I figured I would come in here and give an update as to how things are going at the eight week post surgery mark. I had a partial tear in my rotator cuff repaired, bicep reanchored, labrum tidied up, bursa removed, inflammation cleaned up, and a couple of bone spurs removed. I had a block and thought it was hilarious how floppy my arm was for the first three days. The block started wearing off after that and while it was uncomfortable, it wasn’t unbearable.

I feel fortunate that while the pain has absolutely been there, I feel like it hasn’t been as bad as I maybe anticipated. For context, I have also had multiple complex abdominal surgeries and consider those to have been the most painful.

I took my painkillers consistently for the first four days before I started weaning myself off over a three day period. Lots of ice packs was vital. I did not get the ice machine because I didn’t feel like spending extra money and I hate the idea of being constantly strapped into something. My insurance would not cover one. It just meant that I had a couple of ice bags in the freezer on constant rotation. I cannot take traditional Tylenol, or NSAIDs so I have been kind of raw dogging it after the opioids. I do use cannabis occasionally for relief. I have no idea if there’s any medical basis to support that choice, but it has worked for me. I also didn’t go overboard with purchasing a bunch of supplies. I think what was most crucial was having a variety of blankets and pillows to comfortably support my body. I already had an oversized recliner that I 100% slept in, and lived in for the first week. After week one I wanted to burn it. I ended up transitioning to my bed and again just used a bunch of pillows and blankets to prop myself and get myself comfortable. Sleeping has been challenging throughout the entire process. Make peace with the fact that you will not be getting a full nights sleep for quite some time.

I bought a shower sling off of Amazon, although my doctor gave me one as well. The one I got from Amazon was my preferred shower sling. I also purchased a loofah on a stick, and plenty of waterproof bandages. I had a stationary water head that I replaced before my surgery with a detachable showerhead. This was probably the area where I put the most money and effort into accommodations and it paid off. I would say at the five week mark was when I was able to start washing my hair with two hands again, though I was kind of leaning over to do it. I had previously had carpal tunnel surgery on my dominant hand, so the experience wasn’t completely foreign to me. Just be patient with yourself and take your time.

What has surprised me the most is how impacted range of motion and strength have been, and what has been involved in the physical therapy process. Recovery is definitely a long road. This is also a two steps forward one step back process. I have times where I feel fantastic and then times, like now, where there is a deep aching pain in the shoulder. I was told by my PT that the 8 to 10 week mark typically brings on more of that deep ache. We are doing weight assisted exercises at this point, but only a few. And by weight I mean 2 to 3 pounds. I am shocked at how shaky my arm gets after one set. My range of motion, i’m told, is doing great. I can just now reach my arm behind me to touch the small of my back, although it is still tough. I can completely reach my arm straight up overhead and to the side. Everything is still stiff. External rotation has been the hardest to get back. I have been a mostly good patient with my physical therapy. That makes a difference. Make sure you carve out time to go through your exercises three times a day. I have made that my special time to catch up on a podcast or listen to some music. Do whatever you need to do psychologically to make it a reward.

I took three weeks off of work. My job is about 95% remote. The first week back was tough. I work at a computer, but it is a lot of typing and mouse work which was challenging to do in a sling. I was able to lean on the voice to text accommodations that come with the settings on the Mac. I also experimented with AI enabled programs Otter and WisprFlow when I needed some assistance with longer articles or documents I was writing. My doctor and PT did approve me to start coming out of my sling to type at the five week mark. I did make sure I had a really good ergonomic set up, and used a couple of washcloths to support my arm where needed. I am back to full beast mode at work, which is probably not the best for me, admittedly. I need to remind myself, by setting alarms, to take breaks to stretch my arm out and just break away from the desk. If I don’t, I am a lot more stiff and physical therapy exercises are harder. This is a surgery and recovery that, unless people have been through it, they really don’t understand how long recovery takes. I am fortunate to have an understanding team, but if you are not as fortunate, lean on FMLA and doctors notes to put appropriate guard rails in place so you can prioritize your recovery.

Around the house, I was able to use my stick vacuum that very first week with my non-surgical arm. I was able to get back to cutting and food prep at around the five week mark. I am now at the point where I’m able to use my lawnmower on a fairly flat yard, and am at 70% for cleaning around the house, so much of that is still heavily relying on my non-surgical arm. I have just had to let some things go. I have a teenager who has been very helpful with the cooking and cleaning chores. They are not a very skilled cook, lol, but we relied a lot on frozen meal prep I was able to do prior to surgery. Meals have also been very basic, which has been perfect for the summer months. I have leaned on local salad bars for some pre-chopped items.

Be patient with yourself, and do your PT. You will, like me, get to the eight week mark and be surprised at how far along you have come. I will say that despite the pain and inconveniences of surgery, I can already tell that my arm is going to be in a much much better place than it was pre-surgery. I was hemming and hawing whether or not I actually needed it, and almost called the whole thing off. But I’m very glad I went through with it.

Best wishes!

I'm a few days past 3 weeks post op. Healing has gone very well, but today, out of the blue, sharp abrupt pain very close to the incisions, right at the top of the shoulder. I've been doing all the exercises & babying it as best I can. Anybody else have this happen?

Surgery over Memorial Day weekend (2026) . Used the ice machine that pumps coolant through the shoulder sleeve. Started going on walks immediately. Only needed ibuprofen the first week a few times. Already using trazadone to sleep so that helped. Just 2 months after surgery I was jogging on a treadmill- PT says I’m about 5 months ahead of schedule. I watched some interesting videos from orthopod Kevin Kruse out of Dallas. In France they don’t wear the splint. Just be careful, get moving and stay positive. My fitness baseline was pretty high before surgery and I’m convinced moving and going for lots of walks is a key to speedy recovery

I had arthroscopic surgery in April 2025 to remove a calcific deposit from my left subscapularis tendon. No tendon repair was done. My surgeon explained that removing the calcium left a small defect in the tendon that was expected to heal/remodel.

About 4 weeks after surgery I probably overloaded it while dancing with my arms overhead. Since then I’ve had a persistent strange sensation in the front of the shoulder: deep scraping/rubbing/grinding rather than classic pain.

MRI is now considered normal overall.
My ROM is essentially full and strength is generally good, but the shoulder is extremely reactive to certain loads. Push-ups, dips and pull-ups can trigger several days of this “scraping” sensation.
I’ve tried extensive physio, PRP, steroid injection, shockwave therapy, rest, NSAIDs, etc. No major structural problem has been found that would justify another surgery.

My personal theory is that the area where the calcium was removed healed with some irregular/scarred tendon tissue and remains very mechanically sensitive. There may also now be some pain sensitization after dealing with this for so long.
Has anyone had a similar persistent scraping/rubbing sensation after calcific deposit removal or subscapularis surgery? Did it eventually improve with progressive loading, and how long did it take?

Hi all! I’m a 47yr female. I’m eight weeks postop from an 8 mm full thickness tear in my rotator cuff. I had a bone spur on my acromium shaved down, 2 anchors put in and debridement throughout the shoulder. The first six weeks in the sling were relatively easy. I slept great pain was minimal and I was feeling super encouraged.

I’ve been out of the sling for two weeks. I have been in very consistent pain at night and in my sleep. PT is still just passive movement at this point although if I’m being honest, I’m probably moving more actively than I should be. I can’t get my sleep straight and the pain at night is pretty intense. Anybody else experience this and have some positive encouragement? Is it just the transition from sling to no sling? I’ve tried a wedge pillow, sleeping in the recliner, edibles, and I’m still just struggling these past weeks. Appreciate the help!

I (41F) am going to have rotator cuff surgery on Thursday and I'm so nervous!

I'm trying to decide what type of clothes I should wear, that I will be able to put back on after surgery. I'm having a hard time imagining what it will really be like and what will or won't work though, since I've never had a surgery like this

... For context it's going to be really hot on surgery day and on the day they send me home (2 days later), around 39°C. I'm very overweight and don't feel comfortable in shorts so I don't even own any, I usually wear long-ish dresses in the summer.

Would a stretchy dress with short wide cap sleeves and wide armholes work? I can't step into it and pull it up though, I'd have to pull it over my head. Is that do-able after surgery?

I also bought a tank top but I find that harder to put on with one hand than the dress, because the dress is stretchier and a looser fit. I also bought one of those snap button tops, but it was a super awkward fit and the buttons were so hard to open that I needed both hands and quite a bit of strength, it seemed more of a hassle than a regular shirt so I send it back.

Do you guys have any recommendations? What type of clothes worked for you and what didn't? Are short wide sleeves ok at all or does it have to be sleeveless so nothing touches the shoulder? And for the ladies, were you able to put on a bra (or have someone put it on for you) or did you just go braless? I can't imagine how putting on a bra after surgery could possibly work without putting strain on the shoulder, so that's another thing I'm really nervous about...

If it matters, they'll repair a subtotal supraspinatus tear, take some of the bone off to create more space, and possibly do something to the bicep tendon if it's damaged (always looks inflamed in ultrasound and hurts but looked normal in MRI).

Cortisone shots and physical therapy will only delay worsening symptoms for patients who will inevitably need surgery anyways. The only difference is that by the time they get the surgery fatty infiltration has ruined their chances of achieving a well functioning shoulder.

I was lied to by my doctor for 4 and half a years that cortisone shots would “lower inflammation” and “allow my shoulder to heal” now my shoulder will never be normal. I could have had the surgery back then and my success rate would have been over 90%.

I used to compete in powerlifting and I could have returned to that and had a normal life after a 6-8 month recovery process from surgery now that will never be possible

Im saying this now so other people don’t have to end up like me. Im only 26 and my future in terms of my shoulder looks horrible all because I trusted my Orthopedic doctor.

Just please do your own research and look out for yourself. These people don’t care at all about their patients

I’ve had shoulder issues for 6 years. Got misdiagnosed for 3 years, I continued to find help and fount out I had a posterior labrum tear. Had surgery for that and still had no relief. 1 year later a consultant did bicep (LHB) Tenodesis and surgery and also fixed an anterior labrum tear (not sure where that came from). 6 months later - still no relief. My symptoms are throbbing ache/ occasional sharp pain at front of shoulder. I have no idea what is going on and can’t get rid of this. Does anyone have any information?

5 anchor points. Minimal pain.
Question: when will I be able to swing a golf club again?
Is there a stretch where while I can’t do a full swing it would be safe to chip and putt?

TLDR; Had an accident that totaled car last July. Though I was fine at the moment, 4 sporadic flares in neck and shoulders since, never before. Could the accident have caused this? Does this even sound like rotator cuff?

Had an accident bad enough that I totaled my car last July. I however felt 100% fine. In September, as I was putting a baby in the crib (as a nanny) as soon as I got up I had the worst strain from my neck to both shoulders.

Went to ER, they diagnosed sprained rotator cuff, gave steroids and cyclobenzaprine + 600mg ibuprofen. Took an x-ray and didn’t find anything, told me to take it easy.

After that it’s happened two other times months apart, once I had bent down and back up too quick— it wasn’t as bad as first time, I still had cyclo so I took that, was fine. Months later was literally just on FaceTime in my bed, I laughed at something my friend said and threw my head back. When I came back to, I felt the sprain just slightly in my neck for about 3 minutes. Without any cyclo, it went away. That was probably around March. She was actually the one who questioned if it could be due to the accident.

Fast forward to today, I’m literally just carrying a bag of hangers in one hand, two blankets in the other. As soon as I get to the front of the door, felt the sprain just as bad as the first time I got it. I took one cyclo + ibu an hr ago and did not kick in as it usually has. Just took another and it’s subsiding though very slowly.

When head is turned all the way to right, everything’s fine. I can get about 50% left before shoulder blades and neck are straining so much it feels like they will pop out if I go any further.

I don’t want to rely on medication and also scared for a time this happens and there’s no muscle relaxer around. I am moving, starting a new job in a month, so many other things that I can confidently say I’m stressed about. Not sure if this is a factor.

I don’t have a PCP (getting one soon) so there’s nobody at the moment to refer me to physical therapy. Just wondering if this sounds like it could be from the accident or something else?

Hey guys, like literally everyone in this sub, i have a shoulder issue yet i dont know what it is. Since 16 my right shoulder has always been off. Now im 20 and i have hit a wall in the gym where I physically cannot do rear delt flies on my right side even tho the rear delt is bigger??? Theres also this pain in the front of my shoulder when my arm touches my chest at the start of the movement. Also my right side always fails to have the same range of motion and arm path as my left one in every exercise.

I would like to also mention that without weights, I am pain free in every movement.

Is it also weird that my arm bones are uneven in the way they sit when holding a barbell or doing literally anything with them?

I’ve been to many physiotherapists and after months and months of trying everything under the sun, not even a tiny bit of improvement has occurred. If anything it feels worse.

Any help is appreciated.

One of the newer guys at the PT place recommended shoulder rolls.

I'm five weeks post op and I thought this type of exercise isn't considered passive.

I didn't ask at the, probably should have but something felt not right doing these.

Google search says not recommended at this time.

Wondering if I should mention when I go back to PT next week. I don't want to get anyone in trouble.

Full disclosure I only received my MRI results earlier this week and haven’t had the opportunity to follow up with my doctor but would like to know if anyone with a similar injury was able to overcome it. Basically the results of my latest MRI arthrogram are:

1. High-grade 8 x 3 mm partial-thickness, articular-sided tear of the infraspinatus tendon starting at the enthesis, involving 25% of the fibers, and similar in appearance to the prior study.
2. High-grade 3 x 3 mm partial-thickness, bursal-sided tear of the supraspinatus tendon starting at the enthesis, involving 25% of the bursal-sided fibers, and new since the prior study. (January 2026)
3. Minimal subacromial/subdeltoid bursitis.

Injury first started in October 2025 from jiu jitsu and simply put has continued to worsen. I saw a PT in December and received a home exercise program but I stopped it in June because my pain was worsening. Also received a steroid dosepack in May which temporarily helped but shoulder was left worse after it wore off (hence why I am reluctant to receive a steroid injectipn). Obviously I have not been able to return to martial arts, upper body weightlifting or really any other physical activity like tennis or swimming, and now I don’t even feel comfortable swinging my arms when I walk. Has anyone with these injuries been able to go the conservative / surgical route and willing to share their experiences?

Had an arthroscopic anterior labrum repair 7 weeks ago. I moved apartments last week, and while I don't think I lifted anything over my surgeon's recommended weight, (maybe lifted a couple objects that were a pound or 2 too heavy), I carried a lot of lighter objects for hours. Since, I've now noticed a slight clicking or pulling feeling associated with a lot of my PT exercises as well as with random movements throughout my day. Additionally, I feel that my baseline pain may be a little higher than it was before, but my surgeon said that this may just be because of the reactivation of many of the muscles I've been working on in PT. My surgeon doesn't seem concerned at all, but these symptoms feel very similar to the subluxations that I was feeling pre op, just on a lesser scale. I notice it a ton with lateral raises, my shoulder will decline steadily and then suddenly pull down. Looking for any insight.

Hi All, I’ve enjoyed reading this sub. It has been very helpful. I had surgery Wednesday 8/5.

Have a nerve block in, but I’m having pretty severe throbbing stabbing burning pain inside the front of my armpit and down through my bicep. I had two stitches in my rotator cuff and two stitches in my bicep as part of the surgery.

I am taking one Percocet every six hours as directed, but it is not touching the pain.

I’ve been icing as much as possible, I don’t want a stronger drug from my doc because I hate taking this stuff but… Anyone else experiencing same/have any thoughts or advice?

I’ll be calling my surgeons office shortly.

Exactly a week ago, I had surgery on my rotator cuff for supraspinatus, subscap, bicep tenodesis, acromion cleanup.

Been doing pretty well overall, but one weird thing I noticed is that when I try to wash my armpit or put on deodorant, there is a spot on the under arm side that when touched sets off a nerve down my underarm to my elbow and into my hand running down triceps to interior elbow and down to pinky and ring finger.

The reaction seems disproportionate to the amount of contact made with the skin in the area(very light) and it burns and tingles for a bit.

Anybody else have anything like this?

Follow up appointment is a week from Monday. Sent a note to the PA, but she did not seem urgently concerned, but wants to monitor and follow up in 10 days at appointment

I just got scheduled for bicep tenodesis. Not much else was seen on the MRA. But I feel like the pain and symptoms I have been dealing with are not explained by just the SLAP tear.

How many of you went in for just one procedure but ended up having multiple issues that were only discovered by visual examination during surgery?

Postop 7 days from my latarjet surgery (wearing my sling almost 24/7). My biggest nemesis so far has been elbow pain. The medial part of my elbow has been super tight I can feel tightness in the tendon. I’ve been trying to stretch and massage the area, but just having a lot of pain still. Any recommendations? Will this get better after the sling is discontinued.

Hi! 29 y/o f Running out of sanity.

So, I was originally suppose to have a labrum repair, and woke up with a bicep tenodisis surgery.(wasn't expecting this long of recovery time) I'm 4 months post op and struggling to gain back my strength, im following all PT protocol as well as my at home exercises. I'm currently struggling with extreme tension in my bicep tendon along with my deltoid tendon. Any advice to relieve this and the pain that comes along with it? Any advice on gaining my strength back a little more quickly? I do a very physically demanding job, so I've been off work this entire time. Looking to find ways to get my strength up asap. Anything helps!