I just received results from my shoulder MRI. I have multiple tears and will probably need surgery. Has anyone here experienced this? How long was the recover?
Rotator cuff tears
- Thread starter snakedoctor
- Start date
You picked the right time to post this...I am 68- fell down flight of brick stairs- tearing my rotator cuff in two places and partially detaching bicep!!! Surgery March of 2019 and I STILL have difficulties as I reinjured shoulder by falling through my attic two weeks ago..I have to start rehab all over...
Advice: If separated - it won't heal by itself- get surgury done by best Ortho guy you know/find. The fact that you could lay on table for MRI suggests you are not that bad. I could not lay on table flat back for 6 months and had to be doped up to do it.
Surgery?- piece of cake..a little gas and you wake up fixed. Dr will prescribe Oxycodone for pain but I just took Advil.
You will need to go to rehab- starting day after surgery- that is when you think about those Oxys but just take advil and get ice pad for shoulder after workout...the more you work- the quicker you will recover...just don''t do something stupid like me and fall through your ceiling.
Your age makes a huge difference in how quickly you will heal...but average is about 6 months... Good luck
Advice: If separated - it won't heal by itself- get surgury done by best Ortho guy you know/find. The fact that you could lay on table for MRI suggests you are not that bad. I could not lay on table flat back for 6 months and had to be doped up to do it.
Surgery?- piece of cake..a little gas and you wake up fixed. Dr will prescribe Oxycodone for pain but I just took Advil.
You will need to go to rehab- starting day after surgery- that is when you think about those Oxys but just take advil and get ice pad for shoulder after workout...the more you work- the quicker you will recover...just don''t do something stupid like me and fall through your ceiling.
Your age makes a huge difference in how quickly you will heal...but average is about 6 months... Good luck
What about work? I'm 46 and am worried about being out of work. I am a Radiology director but have to do X-rays and CT 20% of the time.
When I had mine I also had bicep tendon tear and I split my bicep and I had surgery in Oct. and was released from physical therapy the following Feb., my dad had rotator cuff surgery and I think he was good to go 6 months after, but he was in his mid 60's at the time.
Your arm/shoulder will be limited- the extent of that depends on how screwed up your shoulder is. I don't think you will be moving/lifting patients right after surgery. Getting dressed by myself was a bitch for me and you might be out of work a couple days. if you have spouse or someone to help dress you...I could not move to put on a belt...that will help immensely. But to be frank..If the shoulder is the same one you use to "clean after bathroom duties" you may need a "butt buddy"- google it--it will save you a lot of pain.
I was a prosecuting attorney here specializing in drug cases.....I have seen what the Oxys do to people and in seeing my Dr., the patients coming in to refill their Oxy Rx looked miserable...that's why I wouldn't take any..nobody knows when the addiction sets in...It is so uncertain.
I’ve dislocated my shoulder twice. Torn labrum and small rotator cuff tear. After second time, I finally got surgery. I really don’t think I’m any better off now to be honest.
It was an on the job injury and it literally took years to get surgery approved. I was already back to lifting heavy and had some range of motion limitations.
To make matters worse, first doc made it too tight and I had to have a revision. Wasted two yrs in and out of surgery and recovery.
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It was an on the job injury and it literally took years to get surgery approved. I was already back to lifting heavy and had some range of motion limitations.
To make matters worse, first doc made it too tight and I had to have a revision. Wasted two yrs in and out of surgery and recovery.
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Not the same but I had a SLAP tear. Had to get surgery and was in a sling for 6 weeks. Think it's the same time as a rotator cuff surgery +/-
Damn rehab felt like it took forever. Remember I had a bad side effect to one of the pills they gave me post surgery and I got a crap load of canker sores. Fun times. Good way to lose weight lol.
Damn rehab felt like it took forever. Remember I had a bad side effect to one of the pills they gave me post surgery and I got a crap load of canker sores. Fun times. Good way to lose weight lol.
I’ve dislocated my shoulder twice. Torn labrum and small rotator cuff tear. After second time, I finally got surgery. I really don’t think I’m any better off now to be honest.
It was an on the job injury and it literally took years to get surgery approved. I was already back to lifting heavy and had some range of motion limitations.
To make matters worse, first doc made it too tight and I had to have a revision. Wasted two yrs in and out of surgery and recovery.
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It was an on the job injury and it literally took years to get surgery approved. I was already back to lifting heavy and had some range of motion limitations.
To make matters worse, first doc made it too tight and I had to have a revision. Wasted two yrs in and out of surgery and recovery.
Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com
I have had both done. One from a motorcycle accident, the other just worn out. IMO the pain of that surgery is overstated. I took one narcotic the day after surgery with the first one, and took none at all for the second one (other than advil). The key is getting a good long lasting nerve block so that you can get through the initial day. I HATE narcotics, so personally I'd rather deal with the pain than the side effects of the drugs. Sleep will be your biggest issue for the first few weeks as you will need to sleep in a way that you put no pressure at all on the shoulder you had done. I figure out how to wedge my body in the corner of a sectional and slept just fine. It was about a month before I went back to my bed.
What DOES suck is the PT. Your shoulder is going to be frozen when it comes out of the sling, and getting it to move again isn't gonna be the funniest thing you ever did but I would not call it agonizing. DO THE PT. I did and I have ZERO pain out of either. It's not that you will not have some limitations. Range of motion may not fully come back for a year and there are certain things you really ought to avoid after the surgery for risk of tearing it out again. I was told to avoid dips, full weight pull-ups and full range push-ups for good. That's not a big deal you can work on the muscles in other ways.
The longer you wait, the harder the repair is.
What DOES suck is the PT. Your shoulder is going to be frozen when it comes out of the sling, and getting it to move again isn't gonna be the funniest thing you ever did but I would not call it agonizing. DO THE PT. I did and I have ZERO pain out of either. It's not that you will not have some limitations. Range of motion may not fully come back for a year and there are certain things you really ought to avoid after the surgery for risk of tearing it out again. I was told to avoid dips, full weight pull-ups and full range push-ups for good. That's not a big deal you can work on the muscles in other ways.
The longer you wait, the harder the repair is.
I had a catastrophic shoulder injury at the end of '08. I had a severe dislocation that tore all of the tendons when it dislocated and when the shoulder slammed back into place it broke/fractured some of the surrounding bones. The most attached tendon in my shoulder was 90% detached along with an additional few hours in surgery clearing out the "arthritis of a 90 year old" according to my surgeon. I also had some fractured bones that were grafted back together somehow (it's been a while so I don't remember the specifics).
At the time I was still actively making my living through sports and recovery time was 1 full year. 99.9999% of physical therapists out there are completely incompetent so that's going to be your bottleneck. I've been in and out of physical therapists for 20 years for various injuries and it took me a long time to find a facility that did good work. I'd say I've been to 20 some odd therapists over 3 states and only found one that is competent. Keep in mind I'm not using the word competent lightly. Had I gone directly to my staffed therapist I would have had a 6 month recovery. My team surgeon asked that I use his therapists and it was a disaster. My surgeon was a rock star, his therapy team was not. I dumped them when the 1,000 year old lady next to me was doing the same theraband exercise as I was. All of that to say that therapy will determine your success. My normal therapists are very aggressive and that makes all the difference with every injury I have.
As far as the surgery went I wish I ignored the doctors that told me going in to clear out debris and arthritis would cause too much scar tissue to be worth it. They were full of shit.
At the time I was still actively making my living through sports and recovery time was 1 full year. 99.9999% of physical therapists out there are completely incompetent so that's going to be your bottleneck. I've been in and out of physical therapists for 20 years for various injuries and it took me a long time to find a facility that did good work. I'd say I've been to 20 some odd therapists over 3 states and only found one that is competent. Keep in mind I'm not using the word competent lightly. Had I gone directly to my staffed therapist I would have had a 6 month recovery. My team surgeon asked that I use his therapists and it was a disaster. My surgeon was a rock star, his therapy team was not. I dumped them when the 1,000 year old lady next to me was doing the same theraband exercise as I was. All of that to say that therapy will determine your success. My normal therapists are very aggressive and that makes all the difference with every injury I have.
As far as the surgery went I wish I ignored the doctors that told me going in to clear out debris and arthritis would cause too much scar tissue to be worth it. They were full of shit.
I had surgery to repair a torn labrum and torn rotator cuff 2 years ago. They also had to cut off the end of my collarbone because of impingement on the AC joint. They did a nerve block so immediately after surgery I felt fine. They gave me hydrocodone but it doesn't work for me so I just took OTC painkillers for a while after. PT was a bitch but necessary. Make sure you do your PT if you want it to heal properly and get full range of motion back. I was back at work after 3.5 months but it was another 2 months before I had full release for all physical activity. It feels pretty good now, better than before surgery for sure, but still gets inflamed and sore from time to time.
Fell at work. Tore bicep 95% off and rotator cuff (1cm x 2cm).
Tests showed no issues.
Went to scope it 4 years later and found issues. Reattached bicep, screw in bone, and fix cuff.
5 moths almost to the day back to work. Will be 2 years in April. No pain, not the same though.
Tests showed no issues.
Went to scope it 4 years later and found issues. Reattached bicep, screw in bone, and fix cuff.
5 moths almost to the day back to work. Will be 2 years in April. No pain, not the same though.
I really hope and pray that your surgery and rehab goes well for you. Reading some of the accounts of others here, it surely is not a fun rehab. My hip replacement surgery/rehab two years ago doesn't compare to rotator cuff rehab for sure. Sucks that I can't run competitively any longer. Sometimes the biggest result of surgeries like hip, knee and rotator cuff tears is the limitations that we have to endure after. I've adjusted for the most part, but I still often yearn to run again.
One full rotator cuff tear confirmed and the other has to be close. At my age, I'll never have it fixed unless it gets so painful I can't sleep.
I had a torn rotator cuff and tendinitis in my bicep repaired a couple years ago at age 42. I'm a workout fanatic and have a desk job (Engineer).
I had my surgery on a Friday, weaned myself off the prescription meds over the weekend and was at work the following Monday.
I did PT to the letter and then some. My shoulder and bicep are better than ever. No pain and I'm stronger than I've ever been, but that's not saying much. Lol. 285lb flat bench at 200lb bodyweight.
Do it. You'll be glad you did.
I had my surgery on a Friday, weaned myself off the prescription meds over the weekend and was at work the following Monday.
I did PT to the letter and then some. My shoulder and bicep are better than ever. No pain and I'm stronger than I've ever been, but that's not saying much. Lol. 285lb flat bench at 200lb bodyweight.
Do it. You'll be glad you did.
If you have some disposable income I would try Plasma Rich Protein Injections before surgery. It is “experimental” since it is kinda considered along the lines of stem cell.
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That's where I was. I couldn't sleep more than 20 minutes at a time. I was losing my mind!
Dr decided to go in and scope, this is when issues were found.
My biggest issue is my bicep was not reattached in same spot. And this has affected my strength considerably in pushing movements, crazy I know.
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G/F had the surgery done, out 10 or 12 weeks, maybe your Dr. would release you early based on your job. Rehab is a must if you expect to get back to " normal ".
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