# rotator cuff tear..



## jewels (Mar 17, 2004)

okay guys and gals...gimme your experience w/ partial tear rotator cuff injuries. I stacked hard on a drop and landed on my shoulder. I had an MRI and it shows a partial tear of the rotator cuff (supraspanatus muscle) but the tendon that connects to the humerus was still intact. I have yet to go to an ortho, which I am scheduled soon. What's everyone's experience w/ PT and rehab? I don't think I'll need surgery, it's been 2 1/2 weeks and I haven't done any biking or surfing since my injury. I am hoping it's a muscle tear that's causing most of the pain in my chest area and not allowing my arm to raise, moreso than the tendon injury. Thanks!! Hope to back in the saddle soon. julie


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## tw1st3dcd (Jun 10, 2008)

Back in March I separated my shoulder and tore my rotator cuff at the same time. The problem was the ER didn't diagnose the rotator cuff at the time of my x-rays. I did the normal PT for a separated shoulder and never really anything for the rotator cuff. It was about 2 months later when I couldn't lift my arm above horizontal that I went back to the ortho and he noticed the rotator cuff injury. He said that since it has healed the way it is I will need surgery to correct it. Otherwise I just can't lift my arm, its not painful just not possible without assistance of my other arm or someone else. So go see the ortho asap and get the PT done.


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## Last Child (Jun 28, 2006)

Been there.

I tore mine back in 2001. I went almost three months waiting for my arm to heal. It didn't hurt I just couldn't lift it. I didn't know that I had torn the cuff until I had it xrayed. It's fixed now and no problems. You will need surgery. It will not heal itself. Go get it done.

But let me say that the after surgery pain was excruciating as was pt. Good drugs help out with that though. Don't skimp on the pt. What surprised me was that I was in pt withing 48 hours of surgery. I think that helped quite a bit. There was another person who had the same operation in my pt but he had waited about two weeks before coming in. He had a much harder time and I don't think he got as much movement back either. I pretty much have full movement back now and only occasional discomfort. Swimming helps keep the shoulder strong now and helps keep pain/discomfort away.

I can not stress enough on how important physical therapy is after this surgery. Go every time and do your home exercises and work it. Work it hard.

Good Luck.


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## rugger (Jul 26, 2006)

Tore my rotator cuff playing rugby in 1991. Doc at the time said if i get the surgery he strongly would advise to hang up the rugby boots. So i kept playing. about once a year the pain would get bad enough and i'd wear a sling for 1-2 weeks and the pain would go away. i would do the rehab exercises and go back to the rugby. that worked for about 5 years and then the sling didn't work anymore and i transitioned to cortizone shots. love the cortizone shots. Shot would last a year. but as the doc said once the cuff is frayed you are not going to unfray it unless you sit on the couch - forever. 
Retired from rugby and never hurt my cuff again but by then it was so frayed that while playing catch with my son he had to stand 10 feet away and my wife said she thought i always threw like a girl - that hurt.
When i separated my shoulder - during the surgery - the doc fixed my rotator cuff. man - i couldn't believe the instant relief. Rehab lasted 6 weeks but was not pain free for about 6 months. Feels great. Can throw the ball again, sleep etc....
I highly recommend the surgery. As my doc said - it is a quality of life issue, everyone wears their rotator cuff out; it's just a matter of whether you are ready to sit on the couch for the rest of your life or you want to keep playing.


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## Last Child (Jun 28, 2006)

rugger said:


> Tore my rotator cuff playing rugby in 1991. Doc at the time said if i get the surgery he strongly would advise to hang up the rugby boots. So i kept playing. about once a year the pain would get bad enough and i'd wear a sling for 1-2 weeks and the pain would go away. i would do the rehab exercises and go back to the rugby. that worked for about 5 years and then the sling didn't work anymore and i transitioned to cortizone shots. love the cortizone shots. Shot would last a year. but as the doc said once the cuff is frayed you are not going to unfray it unless you sit on the couch - forever.
> Retired from rugby and never hurt my cuff again but by then it was so frayed that while playing catch with my son he had to stand 10 feet away and my wife said she thought i always threw like a girl - that hurt.
> When i separated my shoulder - during the surgery - the doc fixed my rotator cuff. man - i couldn't believe the instant relief. Rehab lasted 6 weeks but was not pain free for about 6 months. Feels great. Can throw the ball again, sleep etc....
> I highly recommend the surgery. As my doc said - it is a quality of life issue, everyone wears their rotator cuff out; it's just a matter of whether you are ready to sit on the couch for the rest of your life or you want to keep playing.


You should have gone in for a second opinion. Your doc telling you to hang up the boots just because you have this surgery is WAY OUT OF LINE. Your doc is full of sh!#. There is absolutely no truth to his "quality of life...sitting on the couch" bs. If you would have had the surgery done right at first you would have been so much better off. You would not have had to go through all that other pain/crap for years and years. Also you could have kept on playing just as hard as before and would not be "throwing like a girl". I think you pretty much said it. Your quality of life post surgery is better than before surgery. You could have had that "quality" all along.

In my opinion you need a new doctor.

Moral of the story here....Always get a second opinion!


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## nick119 (Jun 2, 2008)

My dad tore his rotator cuff after getting hit by a car in 2001. It's pretty much always a surgery injury. He had torn his other one about 4 years earlier working out and didn't get into PT as fast and, let me pass on a little wisdom from him: GET IN PT AS SOON AS DOC ALLOWS IT. His second tear went so much more smoothly as a result of the therapy and he has much better, if not perfect, movement in it as a result. Find a good PT place with experienced personnel and be sure to stay up with your heat-cold therapy as well. Good luck.


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## rugger (Jul 26, 2006)

wouldn't disagree with you last child. you have to remember that was 1991 and not all cuff repairs were done arthroscopically and most docs thought rugby was a violent hooligan's sport - not the the gentlemanly sport that it really is. 
You forward to 2006 and my surgeon was a sports specialist doing surgery with the latest and greatest equipment and he made the quality of life comment when i was debating the surgery. He thought was why hesitate - what's the debate? Get it fixed, fixed right, do the rehab right and i'll have you throwing like a man again in 6 months. And that was all true. That was the point i was trying to make. 6 months i was pain free vs. a lifetime of not being able to raise my arm high enough to wash my harir.


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## Last Child (Jun 28, 2006)

rugger said:


> wouldn't disagree with you last child. you have to remember that was 1991 and not all cuff repairs were done arthroscopically and most docs thought rugby was a violent hooligan's sport - not the the gentlemanly sport that it really is.
> You forward to 2006 and my surgeon was a sports specialist doing surgery with the latest and greatest equipment and he made the quality of life comment when i was debating the surgery. He thought was why hesitate - what's the debate? Get it fixed, fixed right, do the rehab right and i'll have you throwing like a man again in 6 months. And that was all true. That was the point i was trying to make. 6 months i was pain free vs. a lifetime of not being able to raise my arm high enough to wash my harir.


Oh, my bad! Sorry. I thought it was the same doc telling you the same thing, "If you get it (surgery) done then you shouldn't be out playing hard" and that is so not true.

There is life after Rotater Cuff surgery.

I am glad you had it done and that it has improved your life quality. Are you throwing like a "man" now?


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## rugger (Jul 26, 2006)

Never really could - but that wasn't the doctor's fault  
Doctor doctor - will i be able to play the piano?


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## Bull_D (Apr 9, 2008)

interested how you got an MRI but have not seen an ortho yet? my experience (which is unfortunately very extensive), is that you have to get the ortho to send you.....anyway, good info from everybody here. several other points from my experience. first, and MRI is not always totally accurate. when i had mine, the doc didn't think it showed much. i was PT'ing like a fiend trying to rehab to attend a u.s. ski team camp i was invited too. it was not getting better. i felt as if i had damage that didn't show up. we decided to go ahead and scope it to check it out......i had a bicep tendon tear, a chip off my humerus and a tear in the labrum. this was caused by a shoulder dislocation....(it amazes me how often the term "separation" and "dislocation" are used interchangeably. they ARE NOT the same injury. nor is the rotator cuff "a" thing.....it is the complex of muscles, tendons, etc. that operate your shoulder) there is a lot of misinformation out there about this injury. surgery is uncomfortable, PT is CRITICAL. you gotta bust arse when you are in there. an odd tidbit is the "loose" or "frozen" shoulder. if you are under 30 and dislocate your shoulder, you are more likely to have a shoulder that will more easily do it again. over 30 you will most likely end up with a shoulder that is stiff and lacks range of motion. reason is at a younger age your tissue (labrum) will stretch during the injury, becoming loose. over 30 it is less flexible and generally tears as the dislocation occurs, when the joint is reduced...that tear heals together makes things tighter. another cause of the frozen shoulder is the scarring that occurs from the tearing of the muscles, etc...after the injury occurs. LAST CHILD, i agree the sooner you hit rehab the easier it goes. it ain't comfy, but the longer you wait the more scarring you have to tear through.


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## jewels (Mar 17, 2004)

thank everyone for their feedback. So what I gather is....quick get on the PT and see if that does the trick. I got an mri cuz I work as a radiology tech and 'ins' as far as that goes. I am trying to get in to see the ortho, but they are so damn busy w/ surgery that they hardly have office times anymore. I will keep that range of motion going several times a day. I finally told my boss today...no more work for at least two weeks. I'm determined to rest it and stretch it until PT starts. no biking and no surfing until my arm gets better. I am hoping 1 month til i'm in the water and on the saddle again. *crossed fingers*


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## Last Child (Jun 28, 2006)

jewels said:


> thank everyone for their feedback. So what I gather is....quick get on the PT and see if that does the trick. I got an mri cuz I work as a radiology tech and 'ins' as far as that goes. I am trying to get in to see the ortho, but they are so damn busy w/ surgery that they hardly have office times anymore. I will keep that range of motion going several times a day. I finally told my boss today...no more work for at least two weeks. I'm determined to rest it and stretch it until PT starts. no biking and no surfing until my arm gets better. I am hoping 1 month til i'm in the water and on the saddle again. *crossed fingers*


I may be wrong here , so definitely get professional advice on this, but I don't think stretching and PT presurgery is going to do you any good. In fact I could see it doing more harm? But I am no doctor. I know though that with my injury there was absolutely nothing that I could have done presurgery that would have helped out. You need to get things reattached and then hit PT as soon as possible.

Good luck!


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## Bull_D (Apr 9, 2008)

passive manipulation in PT can have some positive effect in minimizing the scarring/freezing of the shoulder. but the doc is definitely a must. gettin' old ain't for wussies ;-)


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## going29AZ (May 7, 2008)

I just had Rotator cuff surgery in April (damn 26" wheels washing out!). After being thru it, I agree wholeheartedly, go to a sports Ortho and go to good PT (again, one that treats athletic people, not just old people with bad hips and elbows!). I had 2 torn tendons (completely torn, so they had t re-attach with 4 screws).

It is long and tedious but stick with it...oh, and make sure your insurance covers ALL of your PT. I found out on visit # 21, my insurance co. only covers 20 visits! At $40.00 a pop, I couldn't afford to go to the PT any longer. Although there is a ton of info online, nothing compares to a good to good therapist stretching your arm.

Don't delay, get the surgery and a good PT, the older you get the harder it gets! Makes you realize that us cyclists, although we have good cardio conditioning, you need to work out the rest of the body. I hate lifting weights so am getting into Pilates, man what a difference in a short period of time. 4 months later, I'm back to riding road and MELLOW MTB, per the doc (and my wife!), can raise the arm above my head and best of all, I can hold my 5 month daughter without pain!

Good luck


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## maggie (Apr 26, 2004)

*I had mine done*

almost two years ago now.

Best thing I ever did.

I had a partial tear, and an impingment. I am an active skier, astanga yoga practictioner and mountain biker.

I did cortisone shots, PT, weeks at a time of "resting" it before they finally consented to the surgery. I was scared about doing it, and even asked just before they put me out if I could change my mind. I was only 1/2 joking.

I had heard post surgery would be very painful, so I was pleasantly surprised. I started moving my arm the next day. Had a great PT, who showed my MT partner how to do the manipulations. I did PT EVERY DAY no matter what. I'd say it took me a full year to get back to where I was before the surgery. It's a long road to haul but it was worth it as I'm 100% now.


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## bad at the bone (Aug 5, 2008)

I had rotor surgery 18 months ago .partial tear in supraspinatis and subcromial decompresion and biceps tenodesis in my right shoulder. Very painful pt. after 4 weeks reported to doc. that I had alot of pain during pt. and it felt like my shoulder was coming apart He asurred me that my shoulder was not coming apart and that nothing in therapy would damage my shoulder. At 8 weeks he ordered strength therapy and I started lifting heavier weights apprx.40 lbs. I reported alot of pain in my shoulder . The docter decided I was lieing and released me to work with no restrictions . Due to the pain I got a 2nd. opinion and recieved about 8 more wks pt still I had pain . doc. took a regular x ray and said nothing was wrong and there was nothing he could do for me . He released me no restrictions My work place required a computerized capacity strenght test in which I failed due to pain and weakness in right shoulder they suggested seeing a doctor . My pt. suggested one and I went . He ordered an M.R.I. and finally showed a full thickness tear in my suprospinatus and my infraspinatus two differant muscles in my shoulder more impingment fluid in the glenohumeral joint and fraying of the tendons . The reason I tell you this is find a doctor that believes you and insist on a mri reg xrays show only bones


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## jewels (Mar 17, 2004)

thanks, very good info from everybody. Maggie, it looks like your injury is very similar to mine. I too am a very active gal, surfing almost everyday and biking on the weekends. I have been resting for 3 weeks and the best thing I've done are weekly massages, she's amazing. Anyways, with a partial tear, I know they will recommend PT. How did you come to the conclusion that PT wasn't enough and surgery was the call? Just curious, thanks. j


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## emtnate (Feb 9, 2008)

A doctor suggests I tore my supraspinatus muscle in the beginning of March in a ski race crash. It was the single most painful experience of my life. However, not having health insurance, I sought the informal help of my colleagues. (Don't start on the risky activities without insurance, I've heard it all. Just think of all the people I patch up, and can't get help for myself, it's a pathetic system we have) 

One benefit of working in EMS is the relationships you can build with many health professionals. I could not lift my arm for a few days, and the pain was intense. An ER doc advised some PT and stretches and if I saw no improvement then he would write me a referral for a specialist and MRI. My wife's aunt is an athletic trainer, so she helped me with therapy. I've seen major improvement over the past 5 months. I have full range of motion, but still little strength and some pain. I don't notice the pain as much during the day unless I'm reaching over my head. It seems as though I've hit a wall with my recovery. Surgery still might be my only option, but I don't want to get cut open. Several docs, including one specializing in sports orthopedic injuries, have told me that surgery is not always necessary for this type of injury and PT works wonders. 

Jewels, I'm almost to the conclusion that PT isn't enough and might go the surgery route. I wish you luck with your recovery. I've found biking has helped ease the pain, I'm just unable to pull up on the handlebars to clear logs.


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