Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Rotor cuff surgery ?

I had my left rotator cuff repaired a few years ago but it was only to reattach a partially detached tendon and to remove scar tissue on all the other tendons. I was very lucky with the pain management after surgery. I took one Hydrocodone tablet when the nerve block wore off at 3 am that only made me drowsy and really didn't relieve the pain much. Hydrocodone just doesn't work for me. I just took it real easy for a while because the pain was excruciating when I moved my left arm. I only did the dangling exercise and I never wore a sling except when I was driving. I hope you have an good experience like I did.

The physical therapy twice a week wasn't as bad as I heard it would be either even with no pain drugs. It probably helped that all the physical therapists were gorgeous young women. Even after I completed the physical therapy I didn't regain full strength for probably 6 months.

If it is your primary arm, better practice using your off arm. Even going to the bathroom is not fun. Find the largest shirts you can find. My wife cut up a t shirt that I used the first couple of weeks.

Ice (gell packs) is your friend. I used them as much as I could over pills. Order a set of exercise bands off Amazon, and a arm pulley if you can.

I tore my rotator cuff when a ladder went sideways. The PT was pretty brutal, but it is absolutely necessary to regain function. You probably won't regain 100%, even if you think you did.

I thought I was 95 -99% back to full function about 6 months after my surgery, then I retired and got a job (at age 61) as an airline baggage handler, moving on average about 30,000 lbs a day, in up to 50# increments, often inside the aircrafts' holds, where everything is back and shoulder. It was a year before I wasn't working without some pain again.

Even now, 14 years after surgery, that shoulder bothers me a little bit if I get crazy with it. And I'm not in the shape I was, of course.

I had my right shoulder and bicep repaired. It was without question the longest rehab I have ever had. Well worth the pain, as I am 100% better. But.. what a kick in the nuts.

No way, I would use opiates for PT. HELL no! I do not even like to think of the dangers of addiction. Let alone the consequences to my guts.

Anti-inflammatories are your friend along with an analgesic. Think 800 mg Ibuprofen and 1000 mg Acetaminophen two or three times a day.

Slings. Laugh out Loud!

Seven days post op, I walked into the PT's office to set up an appointment for the coming week. The PT about shcitt because I was not wearing a sling.

I was on the way to see the Surgeon for my 7 day appt. So I asked the Surgeon. I said, I do not think this shoulder will allow me to do anything which will harm it, is that correct?

The Surgeon responded: Yes that is correct. The pain will limit your movement to that which will not harm the repair. The sling is there to prevent accidents. Such as, if you fall on your face and try to catch yourself with that right arm, we will be doing the surgery over again.

So I threw the sling away and continued to push the shoulder to the limits of tolerable pain until the PT declared me medically stable and allowed me to go back to work.

And yes, I did fall onto my face once, right into an irrigation ditch full of water. I tucked that right elbow and forearm tight into my belly and protected it for dear life.

Geeze us this is some scary schidt. Doc believes my 15YO granddaughter has torn both sides. She played softball and volleyball last year in pain, has two more softball games this season and she's done. Right now the game plan is for PT, if that fails a MRI is in her future. Sucks because volleyball starts up again in another month, poor girl lives for sports.

Thanks for the informative thread...

When my shoulder was acting up, I had an MRI done and of course the surgeon recommended surgery. I was 50 at the time so not nearly as resilient as a teenager. I went to a good therapist who put me on a program of strengthening exercises, and it really helped, and the pain went away. Put off surgery for 6 or 8 years but it caught up to me finally.

Maybe your granddaughter can try that route first, before surgery.

Did the same and had the same outcome. As others have said eff the pain meds, ice is your friend and stick with the PT! Some days it may seem you're getting nowhere fast with the PT but you're making a new home for everything they repaired and trying to strengthen the mucles/tendons. Overdo it in PT and fixing it again will have big consequences. Watch for unusual pain or numbness in your fingers and let the PT/Doc know if you have it, can be from internal swelling perhaps worse stuff. Take it slow, follow what they tell you and be patient as it'll pay off in the long run.

Yes I e been thru it. An incident tore off my right shoulder 6 years ago. Severed 3 of the four muscle groups that make up the shoulder and rotator. The bicep was severed and had to be reattached in part to my arm down lower. Looks odd.
Anyway yes PT is long but necessary. I can do plenty with my arm down, im toast using that arm any higher than my shoulder. Considered 25% disabled for good however they calculate that

Stay positive, no two heal the same. Life is like a box of reconstructed shoulders, never know what your gonna get.

Osky

Some folks here need to learn how to read, I never said that I took opiate pain meds when I was going to PT. I never finished the one prescription for opiate pain meds, not after bi-lateral hip replacement nor after either rotator cuff repair surgery.

smoke,

I had enough to get through a couple of weeks of PT and was told to take a pill 20 min before the session. Of course, mine were pretty severe tears. And open surgery not arthroscopic. On the first (L arm) the doc came and told me it was worse than expected. Usually he fixes them in 45 min or so, mine was more like 2 hr and 30 min. He was (still is??) team physician for a major university sports program and an asst physician for a couple of pro teams too.

After a couple of weeks it was "take a tylenol 20 mins before)

Second one was done by the head of sports medicine at a major med college. didn't take as long, didn't reattach the bicep tendon, said I'd be 85% or so with just the one head attached. Didn't get as many drugs either as it was arthroscopic, but still took a pill for the first week or so.

Then again, these were both 10-15 years ago and they weren't as stringent about the scripts then.

Wishing her the best. On my first I held off (my choice) MRI and surgery and tried PT for 6 months. Got back full range of motion, just couldn't lift a gallon of milk higher than my shoulder.

Yeah, it sucks, I had to go through a summer away from AK in central CA instead of fishing and hiking and stuff up there.

She'll do fine if she gets fixed and does the PT. Get a good sports surgeon, the best you can find!

jar,

since you've had the surgery, best advice I can give you is to DO THE PT! and then DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

I was mid to late 50's when I tore mine, one about 6 years after the first. Now, 10 years after the last one, I mostly do regular stuff. I was just swinging, as best I could, a 3.5 lb single jack over my head trying to pound in an 8' stake holding up some fencing to keep deer off a tree I planted.

Guess what, I still do exercises a couple of times a week to keep everything loosened up. My first surgeon told me it would be like that. And yeah, there's still some pain at times. But nothing like before surgery.

Good luck with it.....................persistence is your friend.

Interesting. My surgery was like your second one, the supraspinatus and biceps tendons were damaged and they didn't re-attach the biceps tendon, just cut it. No loss in strength that I can discern.

My surgeon was and still is the Denver Broncos team MD. Any time a player is injured, when I see him run out on the field and I say to anyone within earshot "there's my doctor!!"

He did my knee too, no recommendations for pain meds before PT for either.

Going on 14 weeks. About what others have said. The doc cut loose my bicep and did not reattach, Not being able to do normal physical stuff sucks. Seems like a long recovery.

I took my pain meds before PT for the first 3-4 sessions for TKR. I didn't get addicted. I was not in severe pain. I got my Percocet in 10 pill doses with solid refill restrictions. It would have been hard to get addicted to that dose. You will need some kind of pain relief before you start PT. It's going to hurt. If it doesn't it's not working and you will end up with frozen shoulder. You don't want to be chasing the pain once it starts up. If tylenol and advil work for you, do that before your session.

2013

I returned to work in a month but it took a year to proclaim 100% recovery

Holy Moly , I had no idea this injury is so common ! thanks for all the input. it seems that everyone is basicly saying the same thing about the PT , as in do what they tell you. And to AJ300MAG . I send my best wishes to your granddaughter. that is way to young to be having such worries ! thanks again to all , been very informative for sure ! I start my therapy on tuesday morning, CAN NOT WAIT !!! lol.

I now have 10 holes in my shoulders. Right rotator several years ago, left rotator in 2020 and left biceps tenodesis 5 weeks ago. I tore it loose where it attaches to my shoulder. The doc said 6-8 weeks before any strength training so I'm hoping to get the all clear next week. Apparently they drilled a hole in my humerus and pinned the end of the tendon in with a plug. It sounds like the biggest risk is lifting with the arm and tearing the pinned tendon loose.

No pain with the tendon but the rotators were sore for a while.

Legit three months recovery for me. Played competitive old guy hockey for 20 years after the surgery. I had them do mine tighter and lost a few degrees range of motion, no regrets.