Rotator cuff surgery

Hello @goldminer1945, welcome to Connect. This post hits a little close to home for me as I just had my rotator anchored on June 17th. I am still a few weeks away from the beginning of my therapy and must admit I am bit intimidated. I was only supposed to a have a small procedure and then they found that my rotator had a partial tear, which was a surprise to both of us.

I'd like to invite @robseverson and @inpaininmi to this discussion as they previously discussed rotator cuff surgeries.

@goldminer1945, if you feel comfortable sharing, did you have full or partial tears and how long did you have to wait before you started therapy?

I had 4 anchors put in. Went to therapy the 3rd day. lasted 6 weeks. The pain was so much at the end of the 6th week ,I called the Dr. He did another surgery On Dec. First was Sept. He put the anchor back in. But after 5 weeks of therapy I couldn't raise my left arm up over my head. Feels like a tendon or ligament is separated. Going back in a couple weeks to talk to Dr.

I'd like to invite @inpaininmi back to Connect and hope that they return because they discussed the very same issue. I am sorry you are having these issues because I can imagine your frustration and concern as I am about to embark on the same PT journey soon. Even though this isn't quite the same situation, there are a lot of members discussing shoulder issues in this discussion as well that may be worth your time to check out while we wait for others with your similar situation, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/shoulder-replacement-surgery-1/.

What did your therapist say about the inability to raise your arm?

They said it would get better with time and excerise

I have a full thickness tear of the far anterior aspect of the supraspinatus. I am a 75-year-old female. I was a runner for 35 years and also worked out with free weights and machines. My question is: What is the possibility that my torn tendon will be strong enough to repair?

I had my rotator cuff surgery on July 5th, everything was proceeding beautifully with my PT. Last week I started to experience excruciating pain, at times the shoulder would want to freeze up. The surgeon said to stop PT for 2 weeks.
I'm wondering if anyone has had such an experience.

@marklg57 Criminy. Just had a beautiful note all set to go to you, when something happened and I lost the whole thing. If it shows up, forgive me for posting twice. Anyway, Yes, I had right rotator surgery about 30 years ago before Learning that my hereditary Gelsolin Amyloidosis was causing it. A few months later it froze up, That hurt to deal with it. Anyway, now my left is hurting, but this may be different. it hurts all the way from the spine to the wrist.

Hi @marklg57, welcome to Connect. You may notice that I moved your discussion and combined it with an existing discussion also titled Rotator Cuff Surgery.

@marklg57, this hits a bit close to home for me as well as I had my rotator cuff repaired on June 15th. I did no PT for 6 weeks while it healed and started a very mundane PT routine for 3-4 weeks. It wasn't until the 12 week mark that I was really let loose to rehab the muscles around the shoulder. I have made considerable gains in the past few weeks, but the pain is still there for me as well. I can't tell if it is because of the movement, the muscles getting activated for the first time in months or the general tightness of everything in the shoulder. I have not experienced severe pain, other than when I moved it on accident in the initial 6-week period. I have noticed that I can really get my arm moving after I am done with my exercises but it tightens up pretty quickly afterwards.

@marklg57, what sort of PT exercises or stretches do they have you doing?

I'm doing a lot of stretching exercises, ie- wall slides, using stretching bands, shoulder exercises and exercises using a dowel

Finally glad to see someone get an answer about rotator cuff surgery. I am having rotator cuff surgery on October 10. I have completely torn my rotator cuff, have torn and dislocated a bicep, and have another torn tendon. How much help am I going to need after surgery? I live with and take care of my elderly parents who want to help but aren't able to provide the support I need. I just had a total knee replacement in May and I had to make sure the meals were ready etc. They were able to get my ice ready and occasionally drive me to PT. I heavily relied on my friends. I have held off the surgery to prepare frozen meals and do as much as I can to get my parents set up. My problem is I will pretty much be caring for myself this time. How much help did you need afterwards? I also hear this is more painful than a TKR. I felt a lot stronger going into surgery in May. I feel like my body is about to get a big hit before it has fully recovered from the TKR in May. I am feeling stressed, I am getting 2 anchors as well. I am not sure what to expect after the surgery.