rotator cuff surgery

[Smallpotatoes]

Has anyone here ever had it?
I've had problems with my left shoulder off and on since my junior year of high school, 23 years ago. It came back about a month ago when I was playing rugby. I can't even bench press an empty bar now without feeling pain. Sleeping seems to do more damage to it than anything. Turning over on it or sleeping on my side really hurts.
On Thursday I called my doctor for an appointment, hoping to get a referral to an orthopedic specialist and all I got was a recording saying the doctor was out of the office until Monday and I couldn't leave a message.
I've been icing it every night and trying to stay away from upper body weight training, but it doesn't seem to get better.
I'm hoping to avoid surgery because I've read that your arm has to stay in a sling for two months and you can't drive during that time. Is it really that bad?

 

[Flash]

Where exactly is the pain? Front or back of the shoulder? Surgery is a last-ditch option when it comes to the shoulder because the muscle fibres are very small. Easy to injure and tough to heal.
I shredded my rotator cuff a couple of years ago, specifically the supraspinatis, but it was 'fixed' with a few months of physio and acupuncture. It still gives me trouble but I know I just have to strengthen the surrounding muscles to get it better. And stop playing ball. But I'm not ready to retire just yet.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

Mostly in the back of the shoulder

 

[Flying Headbutt]

If you go to the gym, really work your back. It's your rotator cuff, but if you do enough work to strengthen the muscles around it you may be able to avoid surgery. At least that's what I'm hoping with mine. :-\

 

[Flash]

Go lighter weight, higher reps on your shoulders. But if it's painful, get thee to a doctor.

Physio can sure your strength exercises to do with a resistance band. I use one to warm up the entire shoulder area before I play.
One they may not show you is the ceiling push. Lie on a bench and hold two light dumbbells (I use fives or eights, depending in the day). Arms straight up and push toward the ceiling, using your back muscles. This will build up the serratus minor which provide support to the shoulder muscles.
Also do some YTIs ... again, with light weight.

 

[Chad Conant]

I can confirm the rehab sucks.

 

[In Exile]

I have torn the rotator cuff of each shoulder - the right as a 17-year old pitcher, and the left when I was about 25. Both were class 4 tears, meaning severe. Surgery was too invasive then and not much of an option. For about six months, with each injury, I couldn't lift my arm above my head, or comb my hair, brush my teeth etc. Time made it a bit better, but until I was 33 years old both bothered me terribly - no range of motion, hard to get comfortable, difficult to sleep on, etc. Then I finally got to a physical therapist who put me on some very simple, VERY light weight exercises. Long story short, I recovered to such a degree that over the next nine years I pitched 450 innings in an adult baseball league. Absolutely miraculous. Most of the exercises appear in Nolan Ryan's Pitcher's Bible. I understand that surgery is different now and less invasive, but I'd still go see a therapist to get you started. Neither shoulder bothers me at all now.

 

[Seabasket]

Small potatoes, it's very possible you won't need rotator cuff surgery. I hurt my shoulder a few years ago and I thought I'd really wrecked it, but only needed therapy. I remember speaking to my doctor, who told me it usually takes a violent, almost catastrophic event to tear your rotator cuff. Throwing 96 mph will sometimes do the trick because it's so unnatural. But it's not an injury that ordinary people just get from tossing a ball around.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

I first got the injury from wrestling in high school and playing rugby seems to have brought it back, so it seems to be more of a traumatic type of thing than overuse.
Is it worth trying to do light weight exercises for it and icing it and hoping that takes care of it or should I go to the doctor?

 

[PaseanaARG]

I tore the rotator cuff in my right arm in 03. Rehabbed it, rested it. LIfted light weights. No problems now.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Definitely go to the doctor. Just to confirm it's not a rotator cuff tear.

Most likely he'll tell you to do the light exercises and rest. And it could even put you at ease some (you could be pysching yourself out thinking the worse, when it's really not).

 

[Norman Stansfield]

It could be a labrum, a slight separation, almost anything from the symptoms you mentioned. First things first -- see a doctor.

I thought for sure I had torn my left rotator cuff lifting weights a few years ago. I told the ortho doctor of the team I cover about it, he put me through some simple tests right on the spot and informed me I had separated it and likely a small tear in the labrum.

His whole deal was how much pain can you deal with? If the injury hasn't gotten any better for some time, affects your quality of life and keeps you from doing certain things, you should consider surgery. If not, deal with it, because surgery for almost any shoulder injury is a ***** to recover from.

As it turned out, I needed about six months to let it heal and it did. Feels good now.

 

[Editude]

I faced a similar situation a few years ago. All my baseball caught up to me to where my shoulder was in agony. I went to a specialist, who said I had a tear in the rotator cuff. She said, though, that tears are pretty common; it's the severity that makes a difference. We decided against surgery and went to intensive rehab with stretching, isometrics and small weights. It took several months, but the shoulder got to about 90 percent of its youthful glow. By all means, see someone. Being a martyr is pain is no fun.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

Until I can see a doctor, is icing it at least once a day for 10-20 minutes a good idea?

 

[Big Buckin' agate_monkey]

Whatever you do, don't visit the Cubs' doctors.

/Cardinals fan trying to make myself feel better about Pujols absence by making a joke about the Cubs.

 

[Big Buckin' agate_monkey]

Until I can see a doctor, is icing it at least once a day for 10-20 minutes a good idea?

I was taught ice is rarely, if ever, bad.

 

[Chi City 81]

Whatever you do, don't visit the Cubs' doctors.

/Cardinals fan trying to make myself feel better about Pujols absence by making a joke about the Cubs.

Douchenozzle.

 

[Big Buckin' agate_monkey]

Whatever you do, don't visit the Cubs' doctors.

/Cardinals fan trying to make myself feel better about Pujols absence by making a joke about the Cubs.

Douchenozzle.

I'll take that as a compliment.

 

[Larryzme1964]

I "Y" fractured my shoulder socket and shredded the RC in the process. The first surgery failed. The Orthopedic Surgeon (31 years with over 12k RC surgeries) said I was the worst he could remember... So either he had not seen a lot or he had a short memory... but for whatever reason.. three specialists later all say it is time for a reverse replacement at age 54.... I know it is unheard of at my age but so is post traumatic arthritis from a failed surgery... I cannot raise my arm parallel to the floor without pain... no more golf, hunting, basketball, etc.... WHAT I AM REALLY TRYING TO SAY IS: PLEASE!!! START BY SEEING A FELLOWSHIP TRAINED ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON THAT SPECIALIZES IN SHOULDER/RC REPAIR. FELLOWSHIP TRAINED MEANS THEY HAVE ONE TO TWO YEARS OF EXTRA TRAINING IN THEIR CHOSEN FIELD... Any Ortho can operate... but if they botch your repair, you will end up at a fellowship trained specialist anyway.... I'm just saying from experience...

 

[Moderator1]

Thirteen years - is that a record? And DO NOT go trying to break it. I'm just pointing it out