Adaptation

One of my private students is planning surgery to repair a SLAP ("superior labral tear from anterior to posterior") tear in her shoulder, an injury that makes shoulder abduction (moving her arm up and out to the side) very painful.

SLAP tears are apparently becoming more frequent---I know at least one other person with the same injury---so while this is the first time I've seen a student with one, it probably won't be the last.

My student was concerned about not being able to do yoga during her recovery, while her shoulder is immobilized. She's been a real trouper, trying to use yoga as "pre-hab" so that she goes into surgery in as good condition as possible.

Because her shoulder is going to be immobilized anyway, I suggested that we make a simple sling out of a yoga strap for our pre-surgery classes, so she could get a feel for what was possible with only one arm. And in the spirit of solidarity, I tried to keep my arm immobile during class, too. (Which is not easy, by the way. I kept forgetting and switching arms.)

Four-point (hands and knees) poses and chaturanga dandasana were obviously out, and so were prone poses. However, we were able to do a nearly "normal" hour-long practice, including a modified sun salutation, which helped her feel a lot better about her prospects.

Not only was she pleasantly surprised at how much she was able to do, she also told me that her practice felt a lot better than last class, when she had tried to user her injured arm as much as possible. Because connective tissue is involved, it's going to be a long recovery period, and I'm almost as happy as she is that she'll be able to continue her practice throughout.