Rotator Cuff Surgery, or how many things can you find wrong in this picture

[TBS]

Met with my orthopaedic surgeon today. The image below describes all the things messed up in my shoulder. The tendon is torn across the full width on the posterier side, and partially torn across the full depth - he figures about 35% of the tendon is still intact. Proximate cause - too many OTBs on tele gear and mountain bike.

To repair, they need to find the fully-torn end of the tendon, pull it back into place, sew the tendon back together, trim up all the rough edges and grind down the bone spur.

The doc is a well known shoulder guy, a skier and hard core mtb rider. When I told him about this forum he instantly recognized the business development opportunities and agreed to provide photos from the surgery (arthroscopic) for educational purposes. Will post at end of month after I come out of the narcotic haze.

In the meantime, I'm in PT twice a week to stretch out all the surrounding muscles to maximize range of motion. Great fun.

[Vinman]

I'd also be suspicious of your labrum...... It isn't a great shot of the labrum in that pic but it looks a bit funny to me. Paging Jim S......

[altagirl]

Posting from a narcotic haze is what this place is all about!

Good luck with surgery, though.

[The Reverend Floater]

You in PDX? I had the same thing plus a lot more and found an incredible surgeon. I am now 100% and feel incredible. Shoot me a PM if you need a name.

[TBS]

Posting from a narcotic haze is what this place is all about!

Check back about the 21st

[wicked_sick]

good luck telebob. I've been there

[wizard604]

I had a posterior shoulder dislocation a couple years ago. Luckily the shoulder was able to heal on its own w/o surgery. The recovery was a agonizingly long process. I am now back to full function and have not dislocated it since. I do find that my strength is only about 75% of what it was before when working out in the gym.

Unfortunately I have recently torn my bicep muscle on the same shoulder that I had dislocated. Apparently it is fairly common for those who have had rotator cuff tears to have problems later on with bicep tears because of the shoulder impingement on the bicep tendon. So I would sit down & talk to your physio and discuss what type of movements to watch out for to avoid having the same thing happening to you. Esp if you're a gym rat like me

[drmark]

Nice MRI

The problem is that 24% of normal folks will have a cuff tear on the MRI. The damm thing is way too sensitive. Because of that a reasonable decsion must be made based not on what the MRI says, but how a guy is doing.

Its a good thing that you are in PT. Hopefully, you have also had a cortisone shot.

If you do both there is a good chance, you may never need to be cut on.

drmark
www.sandersclinic.net

[TBS]

OK, 10 days out of surgery. Still swollen & sore as hell. Went thru my first 60 oxycontins in 5 days, and doc was nice enough to give me a refill. Not really sure that's a good or bad thing in the overall scheme.

Vinman, you called it - had a SLAP tear too - only required debridement (sp?) however.

drMark, you are right about the need for surgery. This is not something I recommend doing if you don't have to. I was able to treat this for two years with cortisone shots and PT. Probably didn't help that I beatered quit spectacularly within a few days of the last shot, since cortisone tends to weaken tendons - now they fucking tell me!

Slides from the surgery didn't turn out well, so will spare y'all that part.

[drmark]

Well, how much passive elevation do you have? 180 degrees is the arm over the head, typically in the lying down postion at this point.

[Vinman]

I thought that looked a bit funny. Bummed for you though. After this first 10 days you should start feeling better and trying to ween yourself off the meds. Take rehab slow and do as they tell you. Good luck.