Rotator cuff surgery
 

Has anybody ever had it? I underwent the procedure yesterday morning, August 31.

Dang, I hope this works. I've read of mixed results on the outcome. And 10 minutes ago I bumped my elbow on a doorway while walking through. Thing sticks out like a sore thumb only worse. Painful, probably didn't do any damage, but who knows. I had been being very careful about all such maneuvers. Spacing out so soon after the surgery for one episode is disconcerting. I will do better.

Been there, done that.........both shoulders
 

Had both shoulders done, right one in 2005, left one in 2011. Both required drilling bone and inserting plastic screws to secure tendons.

Word of advice.......do "EXACTLY" what your doc tells you to do. Also, don't take any pain meds. Otherwise you won't be able to tell if you are hurting yourself. The surgeon is also a BIG factor, if you got a good one, you're all set.....if not, good luck.

I am doing 15 pull-ups at 63, not bad 'eh?

Give 'em hell, go for the gusto.

This is exactly right. Some injuries you can hurry along with some hard work. NOT THIS ONE.

Amen. Had a bad one done in 2007.

You will probably be in the hands of a physical therapist. Be aware of the difference between *discomfort* and *pain*.

Do the rehab!

I am going to be serious as a heart attack about the rehab, the proper pace, etc.

Part of what brought me here has been not allowing sufficient time for healing for various injuries.

I did fill my prescription for Percocet but only for 30 tablets instead of the 60 I could've got. Mainly I'm using it to go to sleep. But I hear you on that advice regarding pain meds. Pain is our friend here.

I'm determined to play very close attention to my surroundings. I am moving any and all clutter out of the way immediately. A bad fall would be a disaster. Heck, I might be a better person after this if I keep those habits. And I don't want to bump my elbow on a doorway again. That hurt and sorta freaked me out. My concern is that a sudden jolt on the stitches could pull something loose, even without much range of movement.

I read an account of a guy online who instinctively reached to catch his cell phone when it was slipping off a nightstand. I forget if he had the sling on or not. He said that it pulled the stitches out. A few hours ago I dropped a small item in the kitchen and made a slight reach to catch it with my right arm. I could feel some pull in all the wrong spots. I don't think I hurt it with that one but whoa, I've got to wean that out of my brain here for a while.

Thanks for the quick responses. I really want this to work.

Son-in-law had it done. It took 5-6 months but he's now got complete use and claims to feel completely normal. He loaded my 20' trailer full of wet carpet with just enough help to grab the other end.

(we're going to use the carpet to stabilize a pond overflow spillway that has a tendency to erode. I cut 2-3 ft, 1/2" rebar and am welding scrap plate on one end and sharpening the other to act as nails to hold the carpet down until grass growths through it. Think it will work? I dunno. But the carpet is free in South Louisiana right now ....)

Sounds plausible. Do you mean you weld on a round or square bit of plate with the rebar in the middle like an actually giant nail?

For some reason when I first read it I was thinking of a square bit, say 1 ft.² with rebar on each corner. That might be overkill though, A single piece in the middle ought to be good.

I keep reading of the surgery not working, I see those accounts about as often as it working. I also had the long head of the biceps rupture, that's one of the upper two tendons on the biceps. Almost like one of those evolutionary accidents, it fails much more often than the short head and you can get by without it but the muscle looks funny. Yields a Popeye bulge. And you lose some twisting power, supination I think they call it, used for turning a screwdriver for example.

John Elway won two Super Bowls with the long head tendon on his throwing arm ruptured and not repaired. He put mine back on.

The first description -- a giant nail. Plan is to start at the bottom of the slope and essentially shingling with rolls of carpet, using the giant nails on edges & corners (more nails than used on actual shingles).

It sure wouldn't be cost-effective without free labor and scrap carpet from a giant flood.

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Concerning s-in-law's surgery, I'm not exactly sure how it was done -- it sounded excruciating so I didn't pay close attention! I think the surgeon took the head of the muscle and tucked it around the other side of a bone and screwed it inn place. Formal PT was minimal. I think in two months he had full use. Doc said if he did anything that hurts -- STOP. Think of a better way to get it done. S-in-L took that to heart and is doing well. I understand that eventually the head of the muscle will attach biologically to the bone.

I’ve been dealing with shoulder problems for over a year now.

Re pain management, for the first couple of weeks use as needed, after that use to help sleep. It makes a huge difference for that.

Check with your doc or therapist, but it is probably a good idea to do stretching, yoga, or other exercises with your good shoulder as it will be doing a lot more work in at least the near term. I wasn’t aware of this suggestion and it lead to damaging my other shoulder. The result is shoulder problems for over a year…..

Did left shoulder in 2010 and right in 2013. Went from horrible pain to bearable daily now, although my ROM still sucks, however, less pain is better. Ask your doctor if it's OK to take lots of Vit D. I did and I am positive that had a lot to do with my recovery. First 30 days sucks.

What did your shoulder problems start off as?

I've got popeye sprung muscles on both arms due to distal bicep tendon ruptures. It's been years and they still hurt if I make the wrong move. One is worse than the other. One is from roping and the other, the worst one, is from me thinking I could kneel down at the age of 60 and stick my left arm out and catch a panicked 200 pound sheep going full blast. Bad idea. She bent my arm backwards at the elbow like a twig.

Oh hell...:eek:

I think I would've passed out. That makes me feel weak just thinking about it. What did the doctors say at the time?

If I hadn't already been kneeling I would have. Went to the ER, after xrays the doc looked at my other arm and said "I'm guessing you know what this is". I said yeah, it's a blown distal bicep tendon. He said "this one could use surgery, especially if you're going to continue doing stupid stuff at your age"
I passed on the surgery. I've learned how to accommodate for most things but stacking hundred pound hay bales requires some tricky maneuvers and even picking up a 12 pack will cause little twinges if I do it at an odd angle. I was on a river trip week before last and let a rookie row my boat in a rapid. He managed to wrap it on the rock I'd told him how to avoid. My wife got out onto the rock and was pushing with her feet on the stern and I was in the bow. Another boat came from behind and threw me a rope to pull us off the rock. When the line went taut I had another nice reminder that doing stupid stuff is for kids, not geezers.

I have had five rotator cuff procedures (four on right, one on left).

As others have advised follow your surgeon and physical therapist instructions.

Physical therapy is extremely important, if you perform the therapy to the letter you will have good results. Be patient with your recovery as it can take 4 to 6 months.