Rotator Cuff. Experiences with the surgery?>

[OeldeWolf]

Ok, the MRI to find the cause of my shoulder pain found a torn rotator cuff. Anyone here have experience with the fix? Like pain levels, recovery time, still able to shoot or not?

[gandydancer]

wife had everything replaced. went in with 20% use of left arm 10 years later she has 80 to 90 % she said very little pain at all and now none. Remember woman are tougher then we are.lol good luck.

[KLR]

Like pain levels, recovery time, still able to shoot or not?

I had mine repaired along with a bone spur removed and a tendon reattached.

The pain wasn't bad. The worst part was being plugged up three days after surgery due to the pain meds and surgical anesthesia putting my bowels to sleep.

Second worst part was learning to wipe with my left hand.

Recovery was a few weeks before I could use it for simple tasks and six months before I could really start using it.

Buy an ice machine and use it 24/7 for the first week.

[bosterr]

I had mine repaired in 2004. The doctor told me that it's one of the most painful ordeals a person can have. Right shoulder for a right handed person is bad. Couldn't start the truck because I needed to reach out with that arm. Had to reach over the steering column with my left to start. Couldn't reach out to the radio. Since when it's re-attached that muscle is now shorter, so rehab is a must. Stretching exercises they put you through are excruciating, but it must happen or you don't get your range or flexibility back. I said when I was going through it, I wish I hadn't. As time went on, of course, I'm glad I did. I was off work for 5 months since the company said there's no light duty (gas company). I was 100% back to normal after about 3 months back to work and it's been fine since. I know of people that tried to do too much too soon and tore it again. You need to give it time. I had it done in August and was back to shooting heavy recoiling handguns for hunting season, no pain or problems there. Therapist weren't happy when I missed rehab to go hunting.

[RogerDat]

Mine was the left two large bone spurs and some tearing. First surgery my range of motion did not come back fully so after about 6 weeks of rehab they put me under and "moved" me through a full range of motion. Then I started rehab again. This time it took.

Year later I get some discomfort sometimes but nothing like the disabling pain before the surgery. Couple of Advil and a heating pad is enough to make it all good when it acts up.

[dragonrider]

In 2005 I had both shoulders done. Neither was a complete success, I have about 75% use of my left and 25% of my right. I hope you fair better than I did.

[kenyerian]

It took a while but the rehab although painful will work. I slipped and fell while I was hunting and broke my right arm and tore the rotator cuff, Doc fixed me up but it took over a year to get my strength and range of motion back. Just stay with it . You will be shooting again.

[bstone5]

My right cuff was repaired several years back. The rehab takes time with some mild pain.
The surgery worked for me. Still have some problems but the pain is gone.
Too many hours with a hammer forming sheet metal caused the problem.

[Brett Ross]

Klr I'm experanceing that now went in to get appendex out Monday supposed to be released the next day. I write this from my hospital room with a tube stuck up my nose and down to my stumach too hopefuly wake them up

[KLR]

Klr I'm experanceing that now went in to get appendex out Monday supposed to be released the next day. I write this from my hospital room with a tube stuck up my nose and down to my stumach too hopefuly wake them up

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully you'll get it going soon because that is absolutely miserable.

[MtGun44]

Not me, but a close friend had his done. Says the rehab was very
painful, but the arm works pretty well now, maybe 5-8 yrs later.

[project]

I had terrible shoulder problems for years even lost a state golden gloves championship due to a torn rotator cuff. Doctors wanted surgery but I resisted and spent the next 20 years with one dislocated shoulder after another. I finally started doing my own rehab at home in my late 30's and within a year all shoulder problems were gone. That was almost 10 years ago and haven't had a single issue since.

[Lead Fred]

Tore both bones loose in the middle 80s. (A/C Sep) Every Doctor has told me not to get the surgery, so I have not

[Norbrat]

I had my right one done 6 months ago.

I was diagnosed 12 days before we were due to move across the country, so I packed up and unpacked when we got here with the RC still torn.

I then flew back to Adelaide in South Australia for the surgery as I trusted the surgeon to do the job right. He is one of the most highly experienced and respected shoulder surgeon in South Australia and I wasn't going to trust anyone up here in this two traffic light town to do it.

I left hospital 24 hours after surgery, stayed a further 3 days with my sister-in-law, then flew back to Airlie Beach.

Even though I was warned it would be very painful afterwards, it actually wasn't. I really stuck with the re-hab and went to a local physio, who was impressed with the quality of the surgery and my fast recovery.

My right arm is still not up to full strength, but I was warned this can take up to 18 months and that it likely will never be 100%. I was also warned I would feel tiredness in the right shoulder if I did a lot of work with it, and that does sometimes happen. However, flexibility and movement are back to 100%, so I'm not complaining at all.

I have gone back to shooting, but at this stage have not fired anything with too much recoil. But I don't think it would now be a problem.

My advice would be use a really good surgeon, stick with the re-hab and do what the physio tells you.

[altheating]

Had mine done February 3rd. Right shoulder and I am right handed. 2 hours of therapy three times a week. Right now it truly sucks. My range of motion is listed at 30%, 60% and 70%. Those measurements are the three that they measure. Im still at only five pounds of weight to work out with, nothing more. Tried to shoot the other day. Can't get into the gun the right way at the bench. Shooting the hornet was all the recoil that I wanted on the shoulder. Shot about twenty five rounds and that sent me to the Tylenol bottle. It seems to be taking forever, even though it's only 10 weeks out. And yes there is pain, it's 1am and I still have not fallen asleep yet. Thank god for cast boolits. To sum it up, Rotator Cuff surgery SUCKS ! Recovery from rotator cuff surgery SUCKS MORE !

[gmsharps]

I had my right shoulder done a few years ago. Main thing I can say is do the rehab and do it right . If you say it hurts to much to do the rehab just be resigned to the fact you will not get the full range of motion, it's your choice.I drove by myself one month later to move my daughter to Alaska in a 26ft U-Haul. I set up stretching ropes in the cab of the truck. By the time I arrived in Alaska 9 days later I was in pretty good shape. I still favored the right arm and did not do any heavy lifting for awhile. After my return to the lower 48 I went back for a checkup and I had 98% range of motion. I still do some of the sliding my arm up a flat wall for stretching and now is better than ever. It was not fun but if I wanted to continue shooting that is what had to happen. Every injury is different as well as the doctor. Pain tolerance is different for everyone also. I can only speak for my experience.

gmsharps

[Edster]

All I can say is that if you are going to have it repaired DO NOT WAIT!!! Wife has had bicep pain for several years. Finally got bad enough that she said something to the Dr. Well the top muscle/tendon was seperated and the two sides were torn. Dr told us it was messed up bad and he wasn't sure if he could actually do anything about it. After surgery he told me that the top muscle had to be abandoned. It had atrophied to the point where it could no longer be stretched back to where it should be. He ended up using the two sides and pulled them up and over the top of the shoulder and stitching them together. Also removed part of a bone spur, that was actually keeping her shoulder from falling apart due to the to muscle being gone, and also cut the bicep tendon to relieve pain.
Post surgery lots of pain.. Lots of ice and alot of doing nothing. Now 7 weeks later she has started PT and therapist is already impressed with her range of motion. The Dr that did the surgery is quite proud of himself. and very pleased with the results. His estimation is a recovery time of 6 month to a year. He also told us that due to the severity of the damage she can look forward to an eventual shoulder replacement.

[LUBEDUDE]

Had both shoulders done a year apart. Won't go into all the details, similar to those already stated.

Bottom line- results depend on YOU and how bad you want it. Your physical therapist can't do it for you. And that's what people want. But You have to do it yourself. Are you willing to do more reps or sets asked of you? Are you willing to add MORE excercises without the therapist holding your hand?
If you truly want your shoulder back the way it was or better, then be prepared to attack physical therapy with a vengeance.

[762 shooter]

Right shoulder surgery set for May 8, 2015.

Full thickness rotator cuff tear.

Reading with interest.

762

[popper]

Right shoulder years ago when the pain was so bad I couldn't get any sleep. 100% now but I do watch what i do, gets sore after heavy work but recovers OK. Do the rehab for as long as you can. Worst problem was getting into and out of bed, dressing, brushing teeth. I was back to work at the keyboard in 3 days, peck & hunt with a sling.

[snuffy]

First, there are two methods. One is open surgery that requires an upside down smile/incision on the tip of the shoulder. The other is arthroscopic surgery where you only have 3 small cuts, and one a bit larger. I had the second type. Less pain from the incision, and no visible scar. The repair consisted of drilling 2 holes in the top of the humorous, then screwing 2 titanium bolts into those holes. The bolts have sutures attached to their tops that are then passed through the end of the torn rotator cuff, then they pull it down to the bone so it can heal back to it. Mine was still attached, but ¾ torn.

My surgeon is an ex-Navy doctor that only does shoulders and knees. And he only does the arthroscopic type. He gave me a script for percocet, told me to begin with 3 before the nerve block wore off. I didn't listen, just took one, it just didn't hurt, why take so much? Bad answer! As soon as the nerve block stopped working, I was in terrible pain. That's when I took the 3 pills, but trying to catch up with the pain wasn't going to happen. I had to return the next day for bandage change and check-up. He saw I was hurting, so he gave me 2 more pain meds, Oxycontin, and morphine. That worked, but I was really out of it!

I started therapy 3 days after the surgery. I squawked about why so soon, I couldn't move the shoulder at all without sharp pain. The first week was very minimal movement, with a lot of pain involved. Reason given was to stop/prevent adhesions from forming and scar tissue keeping the joint immobile. My therapist was very experienced and gentle, but thorough. He explained why he must hurt me and how it would result in full range of motion when he was done. He was right! I have no pain, full range of motion and 95% strength. BTW that was 15 years ago when I was 54. left shoulder, I'm right handed.

I hurts a lot, but it's not the worst surgery, that's the CABG or coronary artery bypass I had last December!

[LUBEDUDE]

Oh yeah, best thing you can do is totally deep six the sling as soon as you walk in the door of your house! For real. That's what I did for both shoulders. Get that shoulder moving as soon as possible so it can't freeze up. Will it hurt? You better believe it! Tears to the eyes.

And don't even wear the sling to PT, that way your therapist knows you are serious about getting well.

[snuffy]

Oh yeah, best thing you can do is totally deep six the sling as soon as you walk in the door of your house! For real. That's what I did for both shoulders. Get that shoulder moving as soon as possible so it can't freeze up. Will it hurt? You better believe it! Tears to the eyes.

And don't even wear the sling to PT, that way your therapist knows you are serious about getting well.

I listened to exactly what my surgeon said, he said to wear the sling until he said to take it off. That was 4 weeks. He also furnished a cold compress that amounted to a bag that held ice and a pump. The system was filled with water that was cooled by the ice circulated to a coil that draped over the shoulder. It was run for 20-25 minutes, or until you could no longer stand it. That helped reduce pain, but it was only used for the first 7 days. The physical therapist also used cold before and after treatments for pain.

[OeldeWolf]

Thank you for all the responses. It does seem to run the spectrum, but seems to come down to the actual damage, and folloeing instructions. And that includes the PT instructions. But at least the odds seem a lot better than the 50?% a nurse was quoting me. I guess I wait for the report from Orthopedics before stressing too much.

Again, thank you.

[white eagle]

after reading some of these posts I am getting seriously nevous
I have been diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff in left shoulder had the injection and that remedied the
pain you all have felt
My right was torn years ago but I did nothing about it the pain left and forgot about it
now back to work as a mason after a 2.5 year absence I am getting the pain back in the right as well as the left
shucks is all I can say now

[snuffy]

My doctor told me several stories about people that had waited years before coming to him to have an exam. In several cases of total rotator cuff tears, the muscle ,(the cuff), had atrophied to the point that it shrunk so much it could/would no longer reach the original anchor point. Also, even if it could be somehow re-anchored, it would most likely not respond to therapy, never be strong enough to operate the humerus like it should.

The shoulder can get along without the cuff, you just can't lift the upper arm above chest level. reaching things on the top shelf is real hard, nye on impossible.

Sure is hurtful, but the bennies are worth it. Find a good surgeon, follow his instructions to the letter and the therapist.

[tygar]

I had my left shoulder done long time ago. I had to take 2 mons off from wrestling, judo, sombo. No powerlifting. After 2 mo. started again but used rt arm forward mostly since couldn't raise or extend left very well. After 7 mons was using as normal, but 100% strength took a while longer. Back on wts by 1yr.

Pain was minimal after 2 mons. Way better than before surgery!

DON'T wait. Same with neck surgery; suffered for yrs. After surgery & healing, no pain!

Oh ya, did PT for that first 2 mons.

[rockrat]

Had a big bone spur(biggest one surgeon had seen, he said) on the scapula, that was digging into the rotator cuff. Went in to have it ground off

Went into rehab, not too many times, as I could do alot of movement with strength, except for reaching behind me(the wiping part). Had used the large "rubber band" as they said. I could shoot a rifle, a bit after about two months, nothing heavy, that took about 8 months. Lucky for me I shot pistols with the other hand.
Took about 2 years to be able to shoot the big 50 and about 4 years to be able to reach behind me and pull something forward that was kind of heavy. Was about 5 years before I could do alot of work above my head without resting the shoulder. 15 years later, I still cannot sleep on my side, on the side I had the surgery, for more than 5-6 hours without waking up with my shoulder hurting and a heck of a headache.

[MaryB]

25% tear right side, doc removed spurs and stitched it. Exactly a year later that cuff tore completely and he had to reattach it. Second time around hurt bad... only have about 80% use on the right now.

[flyingmonkey35]

I tore 3 ligaments and a muscle right off my my right shoulder. From helping someone move

I have had two surgery s on it. About a Year apart.

First one fixed the ligaments and removed a bone spur.

Heald up no pt. About 8 months later reinjured it tore the muscle right off my shoulder blade. No idea how I did that.

They went back in and tightened every thing back up and reattached the muscle.

That freaking hurt. Drilled a anchor hole in my shoulder blade.

6 months later still have pain. Can't to PT as couldn't take anymore time off work.

Rember to follow your doctors advise. Don't give a shady insurance company a inch on refusing to pay your claim.

[Kraschenbirn]

Had my right shoulder done about 2 1/2 years ago to remove a couple of bone spurs and repair a slight tear (result of a fall). Doctor started my physical therapy the day after my stiches were removed and, yes, it hurt...sometimes a lot! After 6 weeks (two sessions a week) my therapist booted me out of the nest and said, essentially, there was nothing she could do at the clinic that I couldn't do at home on my own. Took six months or so to regain full motion (without pain) but, today, I work out two or three mornings a week (weights, resistance, cardio) and usually get to the range, at least, once a week.


Bill

[longinosoap]

Guess I got lucky or had a great doc, but my left shoulder surgery went smooth. I had 3 holes punched into the shoulder and everything tied back down and bone spurs removed.. Went in to surgery at 7:30 AM and was home by 2:00 PM. By 4:00 there was a shoulder machine delivered to my house and I was sitting in it for 30 minute sessions with it raising and lowering my elbow to the degree set. Every few days I would change the degrees to go a little higher. I am a coach so it was my nature that if I were told 3 times per day I did 6. PT started within a week and I was given some rubber tubing to tie to a door knob. Same thing-if my therapist told me to do it 3 times I did it more. I was lifting weights within 3 weeks on my own. I was released from PT in 4 weeks and have not had a single problem with it in over 6 years. It's as good as the non repaired shoulder. The key is PT. If it doesn't hurt, go for it. The more the better. Listen to your body and you will be fine. But if you give in to pain, you will suffer for months or even years. Know the difference between injury and pain. It's going to hurt, but you won't injure it if you pay attention.

[dakotashooter2]

Had mine done quite a few years back. I have about 90% range of motion but have no pain except once in a while I can feel the scar tissue. I stopped the pain killers 3 days after surgery but therapy was nasty. After a couple weeks my therapist asked if I was still on the pain killers and when I told him no he told me to take one prior to therapy and we could accomplish more. The only problem I have is I never regained my strength with my arms extended, But that has forced me to lift correctly. After my surgery they gave me a small cooler with tubes coming out of it with a bag on the end of the tubes. The bag was velcroed to my shoulder and the cooler filled with ice water. A couple pumps on the valve and cold water would flow through the bag. The whole setup would stay cold nearly the whole day. Prior to surgery I had trouble pulling more than about50# draw weight on my bow. After I had no problem. I refrained from shooting rifles and bow for a full year and after that had no problems.

[archmaker]

Not RC but a torn Labrum in the right shoulder, had surgery done in September, was making great progress, up until January, then the PT was not happy with the progress of me getting my hand up my back (barely could get it to my belt, not above it) so one day we went for it and he really pulled on it, and after that I have had issues. So stopped going, and started lifting weights again, easing into it.

However, here is what I can tell you.

Make sure you have a good comfortable chair, I think I spent two months sleeping in mine.
Used the ice packs on the shoulder the first week.
A nice firm pillow when you do get to sleep in the bed, something to support your arm
Could not sleep on my right side at all (and that was my normal side that I slept on)
After a few days I started to move my arm, not using the muscles, but letting my left hand do the lifting and moving - hurt like ....
Week later I started to move my arm a little, nothing major, even a simple as a motion, like shaking a baby rattle real slowly seemed to help - hurt like ....
Something I stumbled upon that seemed to help was hot showers with a massage head on them, just let it beat the **** out of the shoulder. I found this out after the PT messed up my shoulder, and the hotel (I travel for work) had one. It was pretty strong and lot of hot water seemed to help my situation, no guarantee.
Do the PT, yeah I had ONE bad experience, but before that in a no time at all I was to the point where I could be sitting and then realize for the first time that I had no pain, that took a few months.
Lastly, if you do decide to lift weights, start off with an empty barball or the lightest weights you can find at first. The 115lbs Bench Press that you think should be nothing. . . .Screaming like a little girl while trying to get it back up will make other people stare at ya! And yeah . . . it hurts like .... (I will say i have less pain when I do work out, then when I miss the gym because of my travel schedule, so it is good to do)

Wish you good luck, I don't regret the surgery as less than 7 months later it is better than when I went in. And I believe another 4-5 months in the Gym will make a big difference.

But you have to push through the pain.

[BwBrown]

I've had a half dozen spinal surgeries due to arthritis and spurs. I've had arthroscopic knee cartilage repair. Two years ago they rearranged my gut to remove colon cancer.
Amidst all than, eight years ago I had my right shoulder repaired - torn cuff due to a fall - and in the aftermath, I said that I'd never have another shoulder surgery. I did not achieve enough relief to justify the discomfort (spelled "p" "a" "i" "n") and amount of recovered use.
Now, my left (I'm left handed) shoulder is in need of repair due to ol'arthur.
Everyone has to make their own decision, but for myself, I'll be putting it off as long as humanly possible.
Be sure to ask your Doc enough questions to get beyond the "pat answers."
Good luck.