Surgeon experience, rotator cuff surgery

Ask him!! You can check for any malpractices on American Medical Association website.

I went to three orthopedic surgeons about torn rotator cuffs in both shoulders. I asked them. One said he does 20 shoulder surgeries a year. One said she did not do them, but would refer me to someone that did. The last one said he does more than almost anyone in the world. That is all he does, and he has been doing them for 25 years. He is at the Mayo Clinic. But I have to wait for 5 months after the MRI results to get the surgery.
I read somewhere that 20 a year is the average.

thanks. Are you waiting for the surgeon at Mayo ?

Yes-scheduled for February for one side.
I am doing physical therapy now to build up as much strength as possible. Surgeon said the side that needs a reverse shoulder replacement has a lifetime lifting limit of 25 pounds.
Both shoulders are painful at times, but I am doing most activities.

Greetings from Canada! I had extensive reconstruction on both shoulders, the left in 2001 and the right in 2011. Both involved anchors and long-bicep tenotomies, and shaving the inner lining of the socket to allow more room. Cutting the long-bicep tendon left the muscle partially free to dangle and it now bunches up and looks like Popeye. It also reduces the strength in your arm by about 30%, which was problematic in my line of work (millwright). Be sure to talk to your surgeon about this. Despite over 90 PT sessions and countless hours of exercising at home, neither shoulder was restored to an adequate degree of function to enable me to continue working in my field. I had to start a new career path following the first surgery, and I was involuntarily medically retired at 57 years following the second surgery. Constant pain in both shoulders, the left greater than the right, and restricted lifting range has permanently changed my life. Weight limit below shoulder height in both arms is unrestricted, but over shoulder height it is limited to 5 lbs in left and 10 lbs in right. And sleeping is very challenging.

On the other hand, my uncle had a reversal done in one shoulder and got very positive results. He was very committed to the therapy and home exercises, and his range of motion was greatly improved while dramatically reducing his pain. Though he was not able to continue in his job, he was able to re-train in another field that still was physical in nature, but a little less demanding. He worked over 20 more years until his retirement at age 75.

Remember; treat your recovery like a full-time job. Take it seriously and don't slack. If you don't use it, you'll lose it. Good luck.

I would be skeptical of someone who says he does more of those surgeries than anyone in the world.

That is very good advice about treating your recovery like a full-time job. I’m sorry that you were having so much trouble, I can empathize with you. I had a shoulder replacement in 2015 but the surgeon did not fix two small rotator tears as I wanted to go back to yoga and Pilates I stupidly had another surgeon to do reverse replacement in 2019:,unbeknownst to me at the time he should not have operated on an atrophied shoulder, so I like you I’m in pain most of the time I can’t open doors with this storm or lift anything. I I did great during PT until she sent me to my old trainer at the gym and then 10 minutes he totally ripped it with an exercise. It was my fault for listening to him.. P.A.

Had the surgery ( tears, removal tendon, etc) many years ago long recovery did not have good physical therapy.after 9 months therapy took a few more months til pain free but that lasted only 6 months. Spent the next 12 years in pain til I went for help again. Ended up with reverse total shoulder but had great physical therapist which I feel has made the difference.
Moral to the story one needs a great surgeon and a great physical therapist with a lot of work from us. Still do exercises
Good luck

thanks for sharing. I am trying to find the best surgeon.