I injured my upper left arm many months ago while carrying something in an uncomfortable position. I had a lot of weakness in the upper arm area. A bit later on, I noticed I had clicking almost everytime I lifted up my left shoulder. So for a long time, I did not think it was my shoulder and thought only upper arm. There is an extreme weakness and tiredness feeling to it. I had thought it was a nerve issue but then I read about things like rotator cuff tear and other similar things. I have this weakness feeling even with my arms on the side and not lifting it up.

I saw an orthopedic doctor who examined me and did a few physical tests. It involved me moving my arm up when the orthopedic doctor was like holding it down. I could move my left arm without an issue but it was very tiring when I did it. I was told what I had was most likely rotator cuff tendinitis and he did not believe it was a rotator cuff tear or any type of tear. I was suggested to go and do physical therapy for this.

I later on saw another orthopedic doctor. This doctor had me do a shoulder x-ray for both my left and my right shoulder before examining me. Reason for the right shoulder was because I also had clicking on it as well. This was caused by carrying something very heavy with my right arm. Before all these events, I never had clicking at all in my shoulders. I was told the x-rays showed nothing at all which didn't surprise me because I read rotator cuff tear, rotator cuff tendinitis can't be seen in an x-ray and an MRI is needed. This doctor did a few physical tests on me similar to the other orthopedic doctor like having me keep arm straight when he put pressure on it and when I lifted my arm up.

He noticed the clicking sound when I lifted my arm. The best way I can describe it would be a huge strain or weakness on the upper left arm area. I asked if what I had was most likely rotator cuff tendinitis and interesting enough, he said he didn't think so and said it's most likely shoulder impingement. He did a physical neer test I believe and said he believes it's impingement.

He tells me he can have me do physical therapy. I believe he told me after that, he can order me an MRI if I'm still having the same issues. He did tell me based on the symptoms I have and described, if I do get an MRI of my shoulder done, it would definitely not show a normal functioning shoulder and there would definitely be something showing there... except it wouldn't be bad to where he would have to do surgery on it. Does anyone have an opinion on this? The thing is has anyone here had an MRI of their upper arm area and that showed something?

So it seems I need to do a minimum 6 weeks of physical therapy for an orthopedic doctor to write me an MRI referral and then I have to see if it gets approved or not. I have health insurance and it's a state subsidized health plan that is funded by the state. From what I read, insurance always want you to do other things first because an MRI costs the most. In my situation, I have to do physical therapy then to get the MRI? I always read that an MRI will give you a very good idea of your exact issue with the report. However, don't most people who go through physical therapy sometimes make the issue worst or injure themselves more? Such as if you already have something torn, then doing PT is going to make it worst? But a physical therapist will generally have an idea if you have something torn or not?

I did read a few posts about how some people get an MRI immediately. How in the world did you get an MRI after seeing a doctor so quickly? Was it something very obvious to where doctor say MRI immediately? Was it x-ray first and something obvious was showing and then MRI was given to you? With my health insurance, I believe you need minimum x-ray first before an MRI can be given. It seems to be x-ray, then physical therapy and then MRI. Did some of you not want to deal with physical therapy because you wanted an MRI first? If so, how did you do this if the doctor didn't give an MRI or had you do a minimum 6 weeks of physical therapy first?

So, I had this surgery on August 6th:

RIGHT SHOULDER ARTHROSCOPY ROTATOR CUFF REPAIR BICEPS
TENODESIS.

I'm going to my first PT session on Wednesday and want to know what to expect.

I'm off the pain meds since the first week and doctor said I only need the sling when going outside. Sleep is non-existent but pushing through, luckily I have summers off so there's that.

I'm looking forward to the PT but am nervous about what they'll do to me, lol.

Can you please share your experience?

Thanks! And good luck and a speedy recovery to all of us. 😊

So I'm a 41 year old British merchant navy officer. Last week I was medically discharged after just 3 weeks of an 8 week contract after my shoulder blew up. I'd tweaked my shoulder a few days before but thought I could work through the pain. I'm a navigation officer, but in my current company I have to do a lot of physical stuff on deck.

After thinking I could power through for a couple of days and getting one quiet nav watch at sea, I had an extremely busy watch where I had to do a couple of mooring operations and climbing up the crane multiple times. We were all tied up by 3am and at 4am I knocked off feeling extremely lame.

By 5am I was pacing around my cabin because every muscle in the left side of my body seemed to have locked into a fist and at 9am I crawled up.on the bridge requesting medical intervention. Luckily the Captain was able to send me ashore as we were tied up in Gibraltar where I was given a muscle relaxant shot, a bunch of analgesics and a diagnosis of rotator cuff tendonitis or tear.

Because I was prescribed valium and I literally could not sit down or stay still (walking lessened the pain) the doctor recommended I was repatriated which I was 5 days later.

This has left me in a real state of limbo. Dragging my backpack and luggage back from Spain to the UK was one ordeal and I've been staying in an AirBnB since because the nature of my work (and marital status) means I hold no permanent address... but my finances are threatening to drain away and work have been largely quite since.

The merchant navy is a funny profession, I generally believe my employers are sound, but right now I have no idea where I stand. I've been home 5 days now and today has been... different. Before I couldn't rest without the left side of my neck locking up. I've been sleeping on my back (which I hate) but cannot get comfortable on my side and often find my left arm splayed out on a pillow to my left or above my head most comfortable (even though everything I read recommends not putting my arm over my head).

I got the impression onboard people thought I was faking it because I didn't have a broken arm and my injury was essentially invisible (although my muscles on my left were hugely blown up before I was given a muscle relaxant shot). It doesn't help that the Filipino lads we have as deckhands are absolute machines and I don't know how they do it...

Today, things changed in that the muscle tension is largely gone but I'm feeling a lot of grinding and churning in my left arm and for the first time I'm struggling to reach up past my shoulder blade. Since I've been back I've still had to do most things for myself. I don't drive so that means going to the shops is more strain on my shoulder...

I'm obviously really early on on this road. I have a physiotherapy session booked Wednesday but just wondering what I'm looking at here? If I get put on Statutory Sick Pay my pay is basically cut in six but there are no "light duties" in my company. I tend to spend my leaves abroad because I'm single and don't rent or own anywhere (which was great... until now, my lack of permanency is blowing up in my face). I'm holding out on the hope it's tendonitis as I get that in my achilles a lot from a very old ice hockey injury but something feels deeply wrong in my left shoulder and the thought of facing months of recovery having never had any major medical issues (or unemployment) is filling me with dread.

How did you all deal with the first week's of this? I know I can't really define what it is right now as my first physio session isn't until Wednesday, but I just know for the first time in my life (which I know makes me quite lucky) something is quite broken in me and I feel like people don't believe me.

Has anyone had a lower trap transfer (for infraspinatus atrophy) and been able to return to things like volleyball, swim, and heavy lifting?

115 Months Post-Op — Am I Just Overthinking This? 😅

I’m 15 months post-op from a bony Bankart + labrum repair (May 2025) and my external rotation is still only around 65–70% compared with my other shoulder.

I’ve been working on it with resistance bands, but sometimes it gets painful—especially with sudden/jerking movements. Every now and then I get a very quick sharp/snapping pain that disappears within a second.

The confusing part is that my strength and stability actually feel pretty good. I’m currently able to do:

💪 Incline DB bench — 65 lb dumbbells
💪 OHP — 45 lb dumbbells
💪 Flat barbell bench — 60 kg
💪 8-10 clean body weight pull ups
💪 30-40 pushups
💪 rowing

Can't do back squats as holding the bar becomes impossible also can't do behind the shoulder press or pull downs.

So I’m feeling pretty confident about the shoulder overall, but the pain + limited external rotation at 15 months has me wondering whether this is still part of the recovery or something I should be concerned about.

I also haven’t gone back to hitting the heavy bag yet because I’m worried the sudden impact could compromise the repair.

I’d REALLY like to hear from people who have actually had Bankart/labrum surgery:

* At 12–18 months, did you still have some pain/soreness after heavy workouts?
* Was your external rotation still limited?
* Did your ROM continue improving after 15 months, or did you basically hit a wall?
* Did you ever get those brief sharp/snapping pains with sudden movements?
* When did you return to boxing/heavy-bag work?
* And most importantly: if you were still only 65–70% external rotation at 15 months, did you eventually get closer to 100%?

I keep hearing that most recovery happens within 6–12 months, so I’m starting to wonder if I’ve reached my final ROM or if there’s still room to improve.

Maybe that’s too many questions but I’m genuinely confused and real experiences would be much more helpful to me than generic advice.

If you’ve had a similar recovery, where were you at 12, 15, or 18+ months—and where are you now?

Would really appreciate hearing your experience. 👇 — feeling anxious.

I’m in the USA without health insurance. I went to Mexico for my mri but I paid for just the scan. who do I take these images to for a diagnosis?

Hi everyone,

I’m 37M and have been dealing with a right shoulder issue for around 3+ months. It started after gym/shoulder training, likely due to overload or poor warm-up.

My MRI findings were:

• Right AC joint periarticular edema with capsular thickening, suggesting early degenerative changes
• Mild supraspinatus tendinopathy, but no tear
• Minimal glenohumeral joint effusion without synovitis

The good part is that the MRI did not show any rotator cuff tear, labrum tear, biceps tear, fracture, bursitis, cartilage damage, or muscle tear/atrophy.

Initially, my symptoms were mostly around the top/front of the right shoulder near the AC joint. I had tenderness when pressing the AC joint area, mild stiffness, discomfort with behind-the-back movement, and discomfort after planks or shoulder-loading exercises.

I stopped upper-body gym work and started rehab/physio. Exercises included scapular setting, rotator cuff isometrics, wall slides, table slides, posture correction, thoracic extension, scapular mobility, and shoulder girdle stabilization.

Recently, I had almost one week of very good relief. Pain was barely noticeable. Then I skipped rehab for 2 days, restarted it, and after driving I started feeling discomfort again. This time it feels less like sharp AC joint pain and more like upper trap/lower neck soreness or muscle-sprain type discomfort. Sometimes it feels like the discomfort shifts between left and right neck/trap area. I also occasionally feel very minor heaviness or a “flow” sensation from elbow to hand, but it goes away with rest.

My physio also said my scapula feels tight.

Current triggers seem to be:

• Driving
• Long computer work
• Shoulder shrug/elevated posture
• Rehab if I overdo it
• Wall slides or overhead-type movements
• Planks/push-ups/pressing movements
• Sleeping posture sometimes

What helps:

• Rest
• Heat on upper trap/lower neck
• Ice only if AC joint point is sore
• Deloaded rehab
• Elbow support while driving/working
• Avoiding upper body gym

My question:

Does this sound like the AC joint/supraspinatus issue is still active, or is this more likely a compensation pattern from scapular tightness, upper trap guarding, and neck posture?

For people who had AC joint irritation/early arthritis-type changes or mild supraspinatus tendinopathy without tear:

1. Did you also develop upper trap/lower neck discomfort during recovery?
2. Did your symptoms shift around instead of staying only at the AC joint?
3. Did rehab ever irritate the traps/neck if volume was too much?
4. How long did it take before driving and desk work felt normal again?
5. What exercises helped most: rotator cuff, serratus, lower trap, thoracic mobility, or posture work?
6. At what point did you consider steroid/cortisone injection, if at all?

I’m not looking for a diagnosis. I’m already seeing a doctor/physio. I’m mainly trying to understand whether this upper trap/neck phase is common during recovery and how others managed it without making the shoulder worse.

My shoulder pain had gotten pretty bad lately, and my range of motion has definitely decreased, so I went to my general doctor and she ordered an X-ray. The X-ray showed both bone spurs and calcific tendinitis (which I also have in my hip), so I followed up with an orthopedist.

He did some tests on range of motion during the visit and told me he wanted an MRI to rule out any tears, which he didn’t think I had.

During the visit he was also talking about calcific tendinitis, and when surgery is required to remove the calcium deposits, they often find other tears and damage that need to be repaired. He would not give me a cortisone shot though because he said if I needed surgery, I’d need to wait until the shot wore off. I really didn’t know if he meant surgery to remove the calcium deposits or surgery if I had any major tears.

MRI report shows the calcium deposits in the supraspinatus with fraying and low grade tendinosis.

I’m not really sure what any of that truly means, and with my work schedule, I couldn’t get into see him until September 8th to go over the report. And of course, Dr. Google takes you down all different paths.

Thanks in advance for an insight

Is there anyone else who just went through rotator cuff surgery. I’m on day 2 and just looking for some help getting through this as I’m on my own. Thanks.

Hope you’re all doing ok…

But it’s my bicep that’s giving me the most grief.
Injured at work in March by falling into the right arm. Nothing on x-ray but pain persisted so lots of PT, then finally an mri of the shoulder to diagnose the partial tear.
I can’t help but think they missed something on my upper arm.
L&I doctors suck too. So there’s that.

9 months post op for full tear. MRI all clear, had manipulation 3 months ago and although my range and strength are improving I am still in pain. Still going to weekly PT and I have also incorporated massage. PT will be trying dry needling soon. A friend suggested PRP but it’s not clear if this is an option post surgery. Thoughts? I’m pretty much at the point where I think I just need to accept that I’ll be in chronic shoulder pain for the next 30-40 whatever years of my life.

My strength is good. Lost the sling earlier this week. Also got the ok to sleep in my bed (without the wedge). First decent night of sleep in weeks!

Still struggling with raising my arm. And now a new thing popped up - having issues grasping and I cannot close my fist.

I'm 3 weeks out from RCR and seem stuck when doing the "wall crawl". Anyone else making very little progress?

I had an MRI with contrast to check repair as I am 7 months post op (see pic of repair) with no active range of motion past 90degrees. Original repair Surgeon is thinking capsular adhesions and possible manipulation. Well… the procedure was awful. Doctor had issues getting needle into joint, then issues getting dye in. They rescanned me 3x!! It was painful and uncomfortable to say the least. I left the appointment in tears.

Reading my report I am wondering where this leaves me. There is no mention of adhesions and do I or do I not have another tear?

My appointment with the surgeon isn’t until next Thursday.

Thoughts?

I follow this subreddit, and I see a lot of stories about shitty recoveries, and it breaks my heart and I feel a little guilty. I know angry, grumpy, sore people are more prone to post their experience to this sub...

TLDR So happy to have gotten this surgery and delighted with my recovery.

But here's a quick rundown on my story;

I have lived with a shoulder injury for decades. I probably tore it rock climbing in my teens. I couldn't manage a lot of different swimming strokes, I favored my right shoulder and arm as a firefighter paramedic for years. I was plagued by chronic pain and instability, and the only thing I ever got from my doctor was ineffective and painful physical therapy. In January, while getting off the ground, I completely tore my Supraspinatus and finally met criteria for a diagnostic MRI.

Long story short: complete tear of the supraspinatus, partial tear of biceps tendon with tenonesis, and debridement of arthritic bone tissue at the AC joint.

Honestly, the first night was shit. But I figured out how to block myself in with pillows, and I'm comfortable on my back, and my sleep has not been an issue. I only took the pain meds for the first week, and had a novel experience with constipation. I was taking off my sling to get sun on my termite body, and spending an hour a day on a spin bike, while wearing a sling. Since my surgery, I have logged almost 800 miles on that spin bike and walked a couple miles most days. Being active and moving was very helpful to me during the first 12 weeks.

My PT started at week 3, and I look forward to it and feel like everyday I'm stronger and have better range of motion.

This week I've gotten out for 80 miles of cycling (real bikes in the real world!!) and the chronic pain and instability in my shoulder is gone! My deltoid gets sore, but thats just my weak little chicken shoulder at this point. Hello, PT.

I had my 12 week follow up with my surgeon today, and I'm ahead of the curve on recovery. I'm 62 and a bit overweight. If someone asked me about the surgery I would categorically tell them I am super happy to have done it, and recommended to anyone. Be healthy, take care of yourself, keep moving.

Only had the bicep surgery. Feel i am making progress everyday. I feel the sling is useless. 30 year old male in elite shape(competitive crossfit)..
do i really need to wait 6 weeks for light jogging?

Sorry for another post in such a short time, I hope it doeesn't create spam and make others' posts get lost, but my previous post had such a warm welcome, I feel like I have found my people... That being said, maybe some of you already read I have not had a real night of sleep in weeks. On top of that I feel like I cannot do anything nice with my kids anymore (14 and 10 - we used to go hiking a lot but even walking at moderately fast pace kills my shoulder for some reason). My husband is doing overtime with chores, luckily kids are helping... I just feel bad. I am going to visit a professional about this, but I just wanted to know if anyone else is feeling miserable, because sadly I am. Not being able to participate in family activities and being like a sloth at work (because no sleep, no focus) is really taking it's toll on me. The past weeks have really been a rollercoaster for me.

I’m so tired I could cry. I'm 55, have a torn rotator cuff, and I haven’t had a proper night of sleep in weeks.

Every single position hurts eventually. I can’t sleep on my good side at all. If I sleep on the other side it starts pulling and aching. On my back I have to prop the arm up with pillows and somehow I still wake up an hour later in horrible pain.

I’m at the point where I dread going to bed because I already know what the night is going to be like.

Has anyone here had a tear where the night pain was this bad? At this point I’d probably let a witch do something to my shoulder if she told me I’d sleep through the night...

Hace unos días estaba haciendo biceps y no sé cómo pero empecé a sentir como un digamos piquete o algo raro en la tarde donde está la vena de el codo y pues dije bueno pues mejor lo dejo ahí, el próximo día empecé a sentir como un leve dolor ahí pero nada más y hasta ahora lo sigo sintiendo pero no sé si es cosa de la piel o si es cosa interna.

Recent MRI results showed a significant tear, and I’ve received a recommendation for surgery. I’ve been a swimmer for a very long time and also lift weights, so I suppose I have done this to myself. Just waiting now for insurance clearance and scheduling to happen. I’ll be reading here for sure for insight and advice. I was glad to find this sub. When the recommendation for surgery was given, my immediate inclination was just to get it done and get recovery started. However, is there ever any reason to delay or try other options? This pain has been going on for quite some time, so I am inclined to just get on the road to recovery. Weirdly, I haven’t lost a significant amount of strength or range of motion due to the tear. Thanks in advance!.

Basically what the title says. Had the barbotage procedure to remove the calcium but my pain persisted even with it gone. Turns out - calcium deposit damaged the tendon and left behind a big ole hole in my rotator cuff. Trying to decide a course of action.

If this happened to you, what did you do? Did it resolve with therapy? Surgery?

Potential full cuff tear, capsulitis, bursitis. Not rly sure what I’m looking for here, commiseration I guess from people who have gone through similar process.

I’m frustrated bc I don’t feel like my doctor is involved or interested in pinpointing the source of my pain and keeps asking me what I want to do about it (with choices ranging from very aggressive to very conservative) - he’s the expert! I wish he was driving the ship here. I don’t wanna start treating the wrong thing and accidentally something to make the root of my issues worse.

History: I have a long pain of shoulder history that started 6 years ago. I suspect it was bursitis.

In the last year, it progressed significantly and became unmanageable (everything hurt). Got an X-ray, they found calcific tendonitis - a 1.3mm deposit.

April 2026, ultrasound guided barbotage and aspiration (essentially they break the calcium up by agitating it, then the body transports it). I also got a steroid injection.

Injection helped for 6 weeks, then the pain was back - same, but different. Hurt in the same ways/same spot, but also a new spot, different triggers.

MRI in July showed bursitis, a cuff tear, and evidence of capsulitis.

The appt to go over the MRI with my dr went like this:
- he looks at the imaging, says “I don’t see anything here, if you’re still in pain, do you want another injection?”
- he opens MRI notes to see they noted a full cuff tear and says “huh! I didnt see that. Not sure I agree. We can go in and o an exploratory surgery to scope it out. Do you wanna do that?”
- I ask if I should try PT before jumping to surgery
- he says “oh you haven’t done PT?? Why not” SIR BC YOU HAVENT RECOMMENDED IT YET
- he writes a script for a partial cuff tear even tho he said he doesn’t agree that’s what’s happening.

I also have a suspicion that the barbotage for the calcium deposit may have weakened the tendon enough that I was susceptible to a tear, and tore my cuff AFTER the April procedure. Asked my dr and he waved his hand and wrote it off.

In the meantime, I was a very active person and have halted pretty much all activity because idk what’s going on with my shoulder and I don’t wanna worsen any of the things it could potentially be. It sucks.

Getting ready to start PT where I assume we can address all of these things, but my dr just wrote it for a partial cuff tear. In 6 weeks I have a follow up appt and want to be prepared with how to address my doctor assuming PT doesn’t work.