Arthroscopic shoulder surgery

[mmac]

I had a nerve block, but I have a high pain tolerance and don't like the narcotics, so worked for me. I have had two right rotators cuffs and one left now. My last was in Dec. I started rehab right away per my dr who does a lot of baseball players. I echo PT is critical. You'll get back to normal, but in a year likely. Good luck and it sucks sleeping sitting up.

 

[Bubblehide]

Thanks guys!
Because both of my shoulders are bad, I became a back sleeper only, as I cant sleep on either side. I am hoping that changes when I heal and eventually get the other shoulder done.

 

[Travis Bertrand]

heal up! its not fun but worth it. ive had 3x surgeries on my Left shoulder

 

[grossklw]

@Bubblehide I'm a PT, just survive the first couple weeks and life will get better. Did you have a rotator cuff repair or did they just scope it out and do a cleanout with subacromial decompression? The rehab times on a cuff repair (even a small tear) compared to a scope with subacromial decompression are two very different animals.

RTC repair is a brutal months long process that many times can take up to a full year before things really feel "normal"; the scope you could be back to living relatively normal within a few weeks. Also- everyone is different, I've had patients that feel great after 12 weeks and others never really got there. It's very individualized so please take it with a grain of salt if you talk to any of your buddies and they say,"Oh I was back in no time." Everyone is different, I've had different timelines with the same patient and the same surgery between their L and their R shoulder.

 

[Clearedhot1]

Curious…..if any of you who had shoulder surgery were offered a nerve block.

I had the block. I don’t remember if they did it after I was already put under, but I do remember what it felt like waking up. It’s like having your entire side fall asleep for a few days days. Some surreal sensations. Long story short—it works for its purpose and if offered again for this surgery I would likely take it.


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[Glendon Mullins]

Curious…..if any of you who had shoulder surgery were offered a nerve block.

yes, didnt hurt like the one guy said, I think they gave me something before though best I remember, although the getting electrocuted sensation I do remember, and they also hit a different nerve before finding the right one that made my pectoral jump instead of the right muscle lol

 

[CoStick]

@Bubblehide I'm a PT, just survive the first couple weeks and life will get better. Did you have a rotator cuff repair or did they just scope it out and do a cleanout with subacromial decompression? The rehab times on a cuff repair (even a small tear) compared to a scope with subacromial decompression are two very different animals.

RTC repair is a brutal months long process that many times can take up to a full year before things really feel "normal"; the scope you could be back to living relatively normal within a few weeks. Also- everyone is different, I've had patients that feel great after 12 weeks and others never really got there. It's very individualized so please take it with a grain of salt if you talk to any of your buddies and they say,"Oh I was back in no time." Everyone is different, I've had different timelines with the same patient and the same surgery between their L and their R shoulder.

Totally agree my right rotator surgery last June was brutal, my left done 5 weeks ago is way less painful. A recliner is a lifesaver for sleep.

 

[Drenalin]

I’ve had two SLAP repairs in my right shoulder. I’d caution you not to try and get ahead of your PT. Do everything they tell you do and don’t push it till they tell you to push it. After my first repair, I shredded my labrum around the anchors pushing too much too soon, hence the second surgery. I never got back to 100% after number two.

 

[Bubblehide]

@Bubblehide I'm a PT, just survive the first couple weeks and life will get better. Did you have a rotator cuff repair or did they just scope it out and do a cleanout with subacromial decompression? The rehab times on a cuff repair (even a small tear) compared to a scope with subacromial decompression are two very different animals.

RTC repair is a brutal months long process that many times can take up to a full year before things really feel "normal"; the scope you could be back to living relatively normal within a few weeks. Also- everyone is different, I've had patients that feel great after 12 weeks and others never really got there. It's very individualized so please take it with a grain of salt if you talk to any of your buddies and they say,"Oh I was back in no time." Everyone is different, I've had different timelines with the same patient and the same surgery between their L and their R shoulder.

The cleanedbup the rotator,. My tears were elsewhere.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I had the block. I don’t remember if they did it after I was already put under, but I do remember what it felt like waking up. It’s like having your entire side fall asleep for a few days days. Some surreal sensations. Long story short—it works for its purpose and if offered again for this surgery I would likely take it.


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Agree. Having the block also let me go home the same day instead of spending the night. The "dead weight" sensation of my whole right arm was very, very strange indeed. It served its purpose, but I was glad when it wore off.

My procedure was a cleanup of shreds, spurs, and AC joint impingement. Cool pictures of before and after.

 

[CoStick]

Agree. Having the block also let me go home the same day instead of spending the night. The "dead weight" sensation of my whole right arm was very, very strange indeed. It served its purpose, but I was glad when it wore off.

My procedure was a cleanup of shreds, spurs, and AC joint impingement. Cool pictures of before and after.

The moment the block wears off from rotator cuff surgery is life altering, but I can’t imagine what it would be like without a block initially.

 

[cody covey]

Agree. Having the block also let me go home the same day instead of spending the night. The "dead weight" sensation of my whole right arm was very, very strange indeed. It served its purpose, but I was glad when it wore off.

My procedure was a cleanup of shreds, spurs, and AC joint impingement. Cool pictures of before and after.

How was recovery on that? I believe thats what they want to do to my left shoulder (Distil clavical reduction) but basically the same thing, clean up spurs and fix an inpingement. Been seeing a chiropractor and getting needled/doing PT and am pain free but its not "fixed". IE: i dont do any pressing motions with heavy weight anymore and clipping the waste belt on a heavy pack still hurts, as odd as that sounds.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

How was recovery on that? I believe thats what they want to do to my left shoulder (Distil clavical reduction) but basically the same thing, clean up spurs and fix an inpingement. Been seeing a chiropractor and getting needled/doing PT and am pain free but its not "fixed". IE: i dont do any pressing motions with heavy weight anymore and clipping the waste belt on a heavy pack still hurts, as odd as that sounds.

I will preface by saying I'm 46, and I had the surgery when I was 44. Prior to the surgery I had been a competitive weightlifter (snatch/clean and jerk). However, after the pain started it became chronic (even with PT- dry needling, cupping, etc...) and got to the point where I could no longer jerk heavy weights without acute pain. Then I began having problems sleeping on it due to general deep achiness in the joint.

I had surgery in May, and I was able to start lifting again by the end of August. In the interim I started PT roughly 3 weeks after the surgery, and it was very slow and steady until I'd say the end of July. I'm not a patient person, so the process was pretty frustrating/discouraging.

Fast forward to today, and the shoulder never got back to 100%. I can no longer lift heavy or compete. As a guy pushing 50, I've gotten comfortable with this fact. That being said, I am generally pain-free now and hunt/fish without any considerations or adjustments. There are days when I move suddenly or over use it where it gets sore (chainsawing or hand sawing for example) but its manageable with common sense and ibuprofen. I am glad I had the surgery, and would do it again, but it does suck to know that you are getting older.

 

[cody covey]

I will preface by saying I'm 46, and I had the surgery when I was 44. Prior to the surgery I had been a competitive weightlifter (snatch/clean and jerk). However, after the pain started it became chronic (even with PT- dry needling, cupping, etc...) and got to the point where I could no longer jerk heavy weights without acute pain. Then I began having problems sleeping on it due to general deep achiness in the joint.

I had surgery in May, and I was able to start lifting again by the end of August. In the interim I started PT roughly 3 weeks after the surgery, and it was very slow and steady until I'd say the end of July. I'm not a patient person, so the process was pretty frustrating/discouraging.

Fast forward to today, and the shoulder never got back to 100%. I can no longer lift heavy or compete. As a guy pushing 50, I've gotten comfortable with this fact. That being said, I am generally pain-free now and hunt/fish without any considerations or adjustments. There are days when I move suddenly or over use it where it gets sore (chainsawing or hand sawing for example) but its manageable with common sense and ibuprofen. I am glad I had the surgery, and would do it again, but it does suck to know that you are getting older.

Thanks for the info. Im 33 so i am trying to not get the surgery honestly. PT and needling/chiro has really helped strengthen my back and has made me pretty much pain free which is great. When it got to the point i could no longer sleep on it is when i started seeing someone. Not saying i wont get it done down the road but since my heavy weight lifting days are behind me im gonna ride it out for a while. My doctor told me i would be shooting my bow and lifting weights again in 8 weeks, full bore, if i had the surgery done. I dont see how thats possible but those were his words.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Thanks for the info. Im 33 so i am trying to not get the surgery honestly. PT and needling/chiro has really helped strengthen my back and has made me pretty much pain free which is great. When it got to the point i could no longer sleep on it is when i started seeing someone. Not saying i wont get it done down the road but since my heavy weight lifting days are behind me im gonna ride it out for a while. My doctor told me i would be shooting my bow and lifting weights again in 8 weeks, full bore, if i had the surgery done. I dont see how thats possible but those were his words.

Roger that man, and I think 8 weeks is pretty optimistic for 100% recovery and lifting heavy again. From a lifting perspective, the one move i would absolutely eliminate from your routine is benching. At our age, it is not essential at all, and for someone with shoulder problems it will only make them worse. My surgeon swears that most of my problems were caused by old injuries from college football and too much benching. Without appropriate programming benching builds tightness through the chest and shoulders, and as we get older this tightness can worsen. A sudden movement or overuse scenario can then cause fairly significant damage.

During PT, the move that made my shoulder feel the best was actually military press. With moderate weight and good technique, this move made a world of difference, and in my opinion, was the one thing that accelerated recovery when PT seemed to stall.

 

[cody covey]

Roger that man, and I think 8 weeks is pretty optimistic for 100% recovery and lifting heavy again. From a lifting perspective, the one move i would absolutely eliminate from your routine is benching. At our age, it is not essential at all, and for someone with shoulder problems it will only make them worse. My surgeon swears that most of my problems were caused by old injuries from college football and too much benching. Without appropriate programming benching builds tightness through the chest and shoulders, and as we get older this tightness can worsen. A sudden movement or overuse scenario can then cause fairly significant damage.

During PT, the move that made my shoulder feel the best was actually military press. With moderate weight and good technique, this move made a world of difference, and in my opinion, was the one thing that accelerated recovery when PT seemed to stall.

Yeah i agree and have the same sentiment on not needing to bench anymore. My doctor said the same thing basically, i didnt work my back out properly to offset the tightness and i benched to much and too heavy without proper form. When youre young you dont think of that stuff lol.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Yeah i agree and have the same sentiment on not needing to bench anymore. My doctor said the same thing basically, i didnt work my back out properly to offset the tightness and i benched to much and too heavy without proper form. When youre young you dont think of that stuff lol.

^^^ 100%

 

[Ront]

Thanks! I am doing very well considering. Lets hope this stuff is not in your future.

Actually, I have been dealing with it in both shoulders for over a decade and the right one finally froze up on me. I don't think running a pick several days prior helped any. Except for driving me toward getting it taken care of finally.

It’s a tough road but stay with the PT. You will be glad you did it.

 

[dr.mooseknuckles]

I had a left shoulder arthroscopy at the age of 18 (17 years ago now). Tore my labrum during Spring Training at Clemson (I suspect due to the pain and discomfort of Power Clean Push presses and Bench press). Felt my rotator cuff tear on extension of the shoulder, pushing my fat ass up out of the lake Memorial Day Weekend.

Surgeon said I had the scar tissue of a 55 year old in the joint. Confirmed labrum tear and full thickness cuff tear. I was able to add a Clemson Football helmet to his collection of CFB and NFL teams....

Best advice I can give you is to stick to the PT regimen to a T so that you'll have full use long term. YOU WILL HAVE ARTHRITIS LONG TERM! If you ever have bad flare ups in the future after PT, go back to doing band exercising and use NSAIDs as needed (as long as you don't have issues contraindicating NSAID use) . This will help strengthen the small accessory muscles involved with shoulder movement. Go ahead and start a Fish Oil/Omega 3 supplement to help with inflammation.

I'd avoid getting under a bench press too. Instead do cable exercises, plate loaded machines, or light weight dumb bell press if needed for your beach bod.

I've had various flare ups over the last few years and I generally take it easy in the gym and go back to using bands during really bad flare ups.

Good luck with the rehab!