Shoulder Surgery Question

It’s been a little over 7 months and still have a lot of pain..I exercise and stretch everyday and I have 100% range of motion now,but it’s a very very slow process… I wonder sometimes if it will ever be right again.

 

My first rotator took probably over a year before it was pretty much pain free. I had a fracture and knocked a little piece off as well but I didn't take it as easy as I should have during recovery (wheeling/rolling). But when it healed up it was basically 100% and better than my other shoulder which is a little tweaked. It was just perfect. 22 years later I had a complete blowout in June and another rotator cuff surgery... this one hasn't gone so well. With my elbow bent and at my side I can't move my hand at all to the outside and anything else with that piece that isn't connected is compromised. Hopefully this next surgery can at least help some.

Anyway, my point was that you can still have great results, sometimes it just takes longer. Be patient and take good care of it.

 

Thanks for the input, I think!

 

Ohhh

 

Just now saw this thread. You should be feeling a lot better at the 6 month point and most likely back to normal in 10-12 months. Physical therapy is the key to healing. I had the same surgery as you on both shoulders, left one in 2015, right one in 2020.

 

Just checking older threads. How are you doing with the shoulder now?

 

I'm at the 9 month mark and doing pretty well. I still have a little pain when I reach overhead, but day-to-day I'm happy. I do workout and stretch 3-4 times per week.

 

I had shoulder surgery summer 2020 and it was a full year before I could scratch my back, do a push up / pull up, etc without thinking about my shoulder.

Maybe even 15 months.

Take your PT seriously afterward and keep up with it even after the official sessions are over.

I had good luck with rubber bands. Makes stretching under tension easy and is a low impact way of rehabbing.

 

It’s been a minute since the original posts, but for anyone revisiting this discussion, I found a solid resource that explains why recovery varies so much depending on tear location and repair technique. Have a look at this page: https://drtyrrellburrus.com/areas-of-focus/shoulder-conditions/.

 

Been awhile now since my surgery...still isn't right

 

Sorry to hear that. Unfortunately sometimes they don’t get it quite right on the first try, or other complications like bone spurs or a case of frozen shoulder or something comes into play.

Keep pestering your ortho team, and/or seek out another for a second opinion.

As said in my post from way back; mine took four surgeries to finally get it right.

Good luck, and hope you find some relief soon.

 

...after my 3rd major knee surgery in the 90's, it occurred to me why they are called practitioners....

 

I had my shoulder done last October 23rd. I had a complete tear of the supraspinatus tendon with complete debridement of the entire shoulder. Doctor said the soft tissue was a mess like someone ripped a fish apart with their hands. I am a little over 7 months out now and PT is the key. It does work. I have really good articulation of my shoulder now. I can finally lift my arm without much pain although it still is there. I have a prosthetic leg and during my lifetime have had numerous surgeries involving a hip rebuilding from a birth defect to the foot amputated to give me a good stump for my prosthesis and fusion of the knee for the same reason. My hip never completely formed at birth so my leg only grew to a little less than half its length. This shoulder surgery has been the most painful recovery of my life. Those of you that have had this surgery know what I am talking about. Those in recovery feel the pain, it never seems to go away. My brother had both shoulders done and said one morning you will wake up and realize its gone. He also had knee replacement and said he would do that again before another shoulder. I haven’t hit that morning yet but have high hopes as each day now feels better than the last. Hang in there it sucks but you will get there.

 

I have 2 torn rotator cuffs, severe arthritis in the joint where they want to do a resection / shave the bones to give the joint space...
Havent done any of it yet as im trying to manage.
Training & strengthening the joint helps eliminate the pain...
Its the uncontrolled movements that throws me over the edge & I cant recover from & requires a cortisone injection...
I also occasionally inject bpc157 & tb500 when I need help...

My health care provider "Kaiser" finally jumped on board & they see the benefit in PRP injections but their idiots & feel theres no benefit in injecting the shoulder....
It must not be a joint, they do knees, elbows, hips, etc, but not the shoulder....

I had my elbow injected with PRP due to a bone spur & has been extremely helpful.
The surgeon said avoid surgery at all costs as it wont be successful.....
Elbow feels like I body-slammed a hard table....

Getting PRP this coming Monday in my right knee......

 

Had arthroscopic surgery on problem shoulder, that doc said I needed a shoulder replacement. The docs I saw locally said a replacement would end my dirt bike riding and other silly/stupid outdoor recreation activities I love and enjoy.

Did a million-bazillion hours of research and decided on this process done by University of Washington:
https://orthop.washington.edu/patient-care/shoulder/shoulder-arthritis-ream-and-run.html

Just had my 10 year follow-up and that R&R surgery was the best thing that every happened to my shoulder. Zero complications and 100% functionality. Win-Win-Win.

 

Going strong at 10 years! New humeral head after the old one was sawn off and tossed in the rubbish bin:

Old arthritic joint: