# Rotator Cuff surgery?



## ALBOB (Feb 3, 2011)

About three years ago I injured my shoulder.  I tried to rehab it myself for about a year without much success.  Got an MRI two years ago which verified my Rotator Cuff was torn.  

In the past two years I've progressed through physical therapy, Ibuprophen by the handfull, prescription inflamatories, Cortizone injection (Only one).  But none have worked so now it's time for surgery.  Got another MRI a couple of weeks ago that showed the cuff is a bit worse now than it was two years ago sooooooo, surgery.

The cutting is scheduled to take place on May 10th.  They're going to "repair" the cuff as much as possible and also relocate one of the biceps tendons from under my shoulder joint to the top of my Humerous to ensure it won't ever get inflamed again.

So here's the question; since I have plenty of time between now and going under the knife, what can I do in that time to speed the recover process?  Generally speaking, I know that the better physical condition I am going into the surgery the better I'll heal after the surgery.  But I'm looking for specifics.  Anybody been through this and have any helpful tips?


----------



## slvr bulit (Feb 3, 2011)

I had this surgery done almost 2 years ago.  Mine was a 100% tear and they cleaned out the shoulder joint while they were in there. It was my 3rd shoulder surgery 2 on the left and 1 on the right.  the first two was just shaving down the bone and cleaning the joint up basicly fixing "weight lifter shoulder" but the rotator cuff was the worst.  I couldnt lift so I basicly did cardio up intill surgery and tried to cut back on my calories.  good luck man it isnt fun


----------



## vader (Feb 3, 2011)

a full rupture is a long recovery time, you'll be in a sling for 4 to 6 weeks before you can do anything but let the therapist move it for you


----------



## PreMier (Feb 3, 2011)

just follow the advice of your doctor.  my dad just had this done and he is almost 60.  hes recovered nicely, and is starting to lift light weights again.  but you have to take it easy on it for quite a long time.  if you end up injuring it, recovery time doubles..


----------



## Retlaw (Feb 3, 2011)

ALBOB said:


> About three years ago I injured my shoulder.  I tried to rehab it myself for about a year without much success.  Got an MRI two years ago which verified my Rotator Cuff was torn.
> 
> In the past two years I've progressed through physical therapy, Ibuprophen by the handfull, prescription inflamatories, Cortizone injection (Only one).  But none have worked so now it's time for surgery.  Got another MRI a couple of weeks ago that showed the cuff is a bit worse now than it was two years ago sooooooo, surgery.
> 
> ...



I feel ya bro, just found out myself i have a small tear, not looking forward to fixing it. Good luck keep us posted!


----------



## 2tomlinson (Feb 3, 2011)

After an MRI, my orthopedist informed me I had a torn RC and bicep tendon.  He urged surgery.  I opted for a Platelet Rich Plasma injection, which included 8 IUs of HGH.  After a week, the pain was markedly worse.  After three weeks, the shoulder was much improved.  I had a second PRP injection after six weeks, plus the HGH, and there was no noticeable improvement.  From all I've read, PRP expedites healing after surgery.  But it is not a silver bullet, in my opinion.  Good luck.  I hear the surgery is a bitch.


----------



## BIGBLUECHEVELLE (Feb 3, 2011)

Dude reading about stuff like this freaks me out its one of my worst nightmares that and knee injuries. I wish you a speedy recovery and do everything in your power to get better!


----------



## tucker01 (Feb 4, 2011)

Not much you can do in preparation for this surgery.

Make sure you have a good surgeon.
Find a great Therapist.  This will be the key to your recovery.
a reclining chair to sleep in for the first few weeks will help.
Get an Ice machine with a cuff for the shoulder.

Good Luck.


----------



## bigeddie (Feb 4, 2011)

I had surgery on my right shoulder jan 5th 2011 ,shaved down collar bone removed bone spurs so tendons can move without getting that nasty inflamation everytime i did chest or shoulders.Four little spots where they did surgery ,you cant even see them anymore,started rehab 6 days latter went back to gym on the 7th day went from 120ld dumbell presses to using 10lb on right side for 10 reps than i do 100lb on left side for 12 works great can't do squats yet cant place the bar on my traps yet so i do heavy leg presses,everythings really light weight 10 t0 12 reps rehab mode and lots of cardio .slow and steady when my shoulders ready ill be ready.Just take it slow honestly i have nothing bad to say about the surgery i took no pain killers .5'9'' 210, 48 yrs old and still love the iron! Never slow down never grow old! Good luck bro you'll be fine.


----------



## ALBOB (Feb 8, 2011)

BIGBLUECHEVELLE said:


> Dude reading about stuff like this freaks me out its one of my worst nightmares that and knee injuries. I wish you a speedy recovery and do everything in your power to get better!




Had the knee surgery in '01 after getting stupid with a set of squats and tearing my Patellar Tendon.  NEVER sacrifice form just for the sake of adding extra weight to the bar.  It's a recipe for disaster.


----------



## ALBOB (Feb 8, 2011)

bigeddie said:


> I .5'9'' 210, 48 yrs old and still love the iron! Never slow down never grow old! Good luck bro you'll be fine.




6'1", 250 lbs, 48 years old.  Hope the young pups around here can learn for us old farts.


----------



## bassonjigs (Feb 13, 2011)

I just had Rotator Cuff Surgery on Jan.10th. The tear was worse than they originally thought so I have two screws (instead of one)in the top of my humerus with 4 sutures tying down my rotator cuff. They also shaved the bone down on the acromion to make more space. I have a CPM chair at home and I have regained my total range of motion. I start PT strength training after the 22nd of February, but the Surgeon did tell me it would be a 6 month recovery. I have a nice 12 week cycle that I was supposed to start last week sitting in my sock drawer waiting till next fall.


----------



## Klutch (Feb 17, 2011)

i have a screw in my shoulder as well from 2 years ago. just make sure you do not i repeat do not over do it. make sure you heal it properly and dont throw any balls for about a year to be safe. i know alot of guys who had surgery and rush getting back to things and ended back under the knife. so it took twice as long to be back training.

be blessed. Klutch


----------



## ALBOB (Feb 17, 2011)

bassonjigs said:


> I just had Rotator Cuff Surgery on Jan.10th. The tear was worse than they originally thought so I have two screws (instead of one)in the top of my humerus with 4 sutures tying down my rotator cuff. They also shaved the bone down on the acromion to make more space. I have a CPM chair at home and I have regained my total range of motion. I start PT strength training after the 22nd of February, but the Surgeon did tell me it would be a 6 month recovery. I have a nice 12 week cycle that I was supposed to start last week sitting in my sock drawer waiting till next fall.



Full ROM in a little over a month?  That's GREAT.  Hope I can do that well.  I've got some nice products from ironmaglabs waiting for me to recover also.


----------



## bassonjigs (Feb 18, 2011)

Thanks for the advice Klutch. I want to be back in the gym lifting but I know it will be June or July before I can even think about it. The Constant Passive Motion Chair that was delivered to my house is freakin awesome. 10 days out of surgery, I was at 80 degrees lateral and two weeks later I was at 150 degrees. I just sit in the chair for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes a couple three times per day and let it raise and lower my arm. The shoulder actually feels better after a session in the chair. I highly recommend the CPM chair from Kinex for all you guys that may go through Rotator Cuff surgery in the future.


----------



## b56 (Aug 31, 2011)

I fell on my elbow hard rounding 2nd base in a mid-March (senior softball) game here in AZ and ended up with a full thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon (i.e., the rotator cuff).  I had the surgery in mid-April and I thought I healed quickly and regained great range of motion after about 12 weeks. In early July I was able to do six sets of bench presses between 150-180 lbs for 6-8 reps pain free. I figured since it was my non throwing I tried to come back to play ball. I ended up ended up tearing it again. I had the second surgery late July where the surgeon had to put two new anchors in the shoulder all over again. 

Based on my mistake, my advice is to wait and then wait some more. This will probably lay me up until early next year.At that time I will probably consider doing a cycle of low dose HGH with weights to get a jump start.


----------



## ALBOB (Aug 31, 2011)

Holy coincidence Batman.  I just happened to peak in here today and saw this old thread.

UPDATE:  Surgery was May 10th.  Cleaned up rotator cuff which wasn't acutally "torn", more of a fraying.  But had to relocate one of the biceps tendons due to it being torn.

On my first follow-up, six weeks later, I'd progressed to the point the doc was expecting me to be AFTER physical therapy.  He couldn't believe how fast and how well I'd healed.  I regained full range of motion in two months and am stronger now, three months later, than I was before the surgery.  I'd never done direct deltoid movements before but now that I do I'm feeling great.  Have regained full strength on rowing movements but, still not back to full weights on curls.  Progressing nicely though.


----------



## oden (Sep 4, 2011)

eat 12 to 18 raw eggs a day-walk a mile a day-take 3000 mgs vit c a day dont stress out -dump some calories - dont get fat -sleep well wait 3 months-start back slow and steady with mind muscle connection -feel whats going on when you lift -youl be better than before if you do this.


----------



## danzik17 (Sep 4, 2011)

ALBOB said:


> Holy coincidence Batman.  I just happened to peak in here today and saw this old thread.
> 
> UPDATE:  Surgery was May 10th.  Cleaned up rotator cuff which wasn't acutally "torn", more of a fraying.  But had to relocate one of the biceps tendons due to it being torn.
> 
> On my first follow-up, six weeks later, I'd progressed to the point the doc was expecting me to be AFTER physical therapy.  He couldn't believe how fast and how well I'd healed.  I regained full range of motion in two months and am stronger now, three months later, than I was before the surgery.  I'd never done direct deltoid movements before but now that I do I'm feeling great.  Have regained full strength on rowing movements but, still not back to full weights on curls.  Progressing nicely though.



Wow, you're lucky dude.  I had surgery on mine back in November, and it's still not like it *should* be.  Don't get me wrong, it's orders of magnitude better than where it was and I'm glad I did it, but for example I did front squats with 135 for the first time in a long time about 3 weeks ago and my shoulder is still hurting from it, though less than right after.

On the bright side, my ROM on that shoulder is better than it ever was.  I actually had fairly close to full ROM back after only 5 days since I would kind of walk my arm up the wall in the shower after it was nice and relaxed from the heat.


----------



## mountkeystone (Sep 4, 2011)

oden has some good suggestions here and ill comment on them a little further. Get your diet in check and i mean "in check"! if your gonna be sitting around for many month not doing anything , at least eat right. This will make recovery easier without the extra weight and protein helps your body recover faster. burn victims eat a high protein diet to help the healing process. it also helps when you can lift to gain size and strength because you are used to eating right! Use this time to research and properly set up your diet. Sleep is another way to help recovery, at least 8 hours is preferred. And when you have the surgery do what they therapist says to the T. If you have a good one they will have you where you need to be when you need to be there, don't rush it. you will be down long enough in your natural state of recovery, there is no need to push your self and take a chance at an additional injury which will mean a longer rehab. no short cuts, this is very serious and if you dont want pain or a permanent injury or even multiple surgeries then follow their guide-lines. we can sit here all day and tell you what to do and not to do but we aren't your md. he should know your limitations, be honest with him and he will have you back in the gym pushin before you know it. Be Smart! Good Luck Bro.


----------

