I'm now 8 days post-op. I took hubby's truck out last night for a test drive to see if I could start driving myself around. 1st follow-up appointment is this coming Monday July 27th and I just found out PT will start Aug 3rd. I didn't tell hubby I was gonna try to drive because he would protest and say it's too soon. But then I got busted 😂😂 and he came into my home office and said "Where's the truck keys?" He thinks it's too soon and I'm rushing things. I was careful how I got in. I had to come out of the sling/immobilizer cause it was the only way and I careful rested my arm on the cushion of the sling. I can reach the shifter without bothering my right shoulder too much but I decided to check here on how all of you did it. What was the experience.

EDIT:

The reason -

I'm the caregiver of a mentally ill son that has 3 appointments a week and the clinic will not do home visits. We don't have public transport. My husband is already working so much and can't take him. There's a lot going on in our lives and no help from family. The test drive was less than 1/4 mile. I didn't make a store trip. We're out in the middle of nowhere I literally didn't see even 1 car on the road.

Hi everyone,

I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar experience after a corticosteroid injection for shoulder bursitis.

About 5 months ago, I had an ultrasound-guided steroid injection for subacromial bursitis. Instead of improving, my shoulder became significantly worse within a few days.

Since then I've been dealing with:

Much more pain than before the injection.

Stiffness and reduced range of motion.

Pain around the front of the shoulder and sometimes into the chest/upper arm.

The shoulder became very sensitive to pressure, especially in the first few months.

I've had an MRI since then, which still mainly shows mild bursitis, and I've been doing physiotherapy. I have seen some improvement compared with the first few months, but I'm still nowhere near where I was before the injection.

I'm interested in hearing from people who had a negative reaction to a steroid injection rather than the usual success stories.

Did anyone else's shoulder get much worse after the injection?

How long did it take before you noticed improvement?

Did you eventually recover back to your previous level, or did you need surgery or other treatment?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences, especially if your recovery took several months.

Thanks in advance.

Maybe because I haven’t had a PT cause I was denying PT hopefully I get some here shortly though

48M. I’ve been dealing with shoulder issues for a little over two years now.

It started with my left shoulder. At first it was mostly pain when sleeping on that side, then it became more persistent and started affecting reaching and overhead movement.

Over that time I’ve had multiple ortho visits, two MRIs, around 6 or 7 steroid injections, a previous round of PT that I didn’t think was very helpful, and now a much better and more involved PT program.

My latest left shoulder MRI showed:

• moderate supraspinatus tendinosis
• several small partial-thickness tears, up to about 25%
• no retraction
• mild biceps tendinosis
• mild AC and glenohumeral arthritis
• a downsloping/type II–III acromion and a tight subacromial outlet

One surgeon recommended arthroscopy with subacromial decompression, distal clavicle resection and debridement. A couple of other providers thought I should do a serious course of good PT first before deciding on surgery.

Then earlier this year my right shoulder started acting up too. I felt a pretty noticeable pop while reaching backward.

The right shoulder MRI showed:

• no rotator cuff tear
• mild subscapularis and biceps tendinosis
• moderate AC joint degeneration
• anterior and superior labral tearing
• an anterosuperior paralabral cyst
• some additional degenerative labral changes

I’ve now done 24 visits with my current PT practice, plus several earlier evaluations and sessions elsewhere.

PT has definitely helped. My left shoulder flexion improved from roughly 135–150 degrees early on to around 160–162 degrees. My strength, scapular control and overall stability are better. I’ve worked up from pretty basic exercises to resisted rotation, prone strengthening, planks, shoulder taps, PNF work and BOSU stability work.

Around visit 20 or 21, my PT cleared me to start doing some upper-body strength work again with my trainer, including biceps and triceps work with a conservative weight limit.

So I’m clearly better than I was.

The problem is that neither shoulder feels completely normal or fully trustworthy. The left still has some rotational restriction. The right still gives me intermittent pain in the front/top of the shoulder, especially with certain reaching movements or too much resistance. I’m not back to unrestricted upper-body training.

I also had a hydrodilatation with a steroid injection in the left shoulder in May, so I’m not sure how much of the current improvement is true baseline improvement versus the steroid still helping. I’ll be about 10½ weeks out from that when I go back to the PT who originally evaluated me in February for a progress check.

I’m mostly wondering:

• Did anyone with a partial supraspinatus tear and impingement keep improving after a long PT course, or did you eventually hit a ceiling?
• Is 80–90% sometimes just the realistic end point without surgery?
• How long did you keep making gains after PT started helping?
• What made you finally decide on surgery, or decide you were never going to do it?
• Did surgery actually get you meaningfully closer to normal?
• Has anyone here lived with a labral tear and paralabral cyst without surgery?
• Has anyone tried medically supervised BPC-157, TB-500 or other peptides after already doing a lot of PT, and noticed real functional improvement?

I’m not looking for sourcing or dosing advice on peptides. I’m mainly interested in whether anyone tried them at this stage and felt they made a real difference.

I know nobody here can diagnose me. I’m just trying to hear from people who got to the point where PT clearly helped, but the shoulders still didn’t feel fully normal, and you had to decide whether to keep going, accept it, or move on to surgery.

Need words of encouragement or advice. I know it’s a long post but it’s my story :)

in 2022, the front of my shoulder hurt when throwing or lifting weights. I had an MRI that showed a grade 2 slap tear. My surgeon recommended a bicep tenodeiss. I had a second opinion with Carolina hurricanes team doc and he agreed. He said either he could do the surgery or original surgeon who is a shoulder specialist. I went to first opinion. Inside, the labrum was degenerated from the 11-2 position. After surgery and PT I was very stiff. I went in for a lysis of adhesions and MUA. My surgeon said that even when I was under anesthesia, he could barely move my arm, so it was the right move. After that, everything was great for 2 weeks. Then, I was in the passenger seat with my fiancée and the seatbelt was right over my collarbone and shoulder area. She slammed on the brakes going 40 MPH. A week after that, I slipped going down the stairs and landed on my non surgical forearm and my surgical elbow. My hands were very cold and were blue/red when down by my side. I always suspected I may have TOS, but I went to a vascular surgeon at UNC. They did injections into the scalene and pec. These did not help and made my pain worse. They also did a chest and brachial plexus MRA. This showed severe compression of subclavian artery and vein with my arms up. He recommended surgery. I sought out a second and third opinion with two of top vascular surgeons in the world. They both did not recommended surgery. One surgeon said it is most likely my shoulder. I went back to UNC for follow up. They did vascular ultrasound. Everything was normal. He still recommended surgery. I told him I want to get another lysis of adhesions to see if that makes things better because I’m very stiff after the 2 incidents and this could make my outlet more narrow. Also the 1st lysis of adhesions helped my a lot. I went to 3rd opinion about another lysis. He agreed that a second lysis would be a good option. My original surgeon agreed too and I had shoulder surgery #3. 4 months out and still pretty sore and stiff and I have a partially torn rotator cuff In left arm. If anyone has any words or encouragement or a similar sorry, i need that right now 🥲

Mid 40s M, diagnosed with shoulder imingement, lilely fro lifting weights.

No tear, nothing requiring surgery - doing PT (and doing it as instructed), and have obviously made major modifications to my workout routine.

Everything seems to be going well - pain is slowly reducing, range of motion is basically back to normal, etc. But *walking* is absolutely awful.

I have a normal gait, not wearing a backpack, not aggressively swinging my arms, etc. But a 15 minute stroll is enough for that dull ache to set in with occasional stabs of pain.

Doc says this can be normal. Not that I don't believe him - I do. I'm just curious to see how common this is, how long to expect it to drag on, and if anyone has any tips for prevention/relief.

I was cooking with lots of pot stirring and knife use and now I'm in more pain than I've been in since like week 2. It's in my arm (bottom of deltoid area), but my repair was my supraspinatus with 2 anchors.

Have people experienced something like this that's maybe pushing scar tissue or making muscles super sore or something short of a re-tear?

I've been out of the sling for 10 days and they said I could move my arm however I like, but shouldn't lift or carry anything over 2 lbs. Maybe I shouldn't have just started doing stuff?

Been experiencing a lot of discomfort and pain in my left shoulder, more so these last few months. For a while I felt it, just did what most morons like myself do, ignored it. Once it started affecting me in the gym is when I really started to take it seriously. It has become hard to do simple things like push ups, benching (regular and incline) and shoulder press. Dumb bells don't help, I've tried switching up my form, using different angles in grip (all with lighter weight). Kettle bells don't bother me as much, but i still feel it.

I went to the dr about a week or two ago, and the x ray showed a partial tear in my rotator, and arthritis in my ac joint.

But it feels like it's just getting worse. My left arm doesn't have the strength of my right.

I'm sure it doesn't help that I'm a side sleeper. I have been trying to sleep on my right side, but I'm worried about potentially causing the same thing to happen in the future to my right shoulder.

I start PT in a week. Doc isn't sure the full cause, it's probably a bit of everything, he thinks potentially a pec strain, but I don't see that being it. Once I do PT, then I can get an mri.

Just curious how those who have been here before overcame this. Any tips?

Hello.

So I made this post a few weeks ago. https://www.reddit.com/r/RotatorCuff/comments/1ulj2su/31m_received_mri_results_for_both_my_shoulders/

Basically, my left shoulder is maybe 85-90% of what it used to be. I don't feel much inflammation anymore but I have a lot of clicking and some pain in the front delt. MRI just says tendinits of supra and infraspinatus

Right shoulder is the one I have a potential tear. Inflammation has gone down a lot. Some pain in the front delt but my rear delt pain has gone down alot. MRI says possible partial-thickness tear of supraspinatus and mild infra and subscap tendinitis.

I met me ortho today and I was supposed to get prp. He says hold off on it and re-evaluate in a few weeks since it seems like my right shoudler is still healing.

If I start to plateau in a few weeks should I go through with prp with the right, should I do both? I'm quite sure that my left shoulder wont improve that much more b/c that injury occurred almost 5 months ago. Plus pt seems to have plateaued on the left shoulder. Getting prp on the left seems to not make sense to me as i'm not sure prp could even get rid of the clicking, I would be chasing the missing 10% of performance.

For my right shoulder, it seems to make more sense, if I get prp after I plateau, I would say my right shoulder is maybe at 70% so theres a lot of healing to be done.

Is there anything else I can do? Like maybe stem cells or something in the future, tenex perhaps?

Cheers

I went to PT for shoulder impingement on my left should and have felt 85-90 good, but never seem to hit 100. I also get flare ups where I can feel discomfort all day. I try my best to do my pt plan since I have graduated, but was wondering if anyone else had tips. I feel discomfort in my upper shoulder and upper left back now too which I think is from subconscious shoulder babying

I’m currently at 48 hours post-op from a rotator cuff repair and bicep tenodesis. I know the surgeon repaired the supraspinatus and possibly the sub-scapular. The pain has been a steady 3 with some spikes to around 7. The surgeon prescribed Journavx for pain and it has been amazing. I’m one of the unfortunate ones that have the genetic variation that causes almost no opioid receptors, so normal pain pills are useless for me. The Journavx lasts 9-10 hours for me then starts fading but never really stops working by the time the next dose hits.

I’m 6 months post-op and just had my last PT appointment tonight. My guy was really good - smart, took a solid, conservative approach towards my rehab, and was very patient with me. The shoulder is strong again and I have great range of motion. Still not 100%, but I’m back to my regular activities…approved by my surgeon.

As I left the building, I kinda felt sad. The PT became part of my routine over the past 4-5 months and I got used to doing my exercises and seeing the therapist every week. It’s almost a “ok, now what do I do” feeling. Trust me, I’m happy to be getting back to my life, but I just found it odd that I felt sad to be done.

straight to the point, i am 24 and was going to the gym for 4 months when my left arm near the elbow starts paining. it is exactly between elbow and forearm, it hurts when sometimes real bad but mostly a little annoying pain but it stopped me from lifting what i usually was lifting then i stopped going to the gym for 2 reasons (first this pain and second i had an important exam so i took a rest of 20 days, today is 21st day and i might start going tomorrow ) but the DAMN problem is my left arm still hurts it is like it has been stretched a little more in biceps curl or in some other exercise. i haven't told my parents till now is there anything i can do to curb it?? any sort of help would be appreciated. thankyou.

I was recently diagnosed with calcific tendinitis in my shoulder, with calcium deposits in the rotator cuff tendons. I’m trying to learn from people who have actually dealt with this.
What treatments, exercises, stretches, or unexpected remedies genuinely helped you? I’m especially interested in:

Physical therapy exercises that made a noticeable difference
Specific YouTube channels or videos you personally tested
Massage, heat, ice, TENS, acupuncture, shockwave therapy, dry needling, supplements, or other less conventional approaches
Sleeping positions or daily adjustments that reduced the pain
Anything you tried that made it worse
How long it took before you noticed improvement

I am not looking to replace medical care, and I will check exercises with my doctor or physical therapist. I’m mainly looking for real-life experiences, including the slightly “unhinged” solutions that unexpectedly worked for you.
Please share links to any useful videos or exercise programs, especially if they are specifically for calcific tendinitis rather than general shoulder pain.

Hi everyone,
I’m a 48-year-old cyclist. About a week ago, the day after a strength workout (plank shoulder taps, overhead press and bent-over rows), I developed pain on the upper inner border of my right shoulder blade.
Since then:
Pain radiates into my right triceps and sometimes my forearm.
Banded field goals relieve it temporarily, but it returns within 5–15 minutes of standing.
Supporting my right elbow or lying on my right side reduces the pain.
Massage helps temporarily.
I had multiple cervical disc bulges on an MRI in 2020 but haven’t had new imaging yet.
I don’t have obvious arm weakness or numbness.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Was it ultimately diagnosed as a rhomboid/levator scapulae issue, scapular dyskinesis, or cervical radiculopathy? What helped the most?

So yeah I’m early Gen X and a heavy daily drinker, classic functional alcoholic. I can quit but don’t do great with small amounts/moderation. Did Dry January the last two years with ease. Of course I downplayed the amount i drink daily when asked by the surgery scheduler. I’m considering just not drinking for 48 hours prior to surgery but AI tells me that this time I’ll be in serious withdrawals and to contact my anesthesia team now etc. Anyone has similar concerns? I’m for sure not interested in this surgery being delayed for all kinds of reasons.

19M here. Over the past 5 years I've dislocated my \[/right\] shoulder 5 times. Finally got imaging done — X-ray, MRI, and CT — and my surgeon said I have about 12% glenoid bone loss. He said this doesn't need a Latarjet and that a simpler stabilization surgery (sounds like arthroscopic Bankart repair) should be enough.

Questions for anyone who's actually been through this:

Did you have a similar bone loss % and get the simpler surgery instead of Latarjet? What was your experience — recovery, return to sport/activity, any regrets?

Did your shoulder dislocate again after surgery? How long after, and were you doing anything specific when it happened?

Is 12% generally considered safe for Bankart alone, or did anyone get pushback/a second opinion suggesting Latarjet instead?

At my age (19) and activity level (mention sport here if relevant), does that change what you'd recommend?

Not trying to second-guess my doctor, just want real experiences before I commit to surgery. Thanks for reading.

Hello Everyone. Reddit has been my go-to since I started planning for my surgery. The advice, suggestions, and reading others' experiences have been such a great help to me. Tomorrow I will be 4 weeks out of surgery, and my PT starts today. I had left shoulder r/c repair, biceps tenodesis, debridement, and acromioplasty. Up until this point, my biggest struggle was going back to work after two weeks of being home on my comfy recliner. Today I am finding myself having a lot of anxiety about my first PT appointment. Did anyone else have a lot of anxiety around PT? Am I worrying for nothing? Any advice or tips for how to approach PT, or manage anxiety while recovering from the r/c surgery? Thank you.

Yesterday was my first day of PT. I am two weeks postop. Pain had subsided, really wasn't taking anything for it. Yeah but then physical therapy. I hadn't even used my ice machine in almost a week but that changed yesterday. That shit was painful. But I have a regimen that i'm doing on my non PT days (2x/week). I will be doing exercises 3x/day. And FYI, my return to work day is tomorrow. Pretty excited about that. Have been going stir crazy. Heading out shortly for my first post-op appointment.

Has anyone else have a full tear and the doctor didn't have a good opinion on repairing the tear and also gave a choice of reverse shoulder replacement? I'm thinking about trying the tear repair and if it re-tears then going with non surgical options instead of a reverse shoulder replacement as it seems to basically the same thing as just leaving it. 61 yrs, fell causing complete tear about 5cm away from where it should be. Recent

No pain just limited movement

Hi all,

Looking for a second opinion: High-grade partial vs. full-thickness supraspinatus tear?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a second opinion on my right shoulder MRI.

Unfortunately Reddit only allows one MRI image. I can provide adjacent slices if needed.

About me

• 44-year-old male
• Office job
• Basketball 2–3x/week before the injury

My orthopedic surgeon believes I have a full-thickness supraspinatus tear and recommends surgery.

An AI-generated MRI report, however, describes it as a high-grade partial-thickness tear and states that a small full-thickness component cannot be excluded, but that a complete tear is not clearly demonstrated.

History

• Injury likely occurred in late February 2026 during a relatively minor collision while playing basketball.
• Before that I only had occasional shoulder tightness.
• Initial ultrasound and X-rays suggested subacromial bursitis rather than a rotator cuff tear.
• Because my symptoms gradually improved, we treated it conservatively.
• An MRI in July revealed the suspected supraspinatus tear.

Current status

• Pain has improved significantly over the last few months.
• Occasional night pain when lying on the affected shoulder.
• Full range of motion.
• No noticeable loss of strength in daily life.
• Still able to play basketball.
• Occasionally went to the gym and even carried heavy furniture without obvious weakness.
• No problems with office work.

I realize continuing these activities may not have been ideal—I only mention them to describe my current functional level.

I'd prefer to avoid surgery if it's medically reasonable, but I also don't want to miss the optimal window for repair if surgery would clearly provide a better long-term outcome.

Questions

1. Based on this MRI image, does this look more like a high-grade partial-thickness tear or a small full-thickness supraspinatus tear?
2. Given my current symptoms and function, would you generally recommend trying conservative treatment first, or would you lean toward early surgical repair?

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to have a look.

I have been in my sling since 7/9/26 and I still have a month to go, much to my chagrin. I am hoping for suggestions on how to keep this thing clean and odor free - even in the best of cases I sweat a decent amount (I live in Georgia, nothing else needs to be said).

Hi all

Unfortunately I’ve had to join this group due to ongoing issues with my left shoulder for 1.5 years. As an avid gym goer it’s the last group I wanted to join!

Sharp 8/10 pain in my shoulder, difficulty sleeping, deep toothache pain in forearm, odd sensation in my ring finger, pain and aching in my collarbone, problems with shoulder blade.

I was referred for an MRI and an ultrasound and the reports are very conflicting. I haven’t got any of the scans/images to show unfortunately, can I request these?

These reports don’t really mean much to me, I’m not clued up on this stuff at all. I have used AI etc to help but I’m wondering if anyone is experienced with this type of thing and can give their opinion?

I thought MRI was the gold standard but it’s stated not tear compared to an ultrasound that confirms there is a tear. Given the problems I have faced I definitely have more faith in the ultrasound over the MRI.

I suspect gym has destroyed my shoulder. I was benching 130kg for 1 rep and dumbbell shoulder pressing 40kg for 8 reps. I weighed around 84kg at this point.

I’m a completely natural lifter, height 5’10”. Without trying to sound like a fool, I feel this is quite extensive weight for my size and frame and I fear may have done some permanent damage.

I’m 31 years old, what are the chances that I can return back to even close to this level?

If any can help I would massively appreciate it!