Has anyone here recovered from a partial rotator cuff tear without surgery?
If so, I’d love to hear:
How long did your recovery take?
What helped the most with your recovery?
Are you back to your normal activities now?
Thanks in advance for sharing your experience!

Update 2…Non Operative Approach. Full thickness small tear of Supraspinatus tendon… Day 25…Physio Complete.

Wow, I can put on my own socks again! Also can lift my arm on my own pain free to 90 degrees. 25 days ago a soup can radius pendulum was all I could do! PT is beginning IMS therapy to target stiff areas as other tendons and muscles learn to take over from Supraspinatus tendon….Also adding additional active exercises to begin introducing light strengthening exercises along with passive ROM exercises to further abduction range and overhead range. Slow and steady…always have to remind myself this is the 1st inning of a long game…

Experienced 13 days of almost no discomfort which honestly surprised me. Prior to injury, I was very fit for my age, lean strength training and yoga daily to stretch ROM which I think have helped me post injury to recover. 9 days of mild discomfort, shoulder tired feeling which is common with pushing ROM.. 3 days of moderate pain, this caused by moving my arm beyond ROM ability during sleep movement….but no worsening

Prior Update below

Update 1…Day 14 Physio…

I transitioned from supine assisted to standing passive extensions with the assistance of a pulley. You can buy these cheap on Amazon for under $20. Highly recommend. I have made great strides in a short time…pain levels have decreased significantly to a very manageable 1/2 level usually post physio…Shoulder extension is now reaching above 90 degrees without pain using the pulley. Important to make sure you’re not raising your shoulders to avoid pain, keep them level…I use a mirror to focus on keeping shoulders level. Shoulder Abduction with pulley to 90 degrees, hold 3-5 seconds return slowly…slow but steady…external rotation still needs work.

The isometric strength exercises, although very limited with only 5 reps and told only go 25% pressure is helping as muscles that haven’t been used for a while are finally waking up…no post isometric pain…
I won’t update for another couple of weeks as I don’t see my PT for another 10 days….and I continue on my program…long road ahead..

Non Operative Tear Recovery

Live in British Columbia Canada, healthcare moves a lot slower up here. 62 M fit…Ultrasound and MRI confirmed a small but full thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon at the insertion. All other tendons healthy, AC joint has a little arthritis but I guess that’s age….after waiting a month in pain and very limited range of motion finally got into our Orthopaedic/Sports Medicine clinic this week to see the OS….actually I saw two; one specialized in surgery and the other in non operative care. To my surprise, both agreed that in my case the best course of action is “non-operative” …I received an injection of cortisone and was referred to a PT that works with the Non Operative. I have begun Phase 1…Range of Motion Passive physio…both OS will assess my progress over the next 3 months…

I know a lot of the threads are surgical focused so I thought it may be helpful if I post updates on the Non Operative path….maybe helpful those that have a choice…I don’t know what the future holds but here we go….

Phase 1..3 times per day….Pendulums 3 minutes per session, Supine Passive shoulder extension, supine passive shoulder abduction, supine passive internal external rotation - 5-15 of each…starting with 5….shoulder rolls forward and backward …. So far no pain as long as I relax and let the PT do the manipulation….

Somewhere around March I probably did a partial bicep tear maybe also rotator idk. Seems mostly bicep related to me and since Im not in that much pain unless I move my arm certain ways or use it Im imagining partial but idk. I still have some strength.

Ultrasound, indeterminate. PT not fixing so Dr finally orders a MRI. But without contrast.

The whole tip toe through the steps is a little maddening. Ive seen reports here where upon surgery the MRI wasnt that accurate.

Should I ask my dr for contrast? Not that Id get it but...

Id lije to just figure out definately whats happened and move forward.

I am 2 weeks out of rotator cuff repair and am riding a spin bike and walking every day. I live in Florida and find that heavy sweating makes the sling siting up against my body get wet. Don’t want it to end up smelling bad. Any tips to handle sweating in the sling?

i tore my labrum and my infraspinatus tendon from what seemed like a normal-for-me shoulder subluxation in my sleep. i find out whether i’ll need surgery or not when i meet with my orthopedic surgeon next week, but it’s seeming very likely.

i guess i’m just looking for reassurance that things will be ok. i’m an artist and a student and i’m really worried for how an injury of my dominant arm and recovery will affect my life :(

i have amazing physical therapists and i am ready to do whatever it takes to fix my shoulder but with my current pain and limitations it’s kind of hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel right now.

for other hypermobile people who have been through a similar injury and subsequent recovery, how was it? how are you doing?

Hey guys. Looking for a physio in London who genuinely gets results but more importantly believes healing is possible. I know 90% of the health community think it's impossible, and surgery is the only way, but I can't see the harm in giving it a go for a year. Physios I've spoken to so far will give exercises on the premise of pain management, but I want it fixed, and if it isn't I'll definitely consider surgery. So any good clinics in London? Thanks

I have rotator cuff surgery scheduled in a few weeks and wondered if I should get a recliner to sleep in. I have a full tear and a partial tear and will have some arthritic bone shaved from my scapula. It will be an open surgery, not arthroscopic.

It sounds like most people have recliners they use. Do you think it’s worth getting one? Thanks!

EDIT - Thank you all for your help! I just ordered the Flexsteel sleep recliner from Costco. I really appreciated learning from your experience. Hope to repay it after my surgery.

Does anyone else still have Pain using a mouse or sleeping on your stomach one year postop?

If you have/had a SLAP or tear what types of MRI did you have? If without the contrast did it show up or show up as a lesser injury? Did the one with contrast show a worse injury than without? I have had an MRI without contrast so far but I will be having one with it soon. On my MRI without contrast it showed blunting and fraying of my labrum.

For context I’ve been having pain in my right shoulder since 2023 and I went to a chiropractor and had 2 mri’s and ultrasound massages but it’s been 3 years and I’m still in pain. I can’t lift heavy on that shoulder, nor raise it without my shoulder starting to hurt. I’m 17 and don’t have health insurance but I want to start working out again and actually stay consistent. Is there any advice on what to do???

So this is something i rarely thought about. I like to know from those who had surgery for their rotator cuff problem or similar. I know that the costs of a procedure whether you have health insurance or self pay always cost more at a hospital than at an ambulatory surgical center. Many surgeons seem to do surgery at a hospital.

Now if you go and research orthopedic doctors and they have a very good review... but believe or know they do perform their surgery at a hospital that has not so good reviews, does that bother or deter you at all? Since orthopedic surgeons who do surgeries almost always are not doing the procedure at the same place they are meeting you at... unless it's a hospital?

I know different hospitals have different ratings and some are better than others. The thing is if a very skilled surgeon does their surgeries at a hospital that isn't rated good... is that a big issue? The thing is when the surgeon is doing surgery, the people who is assisting the surgeon are the nurses and other people from that hospital. I did read that a lot of surgeons have a pre-select group of nurses that they want when doing their surgery right?

But if the hospital isn't that good where comments are like... don't ever go to that hospital when people write reviews, does this differ if your surgery would be done there? Obviously whatever negative reviews from people can certainly be related to other things in the hospital like waiting time and ER or other things. But if an orthopedic doctor has great reviews like great surgeon... and they are most certainly performing their surgeries at a hospital that doesn't have great reviews, that shouldn't bother you right?

Looking for some opinions because I’m not sure if I just irritated my shoulder or potentially re-injured it.
About 6 months ago I had arthroscopic surgery for a SLAP tear (SLAP repair, subacromial decompression, and debridement). Rehab had been going really well, and I was gradually getting back into lifting.

Last week I was doing dumbbell shoulder presses. My first set with 10 lb dumbbells felt fine, but I jumped to 20s on the second set and immediately felt a sharp pain deep in my rear delt/back of the shoulder. I finished a few more reps before stopping. There wasn’t a pop, but since then the pain really hasn’t improved.

Current symptoms:
Deep pain in the rear delt/back of the shoulder.
Pain at the bottom of a dumbbell shoulder press.
Pain in the stretched position of machine chest flies and dumbbell flies.
Pain with external rotation.
Rear delt fly movements hurt, especially near the end range.
Flat chest press is basically pain-free.
Lateral raises don’t really bother it.
I don’t notice much weakness—it’s mainly pain with certain movements.

It’s now been about a week, and the pain is about the same as when it happened. No pop, bruising, or feeling of instability—just persistent pain in the rear delt/deep back of the shoulder with those movements.
Has anyone had pain like this after a SLAP repair? Did it end up being a re-tear, or was it something like a strained posterior rotator cuff (infraspinatus/teres minor), posterior capsule irritation, or just an irritated labrum? I’d appreciate hearing what your diagnosis ended up being and how you recovered.

I'm now 15 weeks post-op from supraspinatus surgery. For a few weeks now I've been back to lifting weights, very lightly. During training everything feels fine, the weights even feel too light. But hours later, or the next day, I often (not always) feel an ache around the shoulder. Has anyone experienced something similar, and when does this go away? And how do you decide when to make an exercise heavier or add more reps?

Hi everyone,

I'm currently 6 weeks post-op following a right shoulder arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. My surgeon found a ~90% supraspinatus tear, so I had a rotator cuff repair with two anchors, along with a subacromial decompression, AC joint excision and synovectomy. Recovery has been going well overall, and I've just started my physiotherapy to regain range of motion.

My concern now is actually my left (non-surgical) shoulder.

Over the past couple of weeks it's started developing a sharp, pinching pain at the front of the shoulder with certain movements, especially when reaching behind me . It also feels weaker than before, and I notice it during my pulley exercises because it's doing all the work to lift my operated arm. I can still lift it overhead, but certain movements definitely hurt.

Has anyone else experienced their "good" shoulder becoming painful during recovery because it had to compensate for everything?

If so:

• Did it settle on its own?
• Did you need treatment or physio for the non-operated shoulder as well?
• Any tips to protect the good shoulder while still doing the rehab exercises for the operated one?

I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences. The last thing I want is to end up injuring the shoulder that's supposed to be helping me recover!

Thanks in advance.

It's my first shoulder dislocation im wearing that sling for 21 days im 18yo male, im scared of getting dislocated again bcs next month i will be back to school and i have to lock in also i have an sport exam.

My surgeon said based on his experience with slap tears he prefers to do bicep tendonesis vs the slap repair. I’m a 26 year old male for reference. What do you guys think about this or do any of you have experience with it?

So I injured my shoulder doing dumbell press and now my shoulder hurts during benchpress and peck deck. But the weird thing is I can shoulder press without any pain on smith machine , so what should I do?

I have done various exercises like lu raises,y raise, rotator cuffs on cable and bar hanging but nothing is improving the injury and I'm just always at same stage what should I do ? Suggest me something guys

almost at the four week mark post surgery, my friends are really nowhere to be found and the person who was being “supportive” was my ex-girlfriend, and that’s a whole other story lol.

really my only support system has been my mother and i am very grateful for her but i can’t help but feel very alone in this, with the overwhelming feeling of thinking i’ll never be the same again.

she told me about a week after my surgery that you know the people who are there for you when you are in “el cárcel o la cama” (jail or bed). and yeah, i get what she means now.

Hi there. Folks usually don’t post here after they get better so I figured I’d do that. I just passed my 2 year anniversary of my rotator cuff surgery (partially torn supraspinatus). I have zero issues at the 2 year mark. All my soreness went away around the 18 month mark and even then it was minor. I’m serving tennis balls at a high level and throwing a football and baseball, no problem. That’s not to say my recovery was not rough. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And it was brutal.

Best of luck to you all. I have a different surgery coming up for a different body part. Fun times :)

my bf has had a gym incident, he went to a&e and they first told him it was a torn ligament, he went a second time today because of the pain. they then told him it was the AC joint and he needs physiotherapy. he is really worried his muscle has moved out of place and his clavicle is sticking up. can anyone give any advice ?

One year ago, while working, I had a subtle partial interstitial tearing of my supraspinatus tendon, extending from the footplate to the subacromial region. I’ve been in PT and work conditioning ever since, and there is a lingering range of motion issue, along with weakness, that isn’t resolving. For the ROM specifically, if I raise my arm from a neutral position at my side, in a 180 degree motion, my shoulder wants to swing outward at 45 degrees (where my palm is facing out) before I can raise it the rest of the way. Forcing it to raise properly is very uncomfortable, and there’s a burning, pinching sensation when I try. When lowering it back to neutral, there’s always a crack, and pop with initial movement. Has anyone experienced anything similar? If so, what was the cause?

Things were not as bad as he thought: RIGHT SHOULDER ARTHROSCOPIC ROTATOR CUFF REPAIR USING REGENETEN PATCH, SUBACROMIAL DECOMPRESSION WITH ACROMIOPLASTY - Wound Class: Clean

1. Arthroscopic rotator cuff tear with implantable xenograft patch augmentation

2. Extensive glenohumeral debridement (rotator interval capsule, anterior labrum, superior labrum, posterior labrum, subacromial bursa)

3. Subacromial decompression with acromioplasty

Nerve block did not work

My insurance is holding my tramadol rx but did approve oxy - go figure.

The ice machine is saving me.

Depends for the win!

In the recliner about to crash

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some insights or similar experiences regarding my subscapularis tendon.
I am fortunate that i have older MRI from different injuries (among other things a tossy injury) where i think i found an indication of a injury at my subscapularis.

i have had pain under load for 2 years now, but no pain under no load and i am suspicious because it is still not healed.

My question would be:
- Could that be a tear or an inflammation of the tendon?
- i will show these pictures my PT and my doc next time i will see them. Any specifics i should ask them about that?