Ingalls nurse wins bodybuilding competition 8 months after rotator cuff and bicep surgery
UChicago Medicine at Ingalls Memorial Hospital nurse Yolanda Lake won a bodybuilding competition in June despite having rotator cuff and bicep surgery eight months earlier.
Yolanda Lake had plenty of reasons not to enter her first bodybuilding competition in June.
The mother of three coaches her daughter’s volleyball team, recently started on her master’s degree, and works full-time as a case-manager nurse at the University of Chicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital.
Also, just 8 months earlier, Lake underwent surgery at Ingalls Memorial to repair tears in her bicep and rotator cuff (a group of muscles and tendons surrounding the shoulder joint) caused by a variety of activities.
A full recovery takes months, or even up to a year, her doctors said.
But as she began physical therapy sessions at UChicago Medicine Ingalls-Calumet City, Lake decided she’d go for it anyway. She signed up for the USA Natural Chi-Town Showdown bodybuilding competition in June 2024.
“I do have these responsibilities, but when I say I’m going to do something, I have to do it,” said Lake, 42, who lives in the South suburbs.
In early January, with her medical team’s blessing, Lake began an intense bodybuilding training regimen. She went easy on her shoulders and arms, slowly increasing the weight so as not to injure herself again.
When the big day arrived, Lake competed in two categories: ‘Bikini Novice,’ where she placed second out of four contestants; and ‘Bikini Wellness,’ where she took first place out of five.
“The night she won, she messaged me and said, ‘I could not have done this without you by my side.’ I had goosebumps. And I was so proud,” said Pamelanie “Lanie” Pacatang, PT, CLT, Lake's UChicago Medicine Ingalls-Calumet City physical therapist.
Surgery and physical therapy support strong recovery
UChicago Medicine Medical Group orthopaedic surgeon Joseph Thometz, MD*, performed Lake’s 90-minute surgery at Ingalls Memorial in October 2023. He reattached Lake’s tendons — the parts of the muscle that tore away from the bone — in her shoulder and bicep.
Because she was young, in good health, and had “good quality” tissue, Lake made a faster-than-normal recovery, Thometz said.
“Surgery is one part of the process, but it’s just as important to have a skilled physical therapist and a patient who’s committed to improving, which she was,” said Thometz , who also praised the top-notch surgery technicians and staff who assisted him in the operating room.
Lake’s first few weeks of physical therapy were painful and frustrating, which is normal. Progress is slow during the first six weeks, Thometz said, but shoulder and arm muscles start to strengthen after that.
Pacatang recalled a time — one they laugh about now — when Lake cried over her slow progress, smearing her makeup and eyelashes, fearing she’d never regain the ability to move her arm without discomfort. Pacatang comforted Lake, reminding her that she was right on schedule — even ahead of it — and that a safe recovery takes time.
Exercising after rotator cuff surgery
Lake pushed on, never missing her twice-weekly physical therapy sessions. She did all of the prescribed at-home exercises, and regularly asked Pacatang, “When can I go work with my trainer?’”
“She trusted her physical therapist to help her heal correctly. That was key,” Pacatang said. “By collaborating with her orthopaedic surgeon, her physical therapist and her personal trainer, she was able to safely achieve a full range of motion in her arm and had the power to become a competitive bodybuilder.”
“Sometimes, without the guidance of a physical therapist, you have a day where you’re feeling good and you do something that will jeopardize your recovery. I wanted her to avoid that.”
Armed with that information, Lake gradually ramped up to eight workouts a week, many before dawn and even in the snow. She often ran up and down the bleachers at Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School’s football field and did lunges, side shuffles and backward shuffles across the turf. She drank a gallon of water and ate six protein-packed meals a day and aimed for 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night.
“My family was so supportive,” Lake said.
Lake reflects on her journey with pride. At the bodybuilding competition in 2023, she sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” and cheered on her gym friends from the sidelines. This year, she was on the stage and winning.
“I look forward to doing it again next year and being even better,” Lake said.
*Joseph Thometz, MD, is a UChicago Medicine Medical Group provider. UChicago Medicine Medical Group is comprised of UCM Care Network Medical Group, Inc. and Primary Healthcare Associates, S.C. UChicago Medicine Medical Group providers are not employees or agents of The University of Chicago Medical Center, UChicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital, The University of Chicago, UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial or UChicago Medicine Ingalls-Calumet City.