Shoulders & Weapons Forms

[Thorsteinn]

I'm recovering from a torn left rotator and an impinged right radial nerve & tendon. My friend Lady Helga Skjaldmær had both of her shoulders rebuilt in her early 20's and has advised me to switch to Spear, Glaive, Daneaxe, & Greatsword and to keep the motions below the shoulders once I can fight again till they both heal (around January of next year).

Do y'all have thoughts?

[Sir James A]

Personally, I'd just sit it out until January when you're healed up, and work on non-combat projects - but I tend to be neck deep in a number of projects at any given point.

[Thorsteinn]

A good idea but my skill set is as a courier & there is a certain lady I would like to put a pointy hat upon the head of someday.

Besides, I can do all the Knightly skills but if I don't fight I will never become a Knight of The West.

[Sir William]

Think of how good a fighter you are now, injuries and all...and then consider how much better you'd be pain- and injury-free?  Should be a no-brainer, Thor...you can still do the movements solo just so that your joints and ligaments do not forget their 'duty' so to speak, but keep it non-contact and low or no stress on the injured parts.

Think of it this way...should you continue on as you've been, you risk injuring yourself even more in which case, you may never attain that knighthood.  The pointy hat isn't going anywhere...there's always the next event.

[Sir James A]

If you're doing physical activity all day long, seems all the more reason to me to *not* strain it more by doing combat activities. As Sir William said, there's always the next event. No sense in doing potentially longer-term or permanent damage by starting before being fully healed. I get the feeling that your lady will not leave you if she doesn't get a pointy hat in the next few months, you have time to recover properly without risking permanent injury.

[Thorsteinn]

I've been doing therapy on my left one for about 8 months now and my right one for about 3. It was just after May that the right one flared up.

I'm not jumping back into the deep end, but I do want to win my Lady a rose during the Roses Tourney at Fall Coronet weekend after next & I haven't put on armour since June. I've been able to do some Kendo sparring using Shinai without issue & thusly am thinking I might be able to do SCA greatsword (mine only weigh's 3.5 lbs) before the weather closes in on the Sierra's and kills most of our options till next year. I'm going to the PT tomorrow to see about whether she thinks this would be a good idea, but the truth is that without health insurance, or a job, I'm rather limited on what I can do medical wise.

[Sir James A]

Ah, I wasn't aware how long you've been doing the PT already. My advice would be go with what the medical professional says, especially lacking insurance and/or employment.

[SirNathanQ]

Yeah, listen to the medical professional. That's your best bet to fighting full strength ASAP.