View Full Version : Anyone have rotator cuff surgery?
I stumbled hiking out of the lakes at the top of Rollins Pass, too busy talking and not looking where I was going. Ended up with a humorous fracture and tore up ?? in my shoulder. A year and a half later I still can't lift 5lbs above shoulder level in my non-dominant arm.
I did P/T and still do it at home but it bought me nothing really.
Just curious how your surgery went, was it worth it, what I should be aware of, etc, etc. If you wanted to share some tales & advice I'd like to hear it.
Thx
Robb
They say one of the worst to get and longest recovery, but so far glad I did. I couldn't go on without getting it done. Got to where I was having trouble sleeping unless I took pain meds. Couldn't put a cup of coffee in the microwave. I had enough strength to lift things, but almost none with the shoulder doing any of the work.
I had surgery May 1.
Meridian Ortho, Dr. Fine is the best if you can swing it. He's the Chief of Ortho for Parker Adventist as well. I was already going there for my knees so knew they were good and was not disappointed.
I suffered through about a year of pain until finally seeing someone in January. In office x-ray and exam indicated cuff tear and likely bicep tendon tear. Stupid Aetna Insurance required I do PT before they would authorize an MRI. Took weeks to get into PT. Then 3 weeks in, PT guy said there's zero progress and told docs to request the MRI. Duh.
Finally get the MRI 4/5, wife (Nurse) pulls some strings to see the doc 4/7, get on his schedule May 1.
Pretty severe damage inside and out. No single event, just age and general abuse lifting heavy things and maybe a few wrong moves here and there.
Nearly a 3 hour surgery for me where cuff alone is typically 1.5 hours(?). Fine estimated 2 hours and change going in but the damage was much worse than the MRI showed (happens). Full thickness tear inside and out. Also that bicep tendon tear so that was cut off and reattached. They put 3 anchors in for everything. Surgery pics were pretty gory. Looked like a pulled pork in there.
First 3 days are pretty rough. The 24 hour block is annoying AF being numb from the neck to the fingers. The anesthesiologist should ask you how long of a block you want and can dial it in if you want shorter. I didn't want it to wear off in the middle of the night so did 24 hours. As long as you stay ahead of the pain with meds once that block starts to wear off, it's tolerable but still a pretty miserable couple of days. Hard to do much of anything for yourself, plan on living in shorts/sweats and have fun pulling them up with one hand! :-) Find some shows to binge watch and get plenty of rest.
They sent us home with an ice machine so you get to wear that pretty much 24x7.
They want you (mostly) upright for 72 hours min. 3-4 weeks sleeping in a recliner so unless you have an adjustable bed, plan for that. The sling has a thick pad to keep the arm away from the body to reduce tension on the sutures and being a side sleeper, it was impossible to sleep with it even being on the topside.
Started driving a bit as soon as I was off Oxy (7 days). But it's a challenge for sure. About the same getting back on the keyboard for a bit of work, but that's still a struggle and mostly one handed, and I have an adjustable sit/stand desk.
6 weeks in the sling 24x7 minimum and I really hated that fkn thing after about the 2nd week. Can shower after 72 hours, but you'll need help doffing and donning the sling and taping up the incisions. Get a box of 100 Tegaderms on amazon for $25.
Button down shirts only for probably 4-6 weeks. You might need help getting into a t-shirt, but I was able to do it pulling the shirt onto the bad arm first, then head, then good arm.
PT starts at 6-7 weeks and the sling comes off unless you feel you need it or go out in public (to keep someone from bumping into you). 1st visit (6/9) was mostly eval and just some range of motion and massage (bicep fix) I'm still early in at only 3 weeks PT (9 weeks post surgery) and still on a 2lb weight restriction for 10 more weeks, but making good progress even though I've been slacking on my homework. PT twice a week and I think I do enough other stuff around the house without breaking my weight or range restrictions that it helps. Next week he's starting me on resistance bands. I was cleared to make 22 PT visits and they'll do more if needed.
I expect I'll come to hate the PT guy soon enough (from what I've heard) but if I put the work in, I should have 90-100% range of motion by Christmas. Surgeon said it could be up to a full year before I'm 100% range and weight recovered. I'm hoping to do a little dove hunting still but we'll see how things go. I did not draw a muzzle loader tag and neither did my hunting partner so that's out. Elk crew is taking a pass this year so 3rd rifle is out. Guess I picked a good time to get it done.
We're luck y to have (mostly) decent health coverage even though Aetna can really suck, but since my wife works for Adventist, it was all in-network. Cost me a few shekels day of surgery to hit my max out of pocket for the year, but the total non-discounted cost was north of $80K. Now my PT, med refills, etc. are all 100% covered for the rest of the year.
Ask me any questions, I'm happy to respond.
StagLefty
07-03-2025, 04:27
Yup Brutal did a great job of describing. While mine was not quite that bad and it was 20 years ago,rehab is tough after surgery. I've noticed in the last year that the surgery shoulder aches a lot after some hard work but at 79 I kind of expected that. Good luck if you decide on surgery.
Aloha_Shooter
07-03-2025, 09:00
I put a 1 mm hole in one of my rotator cuffs a few months before leaving Korea. It took a while through DoD medicine to get it surgically repaired but when I did, it was night and day. Pre-surgery, my shoulder was basically locked up with very little flexibility. I spent 2-3 weeks with my arm in a sling to recover and then had to rehab the shoulder. Do NOT skimp on the rehab exercises. I did to my eternal regret but I am back to about 95% of my pre-accident flexibility.
The surgery itself was painless. I think I was at the hospital mid-morning, they checked my vitals and verified I hadn't eaten anything. They knocked me out, performed the surgery, and I woke up on a bed where they had me rest a bit more to make sure there were no lingering effects from the anesthesia before I got to drive home. Got home and had a simple dinner (not much you can cook with just one free hand). I had been warned about the sling so I prepped the house where I didn't have to move anything around.
Humorous aside: as luck would have it, my mother, sister, and sister's kids arrived for a visit a few days later when I was more mobile but still in a sling and on convalescent leave. That was good, someone else could cook -- but the first dinner Mom made was steak ... I looked at it on my plate and my sister started laughing when she saw me staring and realized I was thinking there was no way I could cut into the steak with one hand. Mom asked what was up and I replied, "I haven't had to have you do this in about 35 years but ..."
HBARleatherneck
07-03-2025, 09:56
I had mine done when I was about 35. I never stopped working. I didnt take any pain meds. It was no big deal. It made my life much easier afterward. I would guess the experience is age dependent.
Whew, wide range of experiences. Funny as I can't lift anything but have full range of motion and no pain, just weakness.
asystejs
07-03-2025, 12:49
My brother had it done in 2023.
His experience was pretty much what brutal described.
The damage was worse than the surgeon anticipated, the surgery took longer, the recovery time was
around 13 weeks to get out of the sling.
On the sling, make sure they get you one that has a cuff around the good side shoulder, not just the strap that will surely just cut into your neck.
I didn't fit their usual "universal" size cuffed sling cuz I'm a fatass with a 52" chest, so they got a large and it had the strap of death. I couldn't tolerate it after the first few days so ordered another with extra straps similar to the cuff but that sling had zero ventilation on the arm support part so I cobbled to two together.
They were all the DonJoy / DJO brand.
Office item that didn't fit but probably the best option:
https://i.imgur.com/bzCEg4o.jpeg
Item they ordered for me that made me want to eat a pew - though the sling was lined with a breathable soft mesh:
https://i.imgur.com/M9cQ6bn.jpeg
They didn't have the large when I ordered, the x-large arm sling was WAY too long. The straps were all too long but we made them work as they're lots of adjustability and they can be cut down. The velcro tab ends are removable. The sling lining on this one was also hot.
https://i.imgur.com/g1DvNOF.jpeg
Get some fuzzy/soft child seatbelt pads to cover the scratchy velcro tabs. My arms were all chewed up and rashed after just a few days.
Basic on/off (plug in) Ice machine:
Use half pint frozen water bottles to help keep the icewater colder longer.
https://i.imgur.com/AO0nsXH.jpeg
My brother had it done in 2023.
His experience was pretty much what brutal described.
The damage was worse than the surgeon anticipated, the surgery took longer, the recovery time was
around 13 weeks to get out of the sling.
13 weeks in a sling. Wow, that's "brutal."
I tore mine some years ago while white water kayaking. Couldn't sleep on my side or lift my arm up past my shoulder for close to a year. Didn't get surgery, just sucked it up and it healed on its own in about a year and a half or so. The things you did back in the day when you were broke and didn't have insurance.
I tore mine some years ago while white water kayaking. Couldn't sleep on my side or lift my arm up past my shoulder for close to a year. Didn't get surgery, just sucked it up and it healed on its own in about a year and a half or so. The things you did back in the day when you were broke and didn't have insurance.
I've done that on many injuries even through I've always had good insurance. Just hate going to the doc.
Healing is much easier when you're younger for sure. This thing wasn't going away and even the confident "I can PT a near full thickness tear to 90%" guy admitted defeat. Mine got progressively worse until I couldn't tolerate the near constant pain and affect on my sleep. I suppose not easing up on it didn't help...
I had an acquaintance years ago in the Denver area homebuilding industry who had "the worst" rotator cuff story possible. Harold 'the hook' was missing his left arm from above the elbow and was fitted with a basic clamp/hook prosthetic mounted with a series of straps around his right shoulder. He ended up needing cuff surgery on his right arm which left him completely helpless during recovery.
buffalobo
07-04-2025, 08:02
I had an acquaintance years ago in the Denver area homebuilding industry who had "the worst" rotator cuff story possible. Harold 'the hook' was missing his left arm from above the elbow and was fitted with a basic clamp/hook prosthetic mounted with a series of straps around his right shoulder. He ended up needing cuff surgery on his right arm which left him completely helpless during recovery.Harold "the hook", superintendent for Melody homes for many years?
If same person he was a good guy, tough ol bastard.
If you're unarmed, you are a victim
Thats him! You would never forget him if you met him. Spoke at about 7 volume all the time. He was a slave driver, his superintendents said he would use his hook to run against the walls and base boards to make sure the joints were smooth. Your right, he was a good guy.
Bailey Guns
07-04-2025, 08:35
Had both of them done. Both injuries resulted from falls. Complete tear on the left, partial but nearly complete on the right. Also had to have right bicep reattached surgically.
The first step is probably imaging just to be sure what you're dealing with. The joint may need some general cleanup as well...mine did. After that, the surgery is no big deal. It's the rehab. Like has been mentioned your shoulder will likely be immobilized for several weeks. Then it's PT and rehab. Do it religiously. Ultimately, both my shoulders are as good as new post surgery. I had issues with scar tissue in both after surgery. I hit a wall in PT and both times it was scar tissue build up. Doc said I was just prone to it. The left shoulder required a 2nd surgery to remove it. The right required a 'manipulation'. The put you under and move your shoulder to it's limits to break/tear up the scar tissue. After I woke up from the manipulation I literally walked across the clinic parking lot to the PT place and did my PT. It took 19 months after surgery to get back to work after the first injury. It 'only' took a year the second time. It's a long process but was definitely worth it to me.
I head in for a referral this Wed, after that an MRI. I'll let you all know what the verdict is.
Good luck! Pain and lack of sleep suck.
Many years ago I found out through an MRI that the acromion bones in both my shoulders had never formed correctly, which made both of my shoulders weak. Explained a lot about my youth, inability to throw or climb worth a shit, pushups, pullups, arm wrestling, etc. Fast forward, got a "full thickness tear" of my right rotator cuff working for Home Depot. Just ripped it completely. Ow. Got it fixed, and doc removed that deformed bone too. Funny, I don't recall the recovery being that bad. First visit to PT the therapist asked how high could I raise my arm, so I swung it up and pointed at the ceiling, and he just about shit. My range-of-motion was freakish for the surgery I'd had, blew his mind. So anyway, I healed up fine and pretty quick, don't ask me how or why. I did all the PT, it just wasn't that bad for me. So I guess I'm not the right guy to advise.....
I head in for a referral this Wed, after that an MRI. I'll let you all know what the verdict is.
What's the prognosis?
FWIW, I'm making great progress with range of motion and PT, though I was quite sore earlier in the week after some strength exercise. If you workout regular, less likely...
Prognosis: I had the MRI, I have a complete tear of the muscle from the bone. I waited far too long to pursue surgery (2 years) and the muscle, since it hasn't been attached on one end for that time, has atrophied to the point it's iffy if it can be reattached to the bone and be successful.
Since i have zero pain and have pretty much full range of motion the surgeon doesn't suggest surgery and just told me to continue aggressive p/t and learn to compensate. He thought the risk of a failed surgery was high and not worth it since my only issue is not being able to hold weight out in front of me, like a shotgun.
Bottom line is if anyone takes a fall and jacks up a shoulder, don't put a repair off, pursue it fairly quickly.
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