Problem after rotator cuff surgery

anyone with use of a pain pump after surgery should google pain pump lawsuits.  the results are stagering.  if your pain is prolonged and your dr. used a pain pump you might want to put your trust in a second opinion as your dr. may not want to admit this.  Chondrolysis is what happens from the drugs used in the pumps.  good luck to you all.  i am suffering with you and hoping for the best also.  

Guest wrote:

Ok gang! I am one day out of rotator cuff surgery. It's my second trip to the OR on the same shoulder. I have been 20 years pain free but took a fall against the same arm. I went to the same surgeon that fixed me the first time. I've been 100% since the first surgery so I am looking for the same conclusion. My suggestion is to go to the right surgeon. These guys are people too. If you want a good contractor, look for one. Same with your doctor. I did my homework. It pays off big time. Good luck to all my rotator cuff injury buddies out in cyberspace.

Yes, but how does one realistically check a doctors true "report card"?  Most online stuff is just popular opinons, how long was the weight, or were the staff courteous. Nothing that gives real insight into the doctors true abilities to diagnose the problem, determine the correct steps for the repair, and his ability to execute the repair.  It seems all the docs are "Board Certified", or members of the AMA, so these are useless as distinguishing credentials.  There is no real way to check up on the doctor or "do your homework"?   I've had surgery twice on the same RC for a "minor tear in the infraspinatus" their description, and was worse after than before both times.  The hospital staff recommend the physician, of course, but I've run into other patients since that have had problems with him. I'm going to have a third attempt  to fix a problem that was made worse from attempts 1 & 2. How can one actually check up on these people?

 

ks

I had a repair and everything was going great I went and lifted a plate way under 5lbs and felt a pain that went down my arm and then the next day I couldnt even move my arm. The MRI showed that I have a tear in my repair and have to start all over again with surgery so this will be the second time on the same shoulder. My doctor is really good and i think after looking all this up my first repair was so big that it had over a 35% chance of retearing after surgery. i know it will all be ok . but not looking forward to all the pain and PT again.

HEllo  i had the repair about a week ago and i tell you the pain is real also if you have gotten hurt on the job with this type of injury usually you are using the doctors that workman comp has sent you to and these doctors are in cohoots with your job downplaying what you are saying to them to get you back on the job as said b-4 the pain you feel is real and it travels from neck to back also ive heard from numerous people that has has this surgery is that there is no 100% recovery as you still have the pain but just not as bad as it will be if you donot have the surgery because without surgery it only gets worse

Hi. I guess this is normal. When tearing the supraspinatus and reconnecting it the original function of the tendon changes, it´ll shorten and it no longer follows the movements of the shoulder like it used to. My fysiotherapist tells me I should strenghten all muscles around it which is a long term exercising programme. See afysiotherapist not a doctor!

How is your recovery Now?

I know this problem! Had surgery febr. 2008 with reasonable recovery AT LAST. I did intensive FYSIOTHERAPY just 8 weeks after the surgery and do still. This means lots of work but if you don´t you won´t get better! Find an interested fysiotherapist!

How is your progression? For me I didn´t hardly sleep within 18 months from the operation. But now after 3 1/2 years of daily exercising for 7 hours things are looking better! So keep up the mood!

When looking back I´d felt always tired between my shoulderblades after work which recovered when I got myself a hot bath. That was the reason I thought this was normal. I also felt tired in my knees this also disappeared every time. I have now been working in a vegatarian kitchen for 15 years where I do lots of cutting(bread, cabbage( lots of manual activity. I felt this same pain or what I thought was only muscle tiredness when I was cutting especially under pressure. But it always disappeared after rest. Looking back again my overall tiredness became worse by the years but as I have always lived active it completely disappeared after night rest. I never exercised but running and swimming the wrong way my physiotherapist says now also because in my village there is not a good accomodation for fitness. I started working in a sheep-slaughtering season and had serious pain behind my right shoulderblade every evening so I went into a hot pot and slept well after that. Then on a walking trip early december I slipped and fell on my right arm. This was a bad fall and I felt something was different with my arm but no pain. Back in my car I couldn´t shift gears away from me, so I couldn´t push the gear lever away from me, it was ok towards me. After 2 months sleepless nights my last chance was seeing a fysiotherapist, I´d no idea what was wrong with my shoulder/arm. I ´d kept on working and felt terrible tiredness and pain during washing up. My fysiotherapist told me I´d better stop working until I´d had a conclusion from an orthaeopedic clinic. After MRI the surgeon saw a rupture on my supraspinatus and gave me time for surgery. This was a painful waitng for 3 weeks. There had been a serious impingement for many years so the supraspinatus tendon couldn´t move freely and my shoulderblade had to move more so I could use my arm! After surgery I couldn´t even brush my teeth or lift my hand. I had my 52th birthday just after the operation, now I´n 55. I´ve had fysiotherapy since 2 months after the operation (18-2-2008). It turned out that I couldn´t really exercise then because also my left shoulder gave problems when I lifed my arm (small impingement) I got a small operation on this so the bursa sac had more placelearned lots about preventive exercises like yoga PLANKS (best when you wake up), 2 sideways planks, bellydownplank, bellyupplank. I´m convinced that planking since my early days would have prevented these shoulder and back problems. One side effect has been shoulder pain and tiredness during the day. My fysiotherapist advises cooling EVERY evening. Also I´ve had a tennis elbow on my operated arm very uncomfortable. I sleep much better but always feel my right shoulder during the night not heavy pain but a little also my fingers. I think we should share lots of information on this topic to prevent more people from getting unnecessary trouble because the solution is simple: exercise right!

Andrés Hugo wrote:

talley wrote:

I had rotator cuff surgery June 1, 2010. I had three tears and a cyst, also had a pinched. 3 months later, I am still in a lot of pain. Haven't had any meds for a while now and nothing over the counter helps. My neck hurts all the time radiating to my shoulder. The doctor that did the surgery said all was normal and did not need anymore physical therapy. Well guess what, I can't put my arm behind my back, reach out for anything, have to pick up cups or drinks with both hands and hurt all day at work. Sleep nights on a heating pad just to get a little relief in my neck.
Got tired of this mess, its wearing me out, so I went to another doctor and he is send me to the Pain Center here in Alabama. After evaluation, they have decided I have no strength in my right arm and I'm having a nerve block next week. Hopefully, the therapy that follows will help.
Question? If they know how long and painful it takes to recover, why don't they provide meds to help? I know all too well that over the counter meds don't help. Maybe the first one since it is different from what you were taking before, but after one or two, they do nothing. And I'm no junkie either. Never taken anything not prescribed to me.

How is your progression? For me I didn´t hardly sleep within 18 months from the operation. But now after 3 1/2 years of daily exercising for 7 hours things are looking better! So keep up the mood!
When looking back I´d felt always tired between my shoulderblades after work which recovered when I got myself a hot bath. That was the reason I thought this was normal. I also felt tired in my knees this also disappeared every time. I have now been working in a vegatarian kitchen for 15 years where I do lots of cutting(bread, cabbage( lots of manual activity. I felt this same pain or what I thought was only muscle tiredness when I was cutting especially under pressure. But it always disappeared after rest. Looking back again my overall tiredness became worse by the years but as I have always lived active it completely disappeared after night rest. I never exercised but running and swimming the wrong way my physiotherapist says now also because in my village there is not a good accomodation for fitness. I started working in a sheep-slaughtering season and had serious pain behind my right shoulderblade every evening so I went into a hot pot and slept well after that. Then on a walking trip early december I slipped and fell on my right arm. This was a bad fall and I felt something was different with my arm but no pain. Back in my car I couldn´t shift gears away from me, so I couldn´t push the gear lever away from me, it was ok towards me. After 2 months sleepless nights my last chance was seeing a fysiotherapist, I´d no idea what was wrong with my shoulder/arm. I ´d kept on working and felt terrible tiredness and pain during washing up. My fysiotherapist told me I´d better stop working until I´d had a conclusion from an orthaeopedic clinic. After MRI the surgeon saw a rupture on my supraspinatus and gave me time for surgery. This was a painful waitng for 3 weeks. There had been a serious impingement for many years so the supraspinatus tendon couldn´t move freely and my shoulderblade had to move more so I could use my arm! After surgery I couldn´t even brush my teeth or lift my hand. I had my 52th birthday just after the operation, now I´n 55. I´ve had fysiotherapy since 2 months after the operation (18-2-2008). It turned out that I couldn´t really exercise then because also my left shoulder gave problems when I lifed my arm (small impingement) I got a small operation on this so the bursa sac had more placelearned lots about preventive exercises like yoga PLANKS (best when you wake up), 2 sideways planks, bellydownplank, bellyupplank. I´m convinced that planking since my early days would have prevented these shoulder and back problems. One side effect has been shoulder pain and tiredness during the day. My fysiotherapist advises cooling EVERY evening. Also I´ve had a tennis elbow on my operated arm very uncomfortable. I sleep much better but always feel my right shoulder during the night not heavy pain but a little also my fingers. I think we should share lots of information on this topic to prevent more people from getting unnecessary trouble because the solution is simple: exercise right!

I had knee arthosurgery in 2004 and 2008 on both knees. The pain management post-surgery is very good. However, after the first knee ops, the other knee (which was defective too but not swelling) took a lot of burden. The prognosis, in my mind, was that surgery did not help. Being active and down to pain killer, I decided with same surgeon to repair the other knee in 2008. So far, both knees are ok but don't expect your knees to be like new.
Caution of post-surgery effect from GA. This will reside in your body for some 6-9 months and can be quite likely to have repercussion if one went ahead to stress one body. The result is chronic illness like shingles, nerve impairment.
Currently, I have both rotatorcuff challenges and torned ligament and surgeon's prognosis is surgery - but my GP advised otherwise. Shoulder surgery is more delicate than knees and usually can affect the neck and fingers. Your usual sport like tossing ball and racquet games are over. Don't attempt to push weight over head and marathon cross-training, it is not worthed it.
Just take long walk or trekking and relax!

Sounds to me like you are in need of some serious theraphy !! I had rotator cuff surgery june 24 2011 , yes just 4 month ago . I WENT BACK TO WORK 8 WEEKS AFTER. I am in no pain at all and I even sleep on it. I started physical theraphy 4 days after my surgery , 3 days a week at first and just this past monday I went to my last theraphy session. Now though I am told it will take 1 year to build my strenght again ,THIS SUCKS to hear because my job is very physical and I also want to go back to doing the things I love to do (boxing and bodybuilding) If anyone out there can help me with this please please reply.

I have had 5 on the left getting ready for 6 and 2 on the right and have had severe headaches for a couple of years and getting worse. mine is like yours and in the neck and down to my left shoulder. I have had MRI Cat Scan, Therapy, Chiropractor, message therapy and nothing works. After reading this I am scared to have the next one done. I feel like the back of my neck is going to explode sometimes and the headaches are getting worse. I am like you no one knows and thinks I am nuts. It feels like muscles bulging but everything is negative. Need help soon

I had  rotator cuff surgery august 16, 2011, its been just over four months, now my arm below the wound down to the elbow and my forearm down to my wrist is in excessive pain all the time, the only time i get any rest is when i take percocet 20 mg and then i get 4-5 hours sleep(how sweet) and then i roll over and the pain wakes me up, i have talked to many people that had the same operation and everyone told me its going to take 6 to 9 months before the pain begins to go away, God help no God help us all in getting back to normal!!! 

I just had my eighth, unbeleivable right and they tell me I need shoulder replacement, I am so sick of doctor's and them telling me I need surgery.  After all the surgeries i have been having horrible headaches so I had an MRI done and went to a neurosurgeon and they said I need a disk in my neck fused.  I think I have something tattoed on my forehead saying "GO AHEAD AND CUT ME "  This is crazy and I started out with a 2 cm tear.  How could it lead to this and now on full disabiltiy and can't do most of what I used to love to do. I hope you get relief but all I can say is make sure to get a second opinion and a repeat mri to make sure u don't have a retear. 

 

I have been online looking for answers for my friend who had rotator cuff surgery two months ago and is having more servere pain now than before. It is so bad that he never sleeps. The loratab 10's dont even take the edge off. I am worried that he has possibly re-injuried his shoulder .How long has it taken you to get over the pain and was yours like a throbing inside the bone on the front of your shoulder. I would love to know if this is normal. The doctor doesn't listen, he says it's normal but something feels different in there. My friend is absolutely miserible.  

I to had the surgery 12/1/2011. Doing all the pt and seen the doctors.