WWE News: Finn Balor Update, Understanding The Complex Shoulder Joint, What Is The Procedure And Recovery For A Torn Labrum?
SummerSlam was supposed to be a coronation for the “Demon King,” but it ended up becoming a dethroning for Finn Balor. In his match against Seth Rollins, Finn Balor ended up sustaining a shoulder injury. At the time of the injury, Balor and WWE officials had no idea how much damage was done.
The move that sidelined Balor was a powerbomb into the protective barrier that separates the crowd from the ring area. When Balor landed on the barrier, his shoulder became dislocated. Balor, in a testament to his toughness and drive to finish the match, popped his shoulder back in place. He went on to get the win and became the first ever WWE Universal Champion. His reign was short-lived when it was discovered that Balor had severely injured his shoulder to the point that he had to relinquish the WWE Universal Championship the following night on Raw.
The initial diagnosis for Balor was a torn labrum. It was not until surgery did doctors discover that the injury included more than just a simple labrum tear. Wrestling Inc reported on Balor’s interview with Jim Ross on the Ross Report podcast where he explained that in addition to the tear of the labrum, Balor had a tear in his bicep and some bone fragments had broken away.
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Anatomy Of The Shoulder
The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the human body. Due to the shoulder having the most range of motion, it leaves the joint prone to being unstable. The shoulder is held in place by a variety of ligaments, tendons, and muscles. When any of the soft tissues get torn, pressure is placed on the healthy areas of tissue to maintain stability. This increases the chance of further injury if left untreated. The labrum, what Finn Balor tore, is one of the major pieces of soft tissue that stabilize the shoulder. It is connected to the scapula (shoulder blade) and the head of the humerus (long bone in the upper arm). When Balor’s shoulder became dislocated, it stretched the labrum to the point of tearing. Due to the pieces of bone that were found during surgery, it is likely the labrum was not torn in the middle but torn off one of the bones. This would explain why pieces of bone were found.
Once the diagnosis of a labrum tear is confirmed, surgery options are discussed with the patient. During surgery, the surgeon locates the labrum and determines if it can be reattached. In rare cases, the labrum is torn so severely that donor tissue is needed to replace the labrum. In Balor’s case, it appears that the surgeon was able to reattach his labrum without needing extra tissue.
Rehab and Recovery
Once the surgery is completed, the patient is placed in a sling to keep the joint from moving. This is important because this allows the sutures to solidify in the area where the labrum was reattached. The sling is used for up to four weeks or longer depending on how complex the surgical repair was.
After the four weeks of keeping the joint immobile, physical therapy will begin. The first stage of physical therapy will be exercises to increase the flexibility of the joint. The surgical repair shortens the labrum. The patient will slowly begin to exercise the shoulder in order to get the labrum stretched out to what it was prior to the injury.
Once it is determined that the patient’s flexibility has returned to normal, strength exercises begin due to some of the muscles becoming atrophied from lack of movement. Once the surgeon, physical therapist, and the patient feel that full strength is returned, the patient is declared to be healed. The entire process from surgery to full recovery is between four and six months. In Balor’s case, due to the severity of his tear, he has been told that his recovery will take a full six months.
Finn Balor will miss Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble, but should be fully healed in time for WrestleMania. It is possible that Balor will recover quicker due to his age and new physical therapy techniques, but the WWE views Balor as a main event player. They need to be smart and allow Balor as much time as he needs to completely recover so that he does not reinjure himself and sideline him for more time.
— Finn Bálor (@FinnBalor) August 24, 2016
[Image via WWE]
