I've been out twice in the last year for various surgeries. Summer '09 was the spinal fusion. This past summer was the major knee surgery. I have a friend who has the shoulder issues. I know she did footwork until she could hold a weapon. The only thing that kept me from going totally nuts was being allowed to do seated bladework, but that was only after close to 3 months s/p TTO (I'm still not cleared by doc to fence yet - hopefully monday). Looks to me like you're going to be stuck with footwork for a bit unless your Ortho or PT can tell you otherwise. My PT knew nothing of fencing until I described it to him and showed him video, so there's a suggestion for the PT. You might also try to see if your PT can get in touch with someone from one of the NCAA Schools and see if their trainers have any suggestions. Good luck with the surg!

Hey thanks for that Morale, I suppose the bonus of studying physio is that I have lecturers who can tell me who to go to so I get the pick of the best physios and surgeons, and the bonus of being on the national team means they will do my surgery pretty quickly (the only reason I havent had it done yet is that I have had exams).
I wish you the best of luck for your rehab. I'm betting your bladework is looking pretty fancy now.
PS I really like your avatar, what did you do to yourself to have fused vertebrae in the neck?
Hmm might try your idea about showing my physio about fencing... coming from a farming country (NZL) I get the typical putting up fencing posts and no. 8 fencing wire jokes *sigh*
Cry... footwork, ok need to take a concrete smoothie.

I was a paramedic...a stubborn one at that. Hurt my neck multiple time between lifting patients and fighting with them and other junk around my house. Finally ruptured c5-c6...parasthesia in the arm, thumb went numb, lotta pain down the arm. Doc said either live with it or fuse it (after cortisone failed). So I had it fused...and my paramedic career ended. I may change the avatar to the x-rays of the 3 screws in the leg if I ever get a copy. lol!

I'm sitting on f-net while icing my ankle. This is a daily routine. While my ankle is still warm from a hot bath, I stretch & do my ankle exercises. Then ice then and put an ibuprofen patch along my tendon & under the arch of my foot. Then I start my day... coaching beginners. I've been doing what little footwork I do as a lefty to reduce aggravating this any further. It seems to be working.

I used to fence, but I pulled the tendon in both ankles. I healed one, but the other (my back leg) is more stubborn & flares up every now and then. Especially when I fence or if it happens to be the time of year (like this month) when I'm really busy and have 5-7 classes a day.

For me, coaching helps. I can work on my technique while helping my students. I would like to return to fencing at some point, but don't want to be fencing in pain. One of the other re-occurring injuries involves my thumb. I got trigger finger there. Cortisone shots didn't work so I ended up with surgery. I still found the pistol grip seemed to bother it, so I switched to a French as my thumb likes that grip better.

You know what you need to do. You need to give your body a chance to heal. Having played sports my whole life and have several nasty injured areas, and have had to find new sports to allow injured areas to have a break from being re-torn/ re injured repeatedly. My list of damaged tendons, ligaments etc... is long. Rehab & ice in the short term & yoga & MSM & Omega 3's in the long terms have always been my friends.

Good luck. Please allow yourself time to heal. I made that mistake with my torn knee ligaments when I was a teen and went through 25 years of daily pain. I didn't think I would ever be able to walk pain free again (especially up and down stairs).

Yes, I am waiting for the day when bionic arms come out and as shoulder surgery especially replacement is way behind knee surgery in terms of medical advancements I am just a bit worried.
I don't want to have to give up fencing just because every time I parry counter sixte my arm pops out, and I don't want to have to switch to left handed because I will never be as good left handed. Maybe I am just having a big moan but I assume fencers know what it's like to be off fencing for a long time and getting really angsty because they can't stab people, and I like to compare injuries. I may be sick in the head over that one, but I find it fascinating how much abuse the body can put up with.
I am also scared pantless, if I can't fence again, no more competitons, no more travelling, osteoarthritis in the shoulder, loss of movement, pain, did I mention not being able to fence?

I get it... it's scary not being able to do something that you have been obsessed about for so long. 40 years later, I always associate the first smells of spring with "ball season". I go by the diamonds and I get itchy for the sport, even though there's absolutely no way I could ever do it even at a recreational level. Walking on a pitcher's mound while my dog played fetch was enough to give me nightly pitching dreams for a few days, even though the last time I pitched competitively was just prior to severely tearing two of my four knee ligaments 25 years ago. You never really ever get to leave.

So I'm not so naive as to think you would even take my advice to leave if I suggested it. I do think you should take a vacation from it however by doing another sport to distract yourself without aggravating your injury.

I have found (in other sports) taking breaks can often improve rather than diminish your game, as you very quickly just pick up where you left off but without the nagging injuries to impede your progress & performance.

I have been thinking of taking up another sport over my summer holidays, however the only thing I can think of that doesn't require excessive use of the arms is football (soccer). Does anyone know of anything else? I find it hard to put my arms above my head or behind my back at the moment, not forgetting I am epically weak in my right arm from the injury. Most sports require some use of the arms. I refuse to count running as a leisure sport, it is death and should only be used as punishment by coaches and in the few months leading up to important competitions.
I know what you mean about nightly dreams of sports you love, not only am I having the fencing dreams (quite disruptive when you try and lunge and end up falling out of bed).
Whinge, moan, might mean I can focus on study for the first time in my life.
Wow fencergrl, you sound hardcore, so many injuries and youre still battling on. It's good you have adapted to be able to still coach a lot. I hope everything sorts itself out as best as it can. Thanks heaps for your kind words

I gave a "lecture" earlier tonight that I know wasn't well received, but went something like this: There comes a point where you need to realize that you are doing your body more harm than good. I've been told many times to stop and let myself rest and heal. I learned the extreme hard way that you do more and more damage by keeping going. Had I actually stopped to let myself heal after the first (or even second) neck injury, I probably wouldn't have the plate and screws in my spine and I'd probably still be able to practice pre-hospital medicine. Similarly with my knee, had I withdrawn from that one tournament and left myself rest and heal, I probably wouldn't have had to withdraw from the tournament the next weekend and I probably wouldn't have the 3 screws in my leg (although that was inevitable...either the screws or a replacement). So, basically, you just have to have patience and let yourself rest and heal. Yea, I'm the biggest hypocrite in the world, but after learning the hard way, I can say it's gotta be the best bit of advice anyone can give. Jogging and soccer are the only 2 sports I can think of that don't involve using your arms. Seriously, though, Fencergrl is right...take a rest.

I know, you are both correct. I think I have totally screwed up my body. Popping my shoulder back into place by myself and continuing to fence on it really is not the best thing to do... even if a medal is at stake.
Hindsight is 20/20 innit? normally I'm a fast healer which is why I have managed to still compete after injuring myself. I competed at the national gymnastics competition with a fractured foot because the dr told me to stand on my toes, I did it, he said it's not broken so there is no need for an xray. Went back the next week after jumping aroud on it for a 2 day competition, got an xray... guess who ended up with egg on their face? Can I blame it on my mum who says you have to push past the pain to get the results? :P jk my life is my own fault.
What is this rest thing that people keep talking to me about? I know that you get 10 mins after dislocating shoulders... and 1 minute every 3 minute period... hehe

I never thought of myself as hardcore, but I suspect I'm not unlike you... just older & I hope a little wiser. I pitched through the playoffs with a broken finger. Had no idea I broke it, cause I assumed it would hurt more. I ran on the those torn ligaments... and not over anything important such as a race, it was just PE class. It never occurred to me as a teen to stop moving and look after a serious injury. My PE teacher had to threaten me with an "F" if I didn't stop participating and see a doctor... how ironic is that? I wonder if it was an empty threat, as I didn't think you could fail PE for over participating.

As for other sports... I took up cycling to try and strength my legs. It involves some arm, but not a lot. Yes... I went nutty with that too, putting in more klicks than most people put on their cars. I wore out sprockets for awhile.

Wheelchair sports are usually good for rehab, but bad, bad for shoulders. Got a nasty rotor cuff injury. Otherwise a great challenge and way, way too much fun. Wheelchair basketball was every bit as difficult as fencing.

Gym workouts, modified fitness/ yoga classes. Skating, (ice or rollerblade), skiing, snowshoeing, dance, are all things you might consider...

Ooh cycling, thats a good one, why didn't I think of that, It's going to be perfect weather, cycle to the beach and back again, pity swimming and surfing have been banned for me this summer what a mean surgeon I have. I already gym 5x a week, but really can't do much as even a lot of the leg exercises require lifting weights on and off bars. No ice skating rinks where I live and I'm scared of rollorblading even since I decided it would be a good idea to go offroading with them and broke my arm.
I love doing wheelchair fencing, I have tried it a couple of times when I've been overseas. Nearly worth munting a leg for... nearly... or wheelchair rugby is cool.

Wheelchair racing is amazing as is hockey... however all should be off limits as they are all about the arms. Huge triceps on wheelchair athletes.

Hiking might also be another good way to stay fit and take advantage of the warm weather and can be combined with some camping (as can cycling). I thought of swimming and surfing, but realized they both require too much arm movement.

I know! and look at the trunk control of people with lumbar or lower thoracic paraplegia, they're just so box-like! yes, I know it's weird my obsessivve people watching, I can hardly look at a hot guy without saying, mmmm what nice deltoids you have, lol.
not only do they require too much arm movement, but especially with surfing, the dislocation risk is too high and then I will drown, not the best way to go...
You are so full of good ideas, it is brilliant thank you