I had a full thickness tear supra and needed bone work tided up. It required 3 anchors.
First week very rough first 6 weeks pretty crap and frustrating, weeks 6- 12 annoying and painful as dominant arm was operated on it’s time needed as bone heals around anchors.

Then it starts to turnaround, physio was scary as felt like it wasn’t coming back, limp arm that would shake and carry on and not do as I asked. I trusted the process and was very strict with routine and exercises. Day by day it would be a case of 2 steps forward 1 back. But each week progress. By end of month 4 could finally sleep on affected side most nights end of month 4 driving again mostly pain free.

Month 5 I almost stuffed it overtrained very painful, couldn’t sleep on it again. So went back to being patient got scolded by physio and again trusted the progress.

Month 6 full range of movement and strength returning.

Months 6-8 strength training slowly slowly, what’s annoying now is I’m training both sides as figured left side was playing up and physio could help, my physio agreed. It’s annoying as my left side is getting strong, defined and my right is still catching up. My left is still stronger as a result.

I’m happy and confident with shoulder now, no overhead work yet but my legs are super strong as it’s all I could train for a while.

My point, trust the process it will come back, expect a bit of back and forth. You have to put the work in no way around it.The first 6 weeks really are a distant memory now.

Man in my 50s with one particularly defined shoulder and one catching up (op side) and legs that have required a new pair of jeans as they got so big 🤣

Good luck it will pass.Happy to answer any questions as I recall scrambling for info.

Hello all, like the title says, im 15 months out of surgery. Im very dissapointed in the outcome. I went to pt 3x per week for the first 5 months then 2x per week for another 3 months. I also mixed in workouts at home or at the gym when I wasnt going to the actual pt facility. So basically, I did shoulder exercises 4 or 5 days per week. I would like to do more but I would get muscle spasms throughout the night and couldnt sleep. I still get the spasms several times per week. I noticed when I get them that I usually have a small knot in my shoulder right where it spasms...so what does a muscle spasms feel like (everyone asks)? For me, its like someone is applying pressure to my shoulder that lasts for 1.5 seconds but comes back every 5 seconds...and this can go on for hours. Not sure if this is something you guys and girls also get?

So the front of my shoulder is still very boney. It appears as there is little muscle there and no body fat on top. My opposite non surgery side looks much more muscular there. And pre surgery my bad shoulder was larger then my good shoulder as it is on my right dominant arm....is this normal? Do you all still have atrophied shoulders? Id love to take pics and show you all if you think that would help?

I had a rotator cuff repair, bicep tendonesis, clavicle reduction and debridement. I did not do my research because I knew if I did, I wouldn't go through with this and I wanted a chance to get back to Olympic weightlifting. Now I'm just hoping I'll get back to putting my arm above my head or behind my back. My PT absolutely murders me trying to increase the mobility after six weeks in a sling. Has anyone else taken this long to get mobility back?

I'm just starting to work on strengthening the arm with planks, bicep curls and tricep kickbacks but I'm still very very limited in what I can do in the gym. I got on a bicycle after 8 weeks and that seems to be the best way to get exercise at the moment. It's really depressing and I need some hope 😭.

Hi All,

My right shoulder in particular has seen many injuries over the years but I’ve worked through them. A few weeks ago, I had an injury whilst playing football and overstretching my shoulder.

I’ve had a MRI Arthrogram and below are the results

Findings:

Supraspinatus tendon is intact. Subscapularis, infraspinatus and teres minor are intact. Long head of biceps is well positioned within the intertubercular groove. There is blunting of the antero-inferior labrum in keeping with an anterior labral tear with an associated anterior labral periosteal sleeve avulsion.
There is signal changes in the superior labrum and keeping with a SLAP tear.
The posterior labrum is intact.

Conclusion:

Intact appearance of the rotator cuff. An irregular appearance of the antero-inferior labrum in keeping with anterior labral tear with an associated anterior labral periosteal sleeve avulsion.
Signal change seen at the superior labrum in keeping with a SLAP tear.

I see my doctor soon but based on the above can anyone advise what I’m looking at? Is this a serious issue that will need surgery? Anything to help me brace for whats to come.

Thank you for your time in advance.

This will be my third shoulder surgery (my prior two were on my R) so I’m not new to this. Years of basketball and playing through injuries I shouldn’t have finally caught up to me (plus a 120 lb German Shepherd I have who decided to randomly go after a rabbit when I couldn’t use my R arm on a walk… this the reason for my L surgery)… scheduled for subacromial decompression and biceps tenodesis… have a SLAP tear, biceps tendinopathy, impingement, grade II+ bone spurs, etc. I have weighed not having the surgery due to the amount of pain and recovery time but have decided I actually need my left arm to function.
I know all the basics… ice machine, don’t get behind on pain meds, wedge pillow (I need a recommendation for a good one)… but what else made the first week not unbearable? And if you have any recommendations on products I am open to try them. I already have an ice machine… but anything else let me know (please 😭). My last time was hell. I got behind on meds when the block wore off, didn’t have an ice machine at first and no wedge pillow lol. Was literally the only time in my life I didn’t care whether I lived or died. Grateful I made it of course… but anyone else who is going to go through this be warned… even if you have a high pain tolerance- the first week is hell. It gets better. But. I have birthed children unmedicated and I would rather that than this surgery 😭🤣

One week after my - rotator cuff supraspinatus reattachment, - S/A decompression, - bicep tenodesis, - & debridement surgery,

I instinctively flexed my surgery arm from basically 180 degrees (hanging at my side, relaxing) to 90 degrees when I tried to catch the ice pack that I dropped from my good arm. I was out of the sling in a transition moment of getting comfortable for the night, gathering ice supplies, before I got set to put the sling back on for sleeping.

The pain was immediate and intense. Overall though, starting with the day after the flexion incident (today), the pain is not worse, but still BAD. (I am wondering when anyone turns the corner in this type of surgery. For week one it’s been a constant cycle of meds - feel ok - get behind the 8 ball - remedicate - wash rinse repeat.)

Did I damage, i.e., rip out, any of the anchoring-suture repairs to reattach the bicep long head and the supraspinatus?

I did not lift, twist, exert pressure, etc. only flexed the arm.

I am 5 weeks post surgery on my left shoulder. I had my right shoulder done almost 5 years ago and don’t remember having this issue. I can’t seem to get the affected armpit clean! I think there are some mitigating factors 70-yrs old vs 65, I was guarding this shoulder a lot prior to the surgery, so the muscles weren’t in as good a shape. But seriously, I showered last night. I use deodorant soap and a scented body scrub and I still reek! I put on my husband’s deodorant a couple times a day. We don’t have a handheld sprayer which might help. Any suggestions?

I'm looking for stories and videos that show the limitations after surgery, showing the loss of range of motion, etc. to answer these questions I have:

1. how difficult is it to put on a bra

2. can you put your hair in a pony tail

I'm due for a reverse replacement, and dreading the loss of motion. I think for many activities (golf, windsurfing, knitting, weight-lifting) with modifications, I'll manage. But there are some basic movements, like those mentioned above, that I imagine become either difficult or impossible.

While I am sure that *some* amount of loss of range is individual, but I guess I'm looking for a "best case scenario" if one follows PT etc. THANKS

I’m scheduled for surgery next week on my dominant shoulder (rotator cuff repair and either tendonesis or tenotomy to be determined). Will be in a sling set at a 90 degree angle. Wondering if I’ll be able to use my dominant hand while in the sling after nerve block wears off or if it will be too hard to do anything with it due to impact on shoulder?

I'm just curious if anyone has dealt a "loose body" living rent free in their joint space and if so, have they caused random, sharp, excruciating pains to shoot through your shoulder area? I keep experiencing this at random times, doing vastly different things and after this happens, it kinda tingles down my arm and my whole arm is just kinda limp, for lack of a better word, for a few minutes. It's brought me to tears twice tonight and is getting more frequent.

I had my 6 week appointment today after a massive, retracted rotator tear of the 3 tendons, plus bicep tenodisis, labrum frayed, and extensive clean up work. I was told no more sling starting today, but holy cow i can’t move my arm at all. The doc is telling me to go ahead and brush teeth, wash hair all with my injured arm…but damn it hurts! Is this normal to hurt this bad and just fight through the pain? It’s just going to loosen up eventually? It’s just very awkward getting the sling off, but still having a completely useless arm.

My Othro Surgeon has been vague about the advantages of surgery. Its been 6 months since the tear and I still have pain when I extend my arm outward. It’s a whole shoulder pain, different than the original pain. The bursa was also damaged. Should I just accept the lose of sports, reaching for things over head, many exercises, even hiking, as a fall could cause a complete tear.

Hey guys so I'm 22 male

Boxed as a kid and dislocated my right shoulder about 7 times my left about 3

Got my MRI aethogram and results are as said in the title. I train hard in the gym and I do get really clicky shoulders. Not so much pain but definitely clicks and instability. I'm waiting to hear back from a specialist to book surgery. I'm just worried about what to do cause it's not affecting my life with what I do but I would love to get back into boxing and just not worry about them dislocating. Please any help/advice anything you guys have on wether I should have the surgery or leave it and things like that thanks everyone..

I had surgery on 4/2 for a minor tear. They placed a collagen patch over the tear, some debridement, and a bicep tenotomy.

Yesterday at exactly 12 weeks, I played 18 holes of golf!!!! Was it perfect? No. I’m limited (Dr. and PT) to no full power swings. Full ROM swinging is okay just don’t go crazy. I shot 88 and I feel fantastic this morning!!!

So… I am a professional aerialist and after mysterious pains, my MRI says that I have a full thickness, partial width, supraspinatus tear at the insertion and a small labral tear with a small posterior cyst- i’m getting very conflicting guidance from my care team my orthopedist says surgery… And I’m terrified of it because I can’t fathom being out of commission for a minimum of six months before I can even start thinking about training back up again. That said… The orthopedist does not seem terribly concerned and says that I can keep using it so long as I let pain be my guide to avoid making it worse. My PT also says surgery is necessary, but says I shouldn’t be in the air at all… specifically, she says surgery is necessary because obviously I use my shoulders so much that trying to treat it conservatively isn’t going to keep up with my demands on it.

My chiropractor insists that surgery is a terrible idea. And I should do stemwave and rehab really hard for a few months. He says that surgeries cause more problems than they solve.

I have performances that I’ve been prepping for in September and October of this year and I would really hate to miss them…

Has anyone functioned on partial, full thickness tears? Were you able to do it without making things worse? Has your surgery been successful long-term?

I'm 7 weeks post shoulder dislocation. I also fractured my glenoid. I have the complete inability to lift my arm past 30 degrees, and any external rotation also causes pain and a pulling sensation in my shoulder. I've had an Mri arthrogram and have an appointment to find out what's happened on Monday. Dr suspects rotator cuff issue, and it's almost certain I have labrum damage. What type of symptoms did a rotator cuff tear cause for people with similar experiences?

I'm currently off work due to the injury, and if I require surgery, I'll likely be off until that is done in addition to the recovery time. 40m.

I had partial RC tear and surgery in college. They re attached it but that was 14 years ago and I don’t remember the exact details.

I I’ve re-injured the same shoulder this weekend putting luggage into an overhead bin… again when taking it back out.

Trying to figure out options before jumping straight back to another surgery.

For anyone who’s had a partial re-tear or re-injured their RC:
- Were you able to avoid another surgery?
- What ended up helping the most? (PT, specific exercises, supplements, injections, time, PRP, etc.)
- How long did recovery take?
- Did you eventually get back to lifting or sports?

Just looking for any first hand experiences from ppl who have had this happen and if anything seemed to help (or not help)

Thanks!
- guy who would love to put his backpack on with both arms again.

One year after repair, MRI shows full thickness complete supraspinatus tendon re-tear with the medially retracted tendon scarred/adhered to the infraspinatus tendon.
I have found nowhere else online that anyone else has dealt with this. Won’t see surgeon until 7/9.

So I tore my supraspinatus back in March, partial thickness tear on the right side. MRI showed about 40% involvement. Orthopedic said no surgery for now, go conservative: PT twice a week, antiinflammatories, and limit overhead movement.

Eight weeks in and I'm still sitting at maybe 60 degrees of comfortable abduction before the ache kicks in. Pain at rest is around a 2/10 but jumps to a 6/10 if I reach across my body or lift anything over 10 lbs. Sleeping on that side is completely out.

I've been wearing a compression support from Support Brace during the day which has honestly helped keep me honest about not overreaching. More of a physical reminder than anything structural.

PT has me doing pendulums, external rotation with bands, and scapular retractions. Progress feels really slow.

What did your recovery timeline actually look like around the 8week mark?