New Titanium Ball Joint

[sdpatt]

This topic is related to both suspension and body, so I thought that this would be the best forum for this story.

On Wednesday, January 31, 2007, I had some new titanium parts installed to cure a deteriorating condition in a ball joint. Five screws that had been installed during an earlier repair procedure were removed and relocated to re-anchor an upper suspension component. A severed rotator flexor was also re-attached to allow proper rotation of the suspension. The body work required a 5" long cut to allow acces to install the new parts. It was sealed with a new body adhesive to minimize surface defects. Now 2 days without even Advil, the parts are breaking in just fine with a few creaks. The new parts should be better than the old. Pretty cool, eh?

 

[ShadetreeSHOguy]

Now, is it made of TPR or Polyurethane?:laugh_ti: wow, i hope you have a speedy recovery

 

[Eric VerValin]

No advil?? I bet you eat glass, and drink gasoline too. I like this guy!!

 

[sdpatt]

Oh, I was on Percoset for a few days, but I wanted to be able to feel what was going on inside as the new parts were getting broken in. It wasn't exactly pain free before the repair. It's not easy moving, but I can live with it. The key word being "live."

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

Hope the recovery goes well Scott!

I had a full shoulder reconstruction on my right shoulder my senior year of high school. 4 hours of surgery. No artificial body parts though. No fun at all. Back then, the best they had was stainless steel staples to seal the cut. I remember my body healing much faster than predicted, and my skin started to grow over the staples. Had to do a bit of cutting to gett them out.

Ive got a cool 3" scar to show for it

 

[doclees]

Ok sdpatt, You want these new part to work in harmony right? A couple things happen in your electronics when you have this type of overhaul. First off even though your battery was disconnected during this repair your memory was still on. So you need to reset your memory to get a proper idle and proper WOT response. Unfortunately your current mechanic can not perform this job. You need someone that does NSA ak Network Spinal Analysis. Look under Chiropractic or do a web search. In the mean time listen to you engine and keep an eye on those gauges.

 

[jelloslug]

I bet he changes timing belts while the car is still running.....

 

[sdpatt]

I bet he changes timing belts while the car is still running.....

Yeah, I've got a scar on the heel of my left thumb from that job!

 

[Off Road SHO]

Wow! How did the initial injury happen? Overhead pushing or pulling? Gapping the rear cam buckets one too many times? Good luck with your recovery.

Tom

 

[93rev2sev]

No benchpressing transmissions into position for a while I guess.

 

[sdpatt]

Remember all those injuries we had as children and we thought that they healed and went away? They're still there. I am right handed and my right shoulder exhibits none of the damage that was seen in my left. The orthopedic surgeon surmised that the initial damage was probably caused by an impact injury when I was younger - such as all the banging suffered during junior high and high school football. Maybe even a bad fall. Thankfully my primary arm is still working.

On another note, I drove the SHO to the doctor for the follow-up visit yesterday. It sure felt good to get back behind the wheel for a nice drive. The week before my surgery, my NTB was finally able to properly balance my new Bridgestone S-03s and it sure felt good to be rolling again. To drive, I must remove the large, inflatable roll that I wear under my shoulder to keep my elbow away from my side. That makes the shoulder ache a bit, but it's just nice to get out of the house. I'll be back to work on Monday after 12 days of "resting." Migraines, yeah, that was resting.

 

[Jarrod]

Hope the recovery goes well Scott!

I had a full shoulder reconstruction on my right shoulder my senior year of high school. 4 hours of surgery. No artificial body parts though. No fun at all. Back then, the best they had was stainless steel staples to seal the cut. I remember my body healing much faster than predicted, and my skin started to grow over the staples. Had to do a bit of cutting to gett them out.

Um... Kenny... didn't you dress up as Wolverine for Halloween this year.....

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

I could only WISH I healed THAT fast.

 

[Aaron R.]

I thought that there was a new kind of ball joint I could put in my SHO. But....surprize. Hopefully you have a very easy recovery. Happy shoing.
Aaron

 

[greenbeanmtx]

Glad all is going well for ya Scott. Are you typing one handed? If so i bet its taking a long time to type these threads hehe.

Hope your better in time for TWS

 

[sdpatt]

The new shoulder is working great. I have to be easy on the upper biceps tendon since it was moved and re-anchored with 5 new screws from its former embedment that was done 9 years ago. A rotator cuff muscle was fully torn and had to be spliced. I must also be careful not to stress that connection. I am directed to keep my arm in the sling with inflatable cylinder under my arm for 23 hours of the day. The diameter of this device is about that of a basketball so grace is a challenge. I am supposed to remove the sling only for showerng and my exercises, but I must admit that I am typing with both hands now. I cannot fit behind the wheel of the SHO with the bag in place - it would be too dangerous anyway. Sorry Doc. I'll be careful.

 

[greenbeanmtx]

How long will you have to wait before you can start with the weights again?

 

[sdpatt]

I start physical therapy on Monday the 12th. The therapist has been given instructions on my rehab. I'll have to see if that includes when I can pick up the weights again. With the same bicep tendon repair 9 years ago, I was allowed to lift only 10 pounds with my left arm for a couple of months. It will likely be that long this time.

 

[Eric VerValin]

Oh, I was on Percoset for a few days, but I wanted to be able to feel what was going on inside as the new parts were getting broken in. It wasn't exactly pain free before the repair. It's not easy moving, but I can live with it. The key word being "live."

Yeah, I had my foot rebuilt kinda strange procedure. I crushed a metatarsal 'cuboid bone', and they took the big peice, shaved it down, and cut a peice of bone off the inside of my heel, to make a chunk they could screw to the broken one, shaved that down to fit nice and tight, and pinned it and that was that. I didn't take anything either, it didnt really hurt, just felt really heavy, and I was always worried of overdoing something too if I couldnt feel it. It should be pretty non existant in the end. I cant even tell my foot was 'repaired'. Except for that scar.

 

[AREA 91]

Wow. That make's me feel better. I could have been in a much worse condition myself. I fell 12 FEET out of my tree stand on the first day of Buck hunting! Luckly for me, I bounce well! I can say that I now have a slight pain in my lower back every day since it happened.