Anyone had rotator cuff surgery??

I've had it on one shoulder and I need another operation on the other. They tell you that it will take 16 weeks to recover. Not true. I did rehab every single day thinking in the beginning that if it takes 16 weeks I can do it in 10 or 12 weeks. No chance. It's 16 weeks for the pain to go away and for you to have a reasonable range of motion. But in terms of a full recovery. It's a year before you'll be back lifting light weights.. And you'll never recover your range of motion. But you'll be pain free and able to do most things. Though I wouldn't recommend lifting anything above your shoulders ever again.

thumper18474 said:

Well I fucked myself up good Saturday
Torn rotator cuff...and torn bicep tendon although I think the bicep has been torn for months.
Anyone had this surgery? And what was your recovery time?

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I had a partial tear but no surg. I had pain for about a year. Just finding a comfortable position in which to sleep took months.

Sorry to hear that, thumper. How did it happen?

i had a 4.5cm tear in mine and they had to shave the bone to be able to re-attach the damaged part,it was 6 weeks in a sling then 2 months of re-hab but now the shoulder is 100% better and I have no pain and full range of motion.The hardest part was the pain that you feel for the 1st week and living on a cocktail of hydro-morphine and oxycodone.Just a quick note make sure you do the exercises you are given by your physio as they are the most important part to getting strength back in the shoulder.

I had the surgery for a torn bicep tendon. Surgery was simple enough. Recovery was suppose to be 6-8 weeks. Problem for me was that I got an infection with a superbug while in the hospital. Took multiple surgeries inside of the next 3 months and a year and a half on a pic line to clear the infection. My view? Life with it if you can and avoid surgeries/hospitals at almost any cost.

Tore my AC joint on my left shoulder about 2 years ago. No surgery needed but even that took about a year of regular physio to be back and lifting heavy weights. Any shoulder surgery is going to be shit. It will help now but it will never be the same. Your shoulder is the only "joint" that isnt a joint but a system of muscles and tendons. If it helps, doctors will not do the surgery unless it's absolutely necessary and believe it is the best course of action. I'm under 30 but i know ill feel it post 50. FOLLOW your rehab to the letter post op. Hope it all turns out okay.

A lot depends on age, your muscle tone before surgery, and whether you actually do the physio.

I agree with most of the comments. I have a partial rotator cuff injury caused by using my arm to break a fall while skiing. The doctor said if I was an athlete they would have had surgery but a weekend warrior did not warrant that, LOL.

For sure several months for the pain to go away, especially trying to find a comfortable position to sleep, and when I was able to sleep, the shoulder killed in the morning. At least a full year before I felt "right", even though pain was gone months before.

I really noticed the first summer after the injury trying to do a golf swing.

Good luck

I dislocated my left shoulder and tore the capsule. Tried non-surgical options with no results. Finally had surgery to repair the shoulder. Note this was not strictly speaking a rotator cuff injury, but the net result was that I was continuously re-dislocating my shoulder, which is both painful and potentially dangerous due to possible nerve damage. After the surgery, it took a few weeks and some physio to regain range of motion, but since then (20 years) it has been perfect. Don't shy away from surgery. The "you're not an athlete so no surgery for you" comment above is disgraceful if it actually came from a doctor. Hit up a sports medicine clinic for staff who are used to this type of injury and take it seriously.

knob&tube said:

I dislocated my left shoulder and tore the capsule. Tried non-surgical options with no results. Finally had surgery to repair the shoulder. Note this was not strictly speaking a rotator cuff injury, but the net result was that I was continuously re-dislocating my shoulder, which is both painful and potentially dangerous due to possible nerve damage. After the surgery, it took a few weeks and some physio to regain range of motion, but since then (20 years) it has been perfect. Don't shy away from surgery. The "you're not an athlete so no surgery for you" comment above is disgraceful if it actually came from a doctor. Hit up a sports medicine clinic for staff who are used to this type of injury and take it seriously.

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Hmm I had the same comment made to me by docs at Holland Orthopedic Sunnybrook...maybe I should go ahead and do it nevertheless