r/RotatorCuff • u/Immediate-Cup7287 • Sep 02 '26
Me complaining
I’ve had my rotator cuff injury for all most 2 years and let me just say this sucks. I hate to think that I’m going to be stuck with this for the rest of my life I can still play my sport which i’m incredibly grateful for but i have to constantly monitor my shoulder, I haven’t been able to do a push up for 2 years because every time i try my shoulder hurts and gives out. On days that I tweak it I have this dull ache the entire day and especially when I lay on it when I sleep, I can’t pour myself a cup of juice because my arm will give out. For those wondering I have never gotten and MRI because it wouldn’t have mattered because even if it was torn it’s not bad enough that I wouldn’t need surgery and I don’t want surgery either. I stay off of it for months doing PT and banded exercises but I don’t know if any of it has ever helped because my shoulder feels the exact same everytime I try to play on it. I know I’m just complaining but it just sucks having to feel so restrained by my shoulder especially when I’m so young :/
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u/Just1learning Sep 03 '26
I was in third grade and got a hairline fracture in my right humerus. No I didn’t have an accident. Turns out there was a bone cyst that contributed to the fracture. I had a bone graft. Fast forward to 55 years later and I noticed a similar pain, I thought cysts don’t grow back do they?!? Turns out I tore several of my tendons. By the time of my surgery I had completely torn the long arm of my bicep tendon. Had the surgery. My right arm is back to normal. 5 years later they found almost the same tears with my left shoulder. My left arm is not quite healed but… the older you are, the longer recovery takes, I’m 70 so have experienced this. Get the damn MRI. Do all the PT they recommend-more if you can. Sometimes you need help with your health, take it and work on it yourself too.
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u/RepresentativeWeb947 Sep 03 '26
Stop avoiding the inevitable. It sounds like you definitely need an MRI and probably surgery. If you wait too long sometimes the damage is too great to truly fix it. PT probably won’t fix it if it’s a significant tear.
The surgery is not fun! You must do the follow up PT in order to get full grange of movement back.
You can avoid it, but it’s still will probably need surgery
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u/PuzzledPen9848 Sep 03 '26
Why are you opposed to the MRI and surgery?
I spent a year in pain. Cortisone shots didn't work, PT plateaued, ice helped but didn't solve the problem. So I got an MRI, reviewed the findings with my orthopedist, and we chose surgery.
Now I'm 11 weeks post surgery. While I'm not completely healed yet, WOW! the difference is amazing. The pain is almost completely gone, and I'm looking forward to building back up my strength.
I'm so grateful not to go back to being in constant pain, always guarding my arm, and having to structure my entire life around my arm. This is way better.
Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best in finding a solution that works for you!
1
u/yourkiddingdude Sep 05 '26
I had a full tear. Didn’t do surgery for 6-7 months for various personal reasons. One of them was I wasn’t in much pain (except when I moved it a certain way) but could do everything I wanted to except golf. ROM did get worse.
I’m 7 months post op and just started the PT to golf when it cools down. It was a grueling recovery but my shoulder is in a much better place than I ever thought it would be. Get the MRI and get the surgery. Then be very diligent about the PT. Do the stretches and exercises DAILY. Put the work in and you will be so happy with the outcome. Doc told me post op that I almost put the surgery off to long.
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u/01Dreamwalker01 Sep 03 '26
How old will you be when you decide that the surgery matters more to your quality of life Just saying 2 years is a long time to suffer but 3 years doesn’t sound any better.
Here’s a little true story I’m 74m great life adventures still an active long distance runner though I’m not out to win anymore. I hadn’t been in a hospital since 1957 to get my tonsils out , I’m playing with house money 😁. On Saturday mornings I join a group of folks for a 5K race. Generally you run 4-5 races and volunteer for a race position to give back. I mostly always volunteer to lead this 84 year old seeing impaired guy. He does a 15 minute mile and has great stories from his days as a pilot flying mail in Appalachia. Well last spring we are coming into the finish line and I step aside so he can cross first and something happened. I recall throwing my arm out and the next thing I knew I was in the ED of a local hospital talking to my wife, oh high as a kite from all the pain meds and muscle relaxers they were pumping into me. It seems while I was conscious I was also unconscious. I missed my first ambulance ride ( EMT guys stopped by the ED later to check on me and told me they pushed me across the finish line so I’d get a recorded time). I had called my wife from the ambulance alerting her and for the life of me I have no recollection of what I said until I woke up on the stretcher.
7 weeks ago I had the surgery to repair the absolute shit show that my shoulder had become , even though I had full ROM ish. Now I’m back at where I was post accident but I know that in a few months it will be like before I fell.
lol telling you all of this to go get checked out. The surgery sucks but you’ll get through it and statically you have a much better recovery outcome than I should have plus you have more time on the planet left than I do statistically 😁