recovery from shoulder surgery

[OutdoorsMD]

For greater fidelity of my injuries, here's some highlights from my most recent MRI. Keep in mind, many of these problems were catalyzed by a gnarly MTB crash in 2013 that separated my AC joint.

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Acromioclavicular joint: Degenerative changes. Low-lying lateral acromion. Well-corticated ossicle near the AC joint is better visualized on comparison radiograph.

Mild subacromial/subdeltoid bursitis.

6 mm, articular sided tear at the distal supraspinatus tendon (image 7, series 4) near the humeral attachment. Mild distal infraspinatus tendinopathy.

Mild fraying of the superior labrum near the biceps tendon attachment

Cystic changes noted near the lesser tuberosity.

1. Low-grade, articular sided tear of the distal supraspinatus tendon. 2. Mild subacromial/subdeltoid bursitis. 3. Acromioclavicular osteoarthritis with low-lying lateral acromion. Recommend correlation for impingement syndrome.

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Most painful/difficult movements are lifting my arm laterally beyond 70 degrees (i.e., how you hold a bow, jumping jacks, etc.) and throwing motion.

Surgical plan prior to this MRI was a biceps tenodesis and subacromial decompression.

Keep in mind not all shoulder scopes are the same and not all rotator cuff tears are the same depending and which tendon is involved etc...also proximal biceps tears are different from distal biceps tears...lots of variables. If the surgery was just a decompression for impingement you may be able to shoot in 6 weeks...small cuff tear/repair and biceps tenodesis...3 months...larger subacap/supraspinatus tear may be 6 months to a year. Lots of patient factors too. The younger/healthier/better physical condition you are in can make big difference...as well as the technical skill of the surgeon...most do a serviceable job but like everything else in life some are just better than others...

 

[OutdoorsMD]

Do you have any advice on preventing this down the road? At 21 I’ve already had UCL reconstruction (with ulnar nerve relocation) and rotator cuff sounds like it isn’t exactly a bundle of joy.


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Avoid crossfit once you hit 30...lol...I am a fitness nut myself but see more injuries in people over 30 from that than real sports! But in all honesty they are hard to avoid. Most rotator cuff tears are in people over 50 and are the wear and tear type. Certainly can be injury related but most of the time shoulder issues in people under 35 are more labrum/impingement than rotator cuff.

 

[huntineveryday]

If your surgery isn't until the end of November your shoulder will most likely be getting weaker and more stiff between now and then. You want to avoid pushing it too hard and causing inflammation, but you need a workout plan to maintain as much strength and range of motion as you can going into surgery. If you go into surgery with a couple months of stiffness built up it'll slow down the rehab. It would be best if you could get some PT lined up now with where you'll be going after the procedure to keep things consistent, so try that route first through the surgeon they'resending you too. If you can't make that happen, PM me and I can get you some things to get started with.

 

[Marble]

The stronger you are going in the better the recovery. You can get on YouTube and find exercises to increase mobility and strength.

The secret to preventing injuries like this is exercising and lifting weights. Doesn't take too much to make a difference.

Even then accidents happen. That's how I hurt mine. Two accidents, two surgeries.

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[superjo]

For greater fidelity of my injuries, here's some highlights from my most recent MRI. Keep in mind, many of these problems were catalyzed by a gnarly MTB crash in 2013 that separated my AC joint.

---

Acromioclavicular joint: Degenerative changes. Low-lying lateral acromion. Well-corticated ossicle near the AC joint is better visualized on comparison radiograph.

Mild subacromial/subdeltoid bursitis.

6 mm, articular sided tear at the distal supraspinatus tendon (image 7, series 4) near the humeral attachment. Mild distal infraspinatus tendinopathy.

Mild fraying of the superior labrum near the biceps tendon attachment

Cystic changes noted near the lesser tuberosity.

1. Low-grade, articular sided tear of the distal supraspinatus tendon. 2. Mild subacromial/subdeltoid bursitis. 3. Acromioclavicular osteoarthritis with low-lying lateral acromion. Recommend correlation for impingement syndrome.

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Most painful/difficult movements are lifting my arm laterally beyond 70 degrees (i.e., how you hold a bow, jumping jacks, etc.) and throwing motion.

Surgical plan prior to this MRI was a biceps tenodesis and subacromial decompression.

Sorry about this, good luck with the surgery. I hope you get better soon. Had similar experience years ago. Recovery should be around 5 months at most

 

[sheephunt]

It’s a doozy....my wife had it. It was like 6 months. Probably differs based on severity. Best of luck to you!

 

[targetpanic]

I had a full thickness tear in both supraspinatous and intraspinatous. I was able to shoot a 46# bow after 6-7 months. It was nearly a full year before I got full range of motion and strength. Probably could have shot a little sooner but it wasn't worth the risk. I am currently hunting at 54# and shooting indoor/3D at 52-53# with no discomfort. I would like to build that up a little higher. I typically shoot 57# for competition and 62# for hunting

 

[2rsquared]

I had a partial rotator cuff tear and some labrum junk going on that needed cleaning out.

It took a good six months of PT to get back to 80 to 90%. A year after surgery I would say I was back to 100% in both strength and range of motion.

Younger folks tend to recover faster. I am old and grey. Regardless, do your PT...PT...and then do some more PT.



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[TheGDog]

I had arthro on Rt Shoulder for a Partial Labral tear. (Anything 3-5mm is considered a partial tear) Yeah.. it takes a while to get back to operating condition. I also had a Sub Acromonial decompression performed while they were in there. Because a prior collarbone break and the change in angle from the healing caused the distal end of the clavicle to depress into the bursa all the time and made moves like military press just freakin' kill. Like somebody was harpooning ya.

After the surgery and healing, which takes a lengthy bit of PT with movements with very little resistance. I was left with a lot of looseness in my shoulder joint. No doubt because of how much of that distal end of the clavicle they had to grind off so it wouldn't depress into the bursa.

It hurts like a mofo just after. Way more than you'd think. You have to pay for this cooler thing with tubes which pump cooled water running thru the ice into a cuff-like device you wrap all around the shoulder. The device is critical to you healing rapidly in the beginning. Please remember that!

For me? For my weight. I don't feel the Rx'd me enough Percoset. I ended up needing just 1 more per each dose that first week or so. Well that ended up robbing me of having enough to properly taper on the backside of the meds! Bad Move. So I had to tough out going thru withdrawals. If you end up feeling like you need to grab for more opiate in the beginning, and you just might since they tend to be stingy with it these days, make sure you communicate with your Doc and that they bump-up and adjust and give ya another Rx so you've got the additional count needed to properly taper-off at the end of the course of meds. YOU DO NOT want to have to go thru withdrawals! It's an indescribe-ably bad feeling like you want to come out of your own skin! I knew why it was happening to me, and I knew it would be over within a day or so, so I just toughed it out. But... I have a high pain threshold, and I'm a logical thinker. But.. I could TOTALLY see why soo many people who might be of lesser fortitude could become addicts. That feeling is soo bad I could totally see why people would do anything to make it go away!

 

[Sobrbiker]

I had a SLAP repair 5yrs ago. Things I can say are:
-do exactly as told as far as limitations, nothing more. If they are reinserting biceps tendon and installing anything to tie labrum back to bone it will be many weeks of no movement or lifting outside of prescribed therapy.
-wear your sling for at least as long as told. Consider wearing it sleeping weeks longer than they say you have to (especially if you’re a side sleeper). It’s easy to tear stuff up with sleep movements.
-if you don’t have a recliner, go get one. You’ll not be sleeping in bed for a bit.
-The biggest advice I can give, and it’s no joke: if it’s on the arm you wipe with-you better learn to wipe yourself with your off hand before the surgery.

again-don’t hurry, and follow direction regarding restrictions. I know others that pushed it to get back to speed faster and wound up going through surgeries and poor outcomes that hindered them for years.

 

[TheGDog]

Definitely go get a recliner!

And yeah... like sobr is saying... wiping.. and heck.. even brushing your teeth with the "wrong" hand is weird and tricky. Also... you're not going to be able to rotate your top half as much as you're used to while cleaning back there in the beginning. Know this. So it's going to take you longer to clean. Probably wanna stock up on wet wipes too.


I always remember what my PT guy said to me, especially with me coming from training heavy with weights for years. He told "You know how they say "No Pain, No Gain"? Well in PT? We don't want that. We want NO PAIN... None AT ALL! You're just going to me mildly working some movements to create some mild fatigue... that's it. If you feel pain STOP!"

Hoping you have a significant other to help you during this time. You're gonna need it.

 

[RichP]

I feel your pain! I’m reading this 4 weeks after my surgery. I had a full tear repaired on my right shoulder and I’m right handed. Joy! Planning to not do anything with my right arm this season. I was told 6 months to a year.
I haven’t been able to shoot my bow in about 5 years due to the shoulder pain. I’ve been shooting a crossbow.
I taught myself to shoot lefty this summer and plan on hunting this season. No tree stand. I set up a blind on my property and have friends who can help if I need it. I’m that diehard (knucklehead) who can’t sit still.

 

[Mn Hunter17]

I had my labrum worked on and my bicep tendon re-routed 6 months to get out of the sling with consistent PT. I’m almost a year out now and I would not hesitate to start at 35-40 lbs and start building the muscles up.
People I have asked said 18months to feel “normal” again but I feel it will never be the same as pre injury.

good luck on your purgers and may you have a speedy recovery.

 

[DudeBro]

Update: I'm 3 weeks post-op. They relocated my biceps tendon (biceps tendonesis) to take the tension off my labral tear but did not repair the labrum, cleaned up a bone spur and other arthritic issues on the underside of the end of my collar bone (subacromial decompression), and cleaned up the edges of a mild rotator cuff tear. I'm still technically in a sling but doing stretches to improve range of motion; key is to protect the biceps at this point. Thus far, the PT doc has implied that I'm doing better than the average patient. Pain and fatigue creep in fast, but this is not as bad as the labral repair on my other shoulder. I haven't taken a single narc since I was discharged the day of surgery - just anti-inflammatories and tylenol.

 

[TheGDog]

Ugh... well... be prepared for there to possibly be more"looseness" now in that joint. For years the distal end of my clavicle depressed into the bursa due to a fracture from a gnarly MTB jump where the front tire popped on the landing. I didn't have them try to plate it. That distal end of the clavicle was darkened in coloration from the years of pressing into the bursa. Used to feel like someone was stabbing ya with a javelin when doing military press. I'm sure PT guy told ya, very important to remember "No Pain" right now when you begin working that joint back out. RE: the Labral Tear, anything up to 3mm is considered a partial labral tear. They go in artho with a rasp and grind/rough-up the torn edges to make them very frayed... speeds up the re-knitting in the area. But ooooh MAN did that damn thing kill 1st week post-op! Whoo! Opiates are your bestest friend!

 

[Backyard]

Update: I'm 3 weeks post-op. They relocated my biceps tendon (biceps tendonesis) to take the tension off my labral tear but did not repair the labrum, cleaned up a bone spur and other arthritic issues on the underside of the end of my collar bone (subacromial decompression), and cleaned up the edges of a mild rotator cuff tear. I'm still technically in a sling but doing stretches to improve range of motion; key is to protect the biceps at this point. Thus far, the PT doc has implied that I'm doing better than the average patient. Pain and fatigue creep in fast, but this is not as bad as the labral repair on my other shoulder. I haven't taken a single narc since I was discharged the day of surgery - just anti-inflammatories and tylenol.

Had similar done a few years ago. Sounds like you have the right idea staying off the narcs.
Keep up the range of motion and stretching exercises, and baby the muscles as your PT directs. You'll be back to shooting in a couple months.
Good luck!

 

[trottingsparrow]

Like others have mentioned, shoulder surgery is a humbling experience. I had labrum surgery. It took 6 months before I would consider drawing a bow. It took years to feel normal again.

 

[Eltigreblanco]

I've been putting surgery off. I have a labrum tear that I really should get fixed. Cortisone makes it feel great for a month or so then back to the pain

 

[elkliver]

Physical Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physical Therapy!!! Can't stress this enough about recovering from serious injury/surgery and if it seems like its sort of a waste of time or your therapist doesn't appear to be a superstar.. Change Therapist. Good Physical Therapy is a game changer on recovering

 

[jrice]

just curious, what are the long term risks of putting off these kinds of repairs? My right shoulder definitely has a tear, but I don't know how bad. Can one essentially hold the status quo in place for a while, maybe with PT? I'm 60 and have recently changed up my life completely and am doing a lot of physical, land management work including brush removal, timber thinning, etc. Being "down" for the lengths of time you guys are talking about will be tough for me to swing for the next few years.