Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Shoulder Arthoscopic

Anyone ever have the procedure done? I'm going in Tues, was wondering about recovery time.

I had that done in 05. Surgery was on my shooting shoulder on Aug 3rd, had a moose tag for first week of Oct. With intense physio, I was ready. Resumed shooting mid Sept, 35 Whelen. Things were a tad tender but no real issues. Had my surgeon and physio give me the go ahead. Thank goodness they both understood hunting/shooting.

Did you ice it a lot after the surgery?

I tore every ligament in my right shoulder and had surgery, the surgeon said it looked like a bomb went off in there.The recovery was probably six months,so i assume yours will be fairly short.IMO

A fair bit for the first couple days. Codiene was my friend as well. I was out of the sling and moving it within 48 hours. Mind you, moving the shoulder really consisted of slowly swinging it back and forth. I did not want to get "Frozen Shoulder" syndrome so I got going with the mobilization. No lifting, not even a cup of coffee, till the physio gave the go ahead. The doc had told me I would likely wear the sling for up to three weeks but I was a bit motivated. Pre-op, I had a fairly significant rotator cuff tear plus a torn ligament. I had also done some physio pre-op so the muscle loss was minimized I think. One thing to keep in mind is don't try to raise your arm above your head till the surgeon says you can, very bad move!

My doc says a sling for two days. I'm thinking I'll sleep in the recliner those first two days. I notice my shoulder always hurts more in the morning, so whatever I'm doing to it at night can't be helpfull after surgery. At least my rotator is fine, so maybe three four weeks isn't out of the realm.


As soon as the pain allows I'll get her moving around, I hope to have it under control in four weeks. He gave me 4-6 weeks recovery time, but I'm scared to death one of the jobs I have applied for will call a week after the surgery.
I have a friend who will cover for me, so if they do call I'll go to the interviews and will tell them I would like to give my temporary employer two weeks notice to buy some time.

My doctor did me a favor, once I made the decision to go on Friday, he is getting me on Tuesday.



Thanks for the tip, I'll keep that in mind. I go in tommorow for a pre-surgery pep talk. If you hear some mumbling on Wed, that will be me trying to type with one hand.

I broke my shoulder twice when younger. They stapled the ball back together on the second try, then opened it up again and removed the staple. Best advice I can give is (if possible) rent an adjustable hospital bed and sleep with your head and back at a 30 degree angle. Keeps the blood pressure lower in the joint.

In 2007, they removed five cervical spinal lamina and scooped a tumor out of my spinal cord. Same thing, rented a hospital bed for a month and recovered in a reclining position ordered by the doctor. The bed is easier to get out of than a chair.

Just be sure to follow the doctor's advise to the letter. I really hope your shoulder heals magnificently.

I've not had it done, but a close friend has his knee done last week. Within two days, he was up and around. He said the drugs they gave him were a good thing.

The drugs are good and necessary. There are circulating cold water wraps out there to assist and they work well. One down, one to go maybe, negotiating with sawbones at present. Forget about break dancing for a few months.

It really depends on what he has to do after he gets in there. Sometimes they find more, or less damage after they get inside than they forsee.

My son had surgery for a torn labrum twice when he was in high school. Football injuries. The 1st time they did not think it was anything special until they got inside. Nothing showed up on the MRI but it was causing enough pain that the Doc wanted a closer look.

He was in a lot of pain for 2-3 days and wore a sling for about a month. He was fine after completing the therapy sessions.

Had my left shoulder fixed three years back. Worn out rotator cuff and a bunch of gravel taken out. Took me six weeks to get back to simi normal. Start slow with just movement and add weight. You can push it some but don't get too rough with it. Don't know how old you are but old bones don't heal as fast as young bones.

BCR

I had my rotator cuff repaired about 2.5 years ago. The PE lasted six weeks and it was quite weakened after that. It takes a good bit of time to rebuild and trying to go too fast can ruin the repair and then you are back to square one.

For the first three days I took my pain meds right on time whether I felt I needed them or not, believing that once the pain sets in, it's hard to get on top of. That worked great and after that, I only took the non-narcotic stuff except at night for sleeping purposes.

They told me to sleep in a recliner for a month and then move to the bed and keep elevated. I did that and it worked great.

Do what they tell you to and it will work out fine.

Sounds like you should do fine. Do what the doc and physio tell you and by hunting season things should be good to go.

Those cold water wraps refered to are what I used. They are impressive. It consists of a modified Coleman juice jug, a hose and a joint specific pouch that wraps around the area to be iced. Water is kept cold with crushed ice and it is cold! Dude that patented that is a rich guy now I'm sure.

Where do you find the cold water wraps, any drug store, or do you have to go to a medical supply store?

Thanks for all the input.

I got mine through physio. Med supply shop or drug store could likely help or at least point you right. I can't recall the proper name of them, ask your doc when you pre-op as well, he likely knows about them.

Arthroscopy. TRANSLATION: Repair by remote ripandtear....no thank you.

Ask your Doc about that. You can get one from the hospital and they may well put you in one before you wake up.

My daughter had one for her knee surgeries and they are near-magical. Different wraps for different apps. They pump ice water out of a cooler through the wrap and back to the cooler.

I agree 100% with DigitalDan I have had 2 on the right shoulder one was a clean up and bone spur the other was a severed rotator
both hurt like hell the doc told me pain is your guide ice is your friend

Well I have three blue ices chilling down in the freezer, I'm ready to go. Went in for my pre-op today, without asking he set me up with a bottle with about 40 Codeine capsules, I guess that is a good indicator you guys aren't exaggerating.

He said I do have a partial tear in the rotator, but not all the way through, so that's good..I guess.

The doctor, the pre-op people, and even my kids were surprised that at 50 this is the first time I have ever been put under. I would have thought a major majority of people at 50 haven't been put under yet.

While going over the list of stuff to do, the pre-op lady suggested I take a shower either tonight or tomorrow..gee lady, that never crossed my mind. I guess I have that white trash quality about me..though I once did down a 6-pack of Oreos before an appointment with my dentist, who happens to be my fishing partner.

LOL....that funny<gigglin'>...

Bestest of luck!