What a long strange trip it's been--and continues to be ...
I'm back from the doctor. Essentially, I got the best news possible: some damage to my labrium, which is the padding of cartilege that turns your shoulder connection into an actual shoulder "socket". But no tears, nothing broken, no surgery or even physical therapy required.
Dr. Shapiro did recommend that I take another four weeks off the mat, which means that if all goes well I should be able to start training again on Monday, June 9th. All told, that means this injury will have cost me six weeks of training, which is about what I thought might happen (I think I predicted 4-6 weeks if it lasted more than a week ...)
So that's not the worst thing in the world. Shapiro also said that it was okay for me workout--just be careful and let the pain be my guide. The problem with rolling right now--other than the pain--is that you just can't anticipate which direction your arm might get bent. Better to wait and let things heal as much as possible.
Knowing all that, I can at least start putting together a workout/rehab program for the next four weeks: heavy on the cardio and single arm work. I've done a great job of keeping my weight down so far. Hopefully, I can keep that up (or even do better).
Should I compete on July 12th? Probably not. I will have been out for six weeks and then back on the mat for four weeks leading into the Revolution event. It all depends on how quickly I heal. If I feel 75% or better when I start back on June 9, then there's actually a halfway decent shot that I'll drop down to the 154.9ers and give the featherweight division a go.
