[Shoulder Injury]Motivation-Training-BUD/s

[grimm1987]

I was in a roll-over car accident a year and a half ago, injured my shoulder pretty good. Fractured most of my left side. Which is nothing at all, never ever hindered me. Tears, and nerve damage, ligaments, and rotater. I've wanted to be a SEAL all my life, NOTHING ELSE. I was training for it before I got in the wreck. I loved to swim!!! I swam lakes alot, Etc. Did great physicaly. I've gotten "orthrascopic" surgery, and been in physical thearapy for a while now. I've pushed my self in thearapy. The only problem I have is lifting over head strength in my left shoulder is not great. If I get a note from my Doc saying I'm good to go, would they let me in? My Med record sucks! Would they look passed the records based on my Doc? Have people been injured but passed BUD/S? I really need some pointers on how to get in w/o this medium size prob f*%$#& up my LIFES GOAL, I WANT TO REALIZE ITS WITHIN MY REACH, thinking I'm not within reach of my goal has set me back alot.
Sorry for the long post, but I'm serious. THANKS

[king henry viii]

I was in a roll-over car accident a year and a half ago, injured my shoulder pretty good. Fractured most of my left side. Which is nothing at all, never ever hindered me. Tears, and nerve damage, ligaments, and rotater. I've wanted to be a SEAL all my life, NOTHING ELSE. I was training for it before I got in the wreck. I loved to swim!!! I swam lakes alot, Etc. Did great physicaly. I've gotten "orthrascopic" surgery, and been in physical thearapy for a while now. I've pushed my self in thearapy. The only problem I have is lifting over head strength in my left shoulder is not great. If I get a note from my Doc saying I'm good to go, would they let me in? My Med record sucks! Would they look passed the records based on my Doc? Have people been injured but passed BUD/S? I really need some pointers on how to get in w/o this medium size prob f*%$#& up my LIFES GOAL, I WANT TO REALIZE ITS WITHIN MY REACH, thinking I'm not within reach of my goal has set me back alot.
Sorry for the long post, but I'm serious. THANKS

the only problem you have is lifting OH strength? How can you expect to do log PT then? God forbid you get stuck on old misery. Then what will you do?

[grimm1987]

Yeh It would be HELL for me! But BUD/S is HELL for everybody thats in. The boats, and logs! Lets just say I did just as much weight almost in my Military press as my bench! Not kidding, I'm hoping that my shoulder strength in my right can make up. Haha, and I'm 6-3 meaning I'm gunna have to work harder on the over-head lifting. I've tested myself and pushed my injured shoulder to the limit just to see..... Nothin, I don't think I can injure it, plus it's more frozen in, than prone to popping out like most cases.

[snow85]

no, one shoulder will not be able to make up for the other in the activities you've mentioned.

a note from you doc wouldn't hurt, but don't be surprised if you're dq'd at some point in the process. of course they're going to look at your entire medical history. nerve damage, bone fractures, and ligament injuries are not "medium sized" problems. it sounds like your ROM is limited, which limits your strength, which places undue stress on other parts of your body. think about how that could affect you in a combat zone. can you climb a rope? can you do it with all of your gear, plus your buddy and his gear? can you do it quickly and quietly? these are things you need to think about.

[grimm1987]

Yeh, my ROM is back to norm from the extensive physical thearapy. Good point on the rope though, I used to just climb ropes by just pulling using my arms only, I'm going to have to test myself. I didnt think of that. Pulling though is not bad for me just overhead pushing alittle. I'M WONDERING IF ANYONE HAS MADE IT THROUGH BUD/S WITH PAST INJURIES? OR AT LEAST MADE IT THROUGH A GOOD PORTION OF BUD/S?

[dive doc]

Grimm,

just a couple of quick questions and ill see if i can be of any assistance. Did you have any plates/metal put into your shoulder? Have you been in cold/very cold water since the work was done? How much can you lift overhead compared to before the accident?

From what you have said it sounds like you have done quite an amount of damage to the shoulder and joint. Unfortunately combining a fracture with torn ligaments, rotator cuff etc can really multiply the problems and your own discomfort.

BUD/S is designed to test you physically & mentally to the limit when you are fit. It would prove very difficult and may inflict permanent damage if you were to begin carrying an injury like that.

Would you consider the possibility of delaying entry to BUD/S for 6-12 months, continuing intensive physical therapy, consult your surgeon and a specialist? This would hopefully enable you to gain maximum recovery to as close to your physical peak as possible, allow maximum recuperation, give you the best chance possible of graduation from BUD/S and stop you gaining a more serious injury as a result of the physical activity during training.

DD

[grimm1987]

No sir, theres no metal in my arm, and I havn't been in cold water since the accident. I've always been able to withstand cold water, which is weird, cause I have a "ripped" tall build, before the wreck, I remember I was playing football in the sand in Ocean Shores-WA when it was storming, I got the urge to jump and swim in the huge surf! Swear on my life! Can that be comparable to the cold water in BUD/S? Or do they dump you, an ice in a tub?
Well sir I'm actually doing what you said right now, I'm really trying to get motivated again. I wish there was a Navy SEAL around my area that I could be trained by! I would gladly offer money, i like training in extreme conditions! I remember climbing a Mt Si when it was storming out, that was fun as hell to me! And if there is a program that is somewhat close to a pre BUD/S training program, let me know. Honestly I would like to pay a personal trainer to train me or with me, preferably Ex-SEAL or SF. I feel that I can recooperate well if pushed to the max, and had help before BUD/S. I'm going to train for around 17months, maybe more before I go in. With a PT for maybe 5 months.
Thanks for you time sir, I appreciate it.

[dive doc]

No sir, theres no metal in my arm, and I havn't been in cold water since the accident. I've always been able to withstand cold water, which is weird, cause I have a "ripped" tall build, before the wreck, I remember I was playing football in the sand in Ocean Shores-WA when it was storming, I got the urge to jump and swim in the huge surf! Swear on my life! Can that be comparable to the cold water in BUD/S? Or do they dump you, an ice in a tub?
Well sir I'm actually doing what you said right now, I'm really trying to get motivated again. I wish there was a Navy SEAL around my area that I could be trained by! I would gladly offer money, i like training in extreme conditions! I remember climbing a Mt Si when it was storming out, that was fun as hell to me! And if there is a program that is somewhat close to a pre BUD/S training program, let me know. Honestly I would like to pay a personal trainer to train me or with me, preferably Ex-SEAL or SF. I feel that I can recooperate well if pushed to the max, and had help before BUD/S. I'm going to train for around 17months, maybe more before I go in. With a PT for maybe 5 months.
Thanks for you time sir, I appreciate it.

Grimm,

no problem at all. Im just trying to point you in the right direction.

Im afraid i am not military nor am i SF, so i cannot point you in the direction of gaining an SF trainer, however there may be some people on here that can help you in that regard.

The fact that you have no metal in your arm is good. Metal can cause incapacitation under extreme duress and when exposed to cold. It certainly sounds like you are on the right track. Try and stay motivated and keep conditioning the limb. Try and ensure that all your ligaments and tendons are well conditioned as well, as this will be very important to ensure stability.

The very best of luck to you and if you have any more questions, please post them.

HooYah G

DD

[snow85]

Yeh, my ROM is back to norm from the extensive physical thearapy. Good point on the rope though, I used to just climb ropes by just pulling using my arms only, I'm going to have to test myself. I didnt think of that. Pulling though is not bad for me just overhead pushing alittle. I'M WONDERING IF ANYONE HAS MADE IT THROUGH BUD/S WITH PAST INJURIES? OR AT LEAST MADE IT THROUGH A GOOD PORTION OF BUD/S?

yeah... that's the thing. if, as a SEAL, you're doing vessel boarding, you might need that. this is even more true if you're dealing with large ships and/or oil rigs, and other things of that nature. do you think you can log pt? these things are important for the tasks which you may be assigned as a SEAL. so, if i were you, i'd go back to your physical therapist (with a SEAL motivator), and explain the need. then, train for it under medical supervision. the note from your doc won't matter if you physically can't do the work. it will only matter if you can, as further evidence that you're ready to go.

[jmjennings]

grimm, the advice thats already been given covers the important stuff.

no metal is WONDERFUL. metal in or near joints makes MEPS doctors have fits and foam at the mouth.

you mentioned 'tears, and nerve damage, ligaments and rotator.' im guessing from that that you might have a torn labrum. the labrum is the cartilage that surrounds the shoulder joint. it forms the rim of the 'socket' that the 'ball' -- the top of your humerus, the upper arm bone -- fits into.

labrum tears usually, but not always, require surgery for you to get back to 100 percent. buddy of mine smashed a shoulder skiing into a tree a coupla years ago. after the bones healed and he went back to the gym, he had trouble for awhile both with overhead lifting and doing dips -- but no problem with pullups. after MRI, turned out he had a labrum tear. he lucked out and recovered fully without surgery, but im told you can rarely count on that. has your surgeon mentioned anything about this to you? was that part of the surgery you already had? or am i on the wrong track?

your local navy recruiter should be able to put you in touch with a special warfare motivator. better yet, try 1-888-USN-SEAL or email MOTIVATORS@NAVSOC.NAVY.MIL. best of luck.