Torn rotator-cuff, You had one?

I agree w ekraft - and if mri showed enough - surgery is necessary- Thursday finally after a long bunch of pt, is my day - being done orthoscopically where they feed in a tube all different tools as needed- glad to finally get the go ahead!

 

You can shut up now I can't even press my own body weight

 

Well thanks for all the well wishes. I know it is something that will take a fair amount of time to heal which ever way I/we decide to go. The doc (orthopedic/specialist - Dr. Craig Weil in ATL) is supposed to be a very good guy at the shoulders so I'll trust his calls but from him looking at the MRI his thoughts were that it could go either way (rehab only or knife). Like I said this next month will tell. I'm sure going to take it as easy as possible and do the PT religiously. I can not race but to put off working would be a pretty good financial burden that I won't like one bit, but doable. We'll just see what happens. Thanks again!

 

The basic idea is if doing something specific causes pain, you are preventing the tear from healing. Mine took forever and I'll never be 100% lifting my elbow out and up to 90 degrees.

My advice would be get at least a second opinion. Even the top surgeons can disagree and what you want is a consensus. Be super polite and respectful but treat them like plumbers and get several estimates. Same goes for physio too. Exactly how many torn rotators has that person dealt with?

 

Didn't you want to use something of mine this weekend to help you out? Oh, don't forget the pics I have................

 

I tore mine at Tally. An Occupational Therapist buddy of mine helped me out immensely. He knew that I couldn't have surgery until later on this year (which I'll probably do). He gave me some exercises to work on throughout the day. This time last week I couldn't raise my arm more than an inch or two. By doing these exercises (and they will hurt) I am MUCH better.

1. If you're sitting at a desk at work, lean forward and just dangle your arm between your legs...swing it left & right and then forward and backwards. Make sure that your thumb is pointing up whenever you do these!

2. On an open, flat surfaced table place your forearm at a 90 degree angle from your shoulder. Move your arm forwards and backwards (like your shifting from 1st to 2nd gear over and over) and then swivel (at the elbow) left and right. Again, make sure to keep your thumb pointed up at all times!

It'll take a few days to work through the pain. Ice your shoulder at night. If you have a whirlpool, use it! I hope these help. Get plenty of rest...I know it's hard to do that when your upper body is throbbing all the time. Hope ya get to feeling better soon!
-Brett