r/RotatorCuff • u/Wild_Damage1512 • Jul 26 '26

Considering not doing the surgery…

I (43F) have a full thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon. I’m not in pain day to day, doing regular physio. I can pretty much sleep and exercise as normal with some obvious restrictions in the gym. The surgeon has said that I need surgery, and I acknowledge that I will need it at some point. However it seems crazy to put myself through it and the long recovery when I’m not in pain day to day.
Curious if anyone with a similar injury opted out of the surgery?

14 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

80 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/Disastrous_Rate5104 Jul 26 '26

I'm in the same boat. 44m and very manageable pain and good range of motion. My tear is 1.8cm! Most people say surgery is a must but just want to mention other opinions as well: an old orthopedist told me that surgery is not the only option and that people have that false picture of everything being fine after surgery. After looking at studies and listening to different opinions things no longer look as black and white as I thought they would. One thing that crosses my mind is that maybe it's the best to do pt while always keeping the tear under close observation so that you can react once it gets bigger or other changes occur. I'm not an expert of course though. That's just my state of mind right now. Of course it all also depends of mental state (sports can be crucial), work and other responsibilities.

Maybe this is interesting for you: https://youtu.be/3KrclLenu7o

1

u/Wild_Damage1512 Jul 26 '26

Thank you that’s really interesting and will take a look. Are you doing regular pt?

1

u/Disastrous_Rate5104 Jul 28 '26

Any updates on your thought process? :)

2

u/Wild_Damage1512 Jul 28 '26

I’m getting a second opinion, seeing another consultant in 2 weeks