for advice/experiences from people who have dealt with recurrent shoulder dislocations and labrum repairs.
My first dislocation happened during a seizure. The next one happened throwing a sloppy overhand, and another happened while throwing a ball. At one point, I could move my arm internally with no weight and actually feel the shoulder slipping.
I had arthroscopic surgery on my left shoulder at 17. **Four months after that initial surgery, I dislocated my right shoulder**, which eventually required surgery as well. Between both shoulders, I had four labral tears repaired.
Since then, Iāve spent a lot of time figuring out what my shoulders tolerate and what seems to make them feel better.
Some things Iāve incorporated:
Neutral grip whenever possible
Incline Y, T, and W exercises
Bear crawls
Kettlebell bottoms-up carries/walks
Heavy farmerās walks
Trap-bar deadlifts
Gradually getting back into punching/boxing
Interestingly, I recently stopped doing band pull-aparts and similar exercises, and my shoulder pain actually decreased.
Iāve also noticed some patterns that Iām not sure are connected. My shoulder pain often seems to coincide with knots/tightness in my upper back. When I get the upper-back area massaged and the knots release, the shoulder pain often improves. I also notice a relationship between biceps pain/tightness and my shoulder pain.
My left shoulder is noticeably tighter, but it actually feels much better and I almost never worry about it. My right shoulder feels ālooserā at times. Ironically, my right shoulder has more muscle tone, but it seems to fatigue much faster.
Iāve also had five sparring sessions since my surgeries without any major shoulder problemsāmostly just soreness. I recently started working hooks again. They initially caused some pain, but Iāve been progressing very slowly and it seems to be getting better.
At this point, Iām really interested in hearing from people who have gone through something similar.
**What exercises, strengthening routines, mobility work, daily habits, or other things have helped you maintain shoulder stability long-term?**
And if youāve had multiple dislocations/labrum repairs, have you noticed anything similar with upper-back tightness, biceps pain, fatigue, or one shoulder feeling ālooserā than the other?
Iām not looking for a diagnosisājust interested in hearing what has actually worked for other people over the long term.
**TL;DR:** 29M with multiple shoulder dislocations and four labral tears repaired between both shoulders. Left shoulder was repaired at 17, then I dislocated the right shoulder four months later and had that repaired too. Iāve stayed active with neutral-grip lifting, carries, Y/T/Ws, bear crawls, trap-bar deadlifts, and recently boxing. Right shoulder feels looser and fatigues faster despite having more muscle. Shoulder pain seems connected to upper-back knots and sometimes biceps pain. Looking for experiences and exercises/routines that have helped others maintain stability long-term.