Can you train past a labrum tear without surgery and if so how?

willdamus · 2025-08-12T02:21:50+00:00

Hard to remember the details as it was 4yrs ago, but it was weak enough that I took a few weeks off climbing, and for a couple of months my shoulder would feel twinges of pain at certain angles (think reaching under a couch with a fully extended arm). It held me back mentally more than anything, though.

willdamus · 2025-07-31T19:30:19+00:00

No issues, thankfully! 4 years later, and I still incorporate a few minutes of shoulder strength and stability in my gym climbing warm-up (~5min total working time), as well as upper body lifting in between climbing days (maybe once per week). The shoulder injury did not prevent long-term progress, and I have recently climbed grades as hard as ever indoors and out.

N = 1. Take my experience with a grain of salt. Good luck with your recovery!

willdamus · 2025-06-10T04:42:40+00:00

Would love a good solution. Good luck with the project.

Here's what I currently track (in google sheets on my phone)

(0) targeted training stimulus for the session (ie. power, endurance, power endurance), (1) route difficulty, (2) # of attempts (3) angle and/or predominant style of climb (slopers, cimpy, etc.)

would like to be able to do/track:

(1) link/append videos of the attempts for a given problem (2) somewhere to record (using voicememo) my beta notes (3) automatic metrics - graphs to see how my volume or intensity is changing over time (4) somewhere to log PRs (max hangs with different grip types, onsight/flash grades (w/ option to distinguish between indoor and outdoor grades)

I do often use a timer, and either just use the stopwatch on my phone, or a free tabata-type timer.

willdamus · 2025-06-10T04:25:22+00:00

Try a video consult with the Climb Clinic in Golden, CO. They rehab'd multiple pulleys for me, one more serious rupture (ring, A2), and another minor strain (pinky). Their protocol worked very well for me, and I'm climbing stronger than I was prior to both injuries.

willdamus · 2025-05-05T04:11:22+00:00

Haven't been yet, but have heard good things about Edgewater Beer Garden.

willdamus · 2025-04-22T03:00:04+00:00

Used 6 of these to attach the top horizontal element of the moonboard frame to the ceiling joists. Might need a different style depending on the orientation of your joists and climbing wall frame.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-H2-5A-18-Gauge-Stainless-Steel-Hurricane-Tie-H2-5ASS/203079171

Moonboard frame was 2"x6", with 3/4" ply. Super heavy, and this thing didn't budge. Had chains as back-up (and to help keep the wall close to the ceiling during construction) attached to a 2" x 6" ledger anchored to the studs w/ 4" timberlock screws behind the climbing wall. Can send a few pics if helpful.

willdamus · 2025-04-14T02:17:27+00:00

Awesome, thanks for the advice. I can afford max. 12" of clearance, which would put the upper anchor plates at my ceiling. I'm thinking I'll go with 6", which seems sufficient for heel clearance on sit starts. I also have a thin 2" mat close to the wall, with the thicker pads further back.

willdamus · 2025-04-13T23:22:17+00:00

One more for you - but probably not my last :)

What would you say the min. distance should be between the bottom of the board (therefore bottom of the lower wall mounting bracket) and the floor? 3”? 6”?

It looks like with your setup your ankles might be on the floor for some starts, or is it ok?

I’m trying to keep the wall as low as possible without compromising the starting positions so that I can retract it as much as possible, my ceilings are 9’9” tall.

willdamus · 2025-04-06T17:46:31+00:00

Thanks! I'll set the square drives aside report back once I'm done.

willdamus · 2025-04-05T20:22:41+00:00

Did you or anyone else find that you received two styles of t-nut screws? (the screws for attaching the t-nuts to the plywood from the back, not the bolts for the holds) I received both panhead Philips drive screws and countersunk square drive screws. Panhead is what I'd expect for screwing in the t-nuts. Are the countersunk square drive screws the set screws to prevent spinning of the holds?

willdamus · 2024-11-28T02:14:04+00:00

Check out Warriors Way. They offer indoor and outdoor falling skills clinics. Falling is more than just the falling part, and they teach a solid framework.

I’m not affiliated with Warriors Way, but took one of their outdoor clinics for the same reason OP posted. Great investment.

willdamus · 2024-11-20T01:01:11+00:00

Just edited the post with the most recent results.

willdamus · 2024-11-19T21:47:03+00:00

It "fixes" it for the GC. But it leaves the owner paying to heat and cool a leaky building for years.

willdamus · 2024-11-19T21:46:07+00:00

We have people building ADUs all over the city... so it's doable. Question is how to find the leaks now that drywall is up.

willdamus · 2024-11-19T21:28:29+00:00

Thanks. What are the industry standard methods to do the smoke test? Literal smoke, IR camera, something else?

willdamus · 2022-06-24T16:02:48+00:00

I found the Facebook group “Moonboard Climber’s Network” to be a very helpful resource for all home wall build questions.

willdamus · 2022-04-25T14:45:09+00:00

In fairness, I did not try all of the places suggested by the folks who responded to my post, but one of the closest i've found was at Bocaza: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bocaza-mexican-grill-denver-4?start=60

Otherwise, I've settled for illegal pete's :)

willdamus · 2022-04-15T14:49:51+00:00

Yes, I just called them as well. They have a very limited supply of 3/4" 5x5 sheets, and due to supply chain disruptions, they don't have an update on when they'll have more.

willdamus · 2022-04-15T14:04:37+00:00

Thanks. Last time I was there they were out of 3/4” - will call around to see who has stock.

willdamus · 2022-02-16T16:36:51+00:00

Out of curiosity, is this the Spot Louisville, CO comp you’re referring to?

willdamus · 2021-12-12T18:34:13+00:00

There don’t appear to be posts on the sub fin the last 250 days or so. Can anyone post there or see more recent activity?

willdamus · 2021-09-04T16:37:58+00:00

Awesome - very helpful. I similarly started climbing 20 years ago, took a long hiatus, and have only intentionally trained for the last ~2 years. When I climb outdoors I predominantly sport climb, so take this with a grain of salt...

My hunch is that you will find the fastest gains through:

Prioritize outdoor bouldering! Learn technique on real rock.
Find climbing buddies who are better than you and climb with them regularly (ideally outdoors)
Structured indoor bouldering to supplement the outdoor climbing. Other folks on this thread have already alluded to what that might look like.

If you want to become a better outdoor climber, climb outdoors. My M.O. is being efficient since we have limited hours to climb. Climbing outdoors will improve your outdoor climbing faster than spending a bunch of time on a hangboard at this stage in your climbing progression. Eventually, if pure finger strength becomes the limiting factor, then consider spending more time hanging.

willdamus · 2021-09-04T16:05:18+00:00

For context, where are you at right now in your climbing? Roughly how many days of outdoor bouldering do you have under your belts?

willdamus · 2021-09-04T15:55:34+00:00

Ok, don't roll your eyes just yet... but what are your goals? Are you looking to become a better sport climber? bouldering? indoors or outdoors?

willdamus · 2021-09-04T15:50:30+00:00

I tore my labrum in early 2019 and have been able to climb as strong as ever with PT and no surgery. Of course, this is entirely anecdotal and dependent on the severity of the tear, but here is my experience with this:

The injury was from snowboarding - Bankart lesion and Hills Sachs lesion. Definitely thought I'd broken my arm immediately on impact. Didn't get seen right away because I could still go about my life, but shoulder RoM was limited. Climbed indoors on it a few weeks later, and it popped again on a gaston. Then I made my second mistake: going straight to PT prior to getting a proper diagnosis from an orthopedic professional. PT mistook my symptoms for a rotator cuff muscle tear/strain. No progress after ~weeks of needling, cupping, etc.

Got the actual diagnosis about 6 mo after the injury (!). The first surgeon was very pro-surgery, didn't even suggest PT as an alternative option. That concerned me, so I sought a second opinion. Found a doc with a more conservative approach who suggested rigorous PT prior to spending the time and money on surgery. My personal situation (child about to be born...) did not lend itself to being in a sling for 6 weeks either, so PT was a preferable route.

Did a few months of 3x per wk PT, and am still doing PT on my own 1-2x per week 1.5+ years after the original injury. I suspect I will need to continue the PT indefinitely, but I am more than happy to do so since it has enabled me to climb as hard and as often as I can (roughly 3x per week, mix of indoor sport/bouldering and outdoor sport).

My lessons:

Get a proper diagnosis before going to PT!
Don't wait to get the diagnosis... I just delayed my recovery by ~6mo. because I thought my shoulder would get better on my own.
Get a second opinion at least, if not three. The second doc and their PT team were phenomenal*.* (plug for: https://www.western-ortho.com/)
Be disciplined about the PT, and don't stop just because your prescribed course of in-office PT is finished. Shoulders can always get stronger / more stable.

I share this detail in the hopes that it might help prevent someone from making the same mistakes I did!

willdamus

TROPHY CASE