Ok fellows, I'm sure someone has had problems with their rotator cuff and I need to know what to expect.

Been having shoulder problems for a while and finally it got to hurting enough to go to the dr. Went last week to a family dr, he took an x-ray and said I need to see an orthopedist. Went today and the ortho told me I had strained or torn the rotator cuff. Set up MRI a few weeks out to find out which I've got.

What can I expect if it just strained? What can I expect if its torn?

Both my wife and my sister had similar problems which were fixed with injections of platelette rich plasma (PRP). Hurts like the dickens, but recovery is quick. Wife's treatment cost $500. Worth checking out.

Mine is torn and after 8 weeks tomorrow I find out if I need surgery. With a strain you are looking at physical therapy. How much depends on how bad the strain. Depending on how bad it’s torn it could still be just PT but if it’s bad surgery to clean it up. They may give you a Cortizone shot to help with inflammation and pain

Fell and tore mime up a few weeks ago. They said of the 4 muscles involved, I tore three. Been doing physical therapy, and it has helped a lot. Originally, the doc wanted to do surgery, but mow he agrees with me that the chance of getting back to where I was is mot very good, even with surgery - so i guess I'll try to just live with doing PT and see how much better it cam get? At the age of 70, I don't look forward to surgery - especially if it might mot do me a lot of good.

Mike Holmes

Seven years ago at 63, I was hurting, couldn't hardly lift my arm. I went to the doctor, xrays , then MRI, was told I need surgery! Not being one who likes surgeries, I ask if there was anything else I could do. The first suggestion was cortisone shot, second was intense physical therapy! I went with the therapy! Twice a week for 9 week's.
By the time the therapy was done I was able to paddle my kayak! I painted the house that summer also. I still have some light pain if I try to pull heavy weight from behind. Like dragging a deer and such! I've learned to adjust how I get things done. So far so good!
Just my experience, yours may be different!

I have had surgery on both shoulders for partial thickness tear and one full thickness.. If you are lucky, just inflammation not torn, in that case cortisone injection should clear it up in about 2 weeks, partial thickness tear they might suggest PT and PRP injections, severity of the tear will suggest surgery. Surgery is in and out in 1 day, actually the easy part. Recovery is weeks, sometimes months with PT one or two times a week. Slow process, seems like life is passing you by. I have had 4 surgery on my shoulders total, no more unless they become flippers

This treatment is minimally-invasive, not expensive, not painful and very effective.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/hea...eous-needle-tenotomy-for-tendon-injuries

https://www.cedars-sinai.org/programs/imaging-center/exams/musculoskeletal-radiology/tenotomy.html#:~:text=Tenotomy.%20Percutaneous%20needle%20tenotomy%20is%20the%20use%20of,a%20quick%20and%20simple%20procedure%20performed%20on%20an

Just as a note - you can have a small tear and not even know it. It's not that uncommon and doesn't seem to be a big deal. I had bursitis and they also happened to find a tear during the ultrasound - wasn't related and didn't need treatment. I had the cortisone injection for the bursitis.

Take the shots and do the therapy. Fixed mine some ten years with out a problem since.

ymmv

i had a fully torn one repaired a few years ago. first few days were nail biters and then just dull agony for a few months while going through rigorous PT. i hit a plateau where it seemed like my arm was worse than before for a few months. but gradually it got better. i think its either 3 or 4 years this fall since i had it done and my shoulder is pretty much 100%. been that way for about a year.

I had the surgery last Monday. I had de-attached muscle and damaged muscles. The surgery was better than the one in the 90’s, but it was not fun. Tried the cortisone shot prior, which lasted 24 hours. Prior to my falling on the shoulder, which did the major damage, I was getting by, but with pain. Would have had to have the surgery sooner or later, but sooner turned out to be the case.

After a week, the big pain has eased.

In a sling for 5 more weeks, then PT. I am miserable and bored and I want the use of my arm again.

This has not been fun, but much better than the same surgery back in the 90’s.

If I had to have this done again, I would do it but very reluctantly. If ya gotta, ya gotta…so I did…

I had the SLAP repair with bicep tenodesis because I tore my labrum and bicep in a fall down the stairs. I was in a recliner sleeping for 3 weeks, PT for 12, and couldn't exert the shoulder/bicep for almost 5 months. Ortho doc said my dx was 85% or better 6 months out. I'm at 63% as measured by gripping a strength measuring device and also range of motion measurements. Looking back, I maybe should've tried another option; perhaps pharmaceutical. I still have occasional pain and my movement is not the same as it was before the fall. I'm now 3 years post op.

Whatever you decide, good luck!

No advice for ya bud but I hope ya heal up fast and strong.

Everything in my right shoulder was torn apart.They had to do a reverse shoulder implant. Doc said other muscles will be retrained to take over. It has been almost three years now, muscles are still in training I guess.I do 12 different exercises every other day. Good luck

I've had two, that were torn, repaired. Good result. First you have to find the diagnosis-- that's what the mri should reveal -- then the treatment can be determined.

Been here. 15 years ago tore mine, almost rolled the bicep down the arm. Refused to accept I had done anything and didn't see a Dr for 6 months. Was so bad flipping a dead bolt would leave me breathless. Had the surgery and did the PT for several months, the first several weeks sucked. Took 15 months to get back to 100% now its better than my non-op shoulder.

As others have said get the MRI and diagnosis. Don't hesitate to get a second opinion to confirm diagnosis. Do the PT! It sucks and may not seem like it's working but you will get there. Don't overdo it while healing if you have surgery, coworker blew out his internal sutures/anchors and is going to regret it for the rest of his life (or until he has a full shoulder replacement). Whatever the future holds for you I wish you a full recovery.

Lots of good info hear, and my $0.02 is like some others. The MRI should give your provider a pretty good idea what's up in there.

My first, in 2007. mid fifties age, active employment lifting stuff about half the day, I wanted to avoid surgery and without an MRI tried PT for almost 6 months. Got almost full range of motion back but couldn't life a gallon jug of milk up onto a counter. PT lady sends report to doc and tells me I won't get better. After the MRI and diagnosis, I found a good sports doc, team doc for a major University with high ranking baseball and basketball teams, and also an assistant team physician for two pro teams. Figured that guy knows how to repair shoulders, as it was listed as his specialty along with knees. Long story short, upon awakening I ask how it went. His reply was that what he normally took 45 minutes to fix took him 2.5 hours on me. Others here have explained the recovery process. It takes awhile especially if it's as bad as mine was. One thing I really didn't notice others mention, for the first few days especially...........TAKE THE MEDS so you can do what little exercise they give you to do. And it worked really well to take some sort of pain meds BEFORE each PT session once those start up, so you can do the exercises correctly without much pain. And there will be pain!

My second, in late 2013 was nearly as bad but surgery was a bit easier as that doc (a different sports medicine doc at another major university, the head of the department actually) used a scope and didn't cut me open. Recovery sucked somewhat on that one too, especially since they didn't reattach one of the biceps tendons as it had atrophied some and was pretty damaged. Said they probably would have had to use cadaver parts to repair it.

Have had to do exercises for many years afterward to keep them working right. The second one is hurting again and I just had it xrayed yesterday. Hopefully, it's "just" arthritis, like I have most other places in my body now. If not, I'm getting the MRI as soon as possible in case I need another repair. So I can get back to life quicker.

Good luck with it all. If you're near an area with major universities or pro sports places, find out who they use. Their clients need to be repaired properly, so you can be pretty sure it's not just some surgeon that graduated with B- average or some such.

Randy - try to be patient with the discomfort and, unless the MRI says that something is seriously torn, a combo of corticosteroids and then PT may improve it a lot. RC problems can range from simply bothersome to non-functional shoulder. I hope the damage is minimal and you can work it into shape.

I say the above after dealing with recurring bursitis and RC issues while working every day as an orchestra/band conductor - that can be a troublesome mix. Corticosteroid injections were very helpful (about 4 times - reached max - no more allowed by the orthos) but those meds bring their own deteriorating effects. My career work moved to other endeavors but, by then, making the throw from shortstop, playing good tennis, etc. were out of the question - so I simply turned to age group soccer.

The ironic aspect is that, after years of not aggravating it every day, not using it rigorously for sports, etc.. an undiagnosed bone spur wore through tissue and one side of the bicep broke loose and went down the upper arm. I will not describe the ER treatment and after effects. At this age and not desiring 6 months of sling, non-use and rehab - it seemed best to not have the reverse shoulder replacement surgery but rather to try to have the alternative muscle structure take over some of the function.

I have a hunch that, if this is your initial problem with it, you are going to have some very good outcomes. Hope so. P

Tore mine a few times. Always took 9 months to get fully recovered. Never got surgery. I keep a workout log, so I could chart progress pretty well.

I have been cut on twice on the same shoulder about 16 years apart. The last time was about 5 years ago and it was much better than the first time pain wise. Same doctor both times, I think they are better now at doing the surgeries than they use to be.

i had the surgery and it was extremely painful compared to my neck and back fusions.

Mine was super painful. I could not lift my arm. It was like that for a week and I got into the ortho office. Doc gave me a steroid shot in the cuff, and it was worse for 2 days, then it was like new in a week. That was 3 years ago. Swore it needed replaced, but a shot cured it. Good luck.

Randy, hope you get past this easily and soon!

My shoulders have been painful for years. Glucosamine seems to help me some.

On my first surgery I thought they had screwed me up for good. For a few days I could not move my arm at all. It slowly started coming back but it took several months to get it where I could move it without pain.
My second one, (the doctor said is was worse than the first time) by the next morning, I could move my arm an inch or two. After about a week and a half, I could get my hand up to head height. When I went back to the doctor 2 weeks after surgery he was impressed enough that I did not have to go the physical therapy, which I was very happy to hear.

Oldman03 I just back from the doctor and he said I need surgery as the physical therapy just isn’t working. It’s all Arthroscopic. 6 weeks in a sling and 3 months of PT. I start PT a week after the surgery. I have a minor tear in my rotator cuff but my bicep tendon is worse.

Hopefully this gives you some idea of what your looking at. Get it fixed and heal fast. Deer season is right around the corner.