Shoulder injuries

Grizzly Adams

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Took a tumble the other day. No broken bones but can hardly move my arm. Doc gave me a cortisone shot but not much relief yet. Told me good chance I tore my rotator cuff. Any of y’all have any experience in this? If so did ya need surgery or just some pt? If you had surgery what was recovery time
 


eyexer

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i tore a shoulder up really bad once. cortisone took about a month. it was a nagging five year old injury that wouldn't heal. I've had half a dozen cortisone shots over the years. some worked immediately some took a while
 

BrokenBackJack

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With all my back and neck injuries and surgeries i have had many cortisone shots back in the day. Got to be where they wouldn't work at all. So moved down here to AZ and lower back muscles really started bugging me last spring or late winter. Went to a natural Doctor that works with a Chiropractor here and we talked about Traumeel and Zeel injections which are natural. Anyway had them Monday, Wednesday, and Friday all in one week and my lower back muscles have not acted up since which is over 6 months.
I know it won't last forever but the muscle spasm/tightness has been gone that long and i am amazed. Insurance wouldn't cover them but i know when they wear off and the muscle pain comes back i will go in again no doubt!
Just a thought and might help you if you can find someone that does this.
 
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WormWiggler

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I tore my rotator cuff and didn't want to report it, had to lift my arm with the other for a couple days and it was/is always weaker. Year or so later I looked into getting it fixed. MRI and all that crap, doc said repair was optional so I opted to not repair it. I missed the part where he told me about the long term pain from not getting it fixed.... Maybe I am just a pussy but I wish I had gotten it fixed, probably still could but there was something said about the longer you wait the tougher it is, oh well, just push me up on a rock pile when I am wore out.
 

PrairieGhost

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I waited two years. Cortisone did nothing. A local doctor told me at my age it and my knees would take to big a chunk out of life. Went to Fargo and did the shoulder first. It healed about three times as fast as the doctor expected, so did both knees four months later.
 


NDwalleyes

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Took a tumble the other day. No broken bones but can hardly move my arm. Doc gave me a cortisone shot but not much relief yet. Told me good chance I tore my rotator cuff. Any of y’all have any experience in this? If so did ya need surgery or just some pt? If you had surgery what was recovery time

1992: I tore up my right shoulder skiing back in college. Seemed to heal up over time but always felt like there was gravel in it. Could never make a strong throwing motion afterwards either.

Not sure how old you are, but here is some insight as to what the future could bring. It was the little things like after having kids, I couldn't play catch with a baseball or football for more than a few throws with my boys. Now, after 25 years of normal wear and tear added on to the injury, it is beginning to effect my sleep since I can sleep on my right shoulder without waking up to not being able to lift my arm because of the pain.

The worst thing is it has effected my fishing. Larger jigging raps are out of the question and vertical jigging walleyes gets painful after 5-10 minutes.

Think about your injury long term, get an MRI, go see a orthopedic surgeon that specializes in shoulders and see what they recommend. Hindsight is 20/20 and I wish I would have had mine repaired many years ago.

Good luck!
 

riverview

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had my right shoulder done 6 years ago because of calicum growing from and old injury now my left shoulder is bothering me cant sleep on it taking ibprofin goping to have to have somthing done
 

camoman

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See a good shoulder physical therapist for 6-8 weeks, do as they ask and do the exercises they ask you to. If it’s not feeling better by then you could get some imaging done. The fact of the matter is, most individuals who are active have some junk going on in their body, be it their spine, their knees, or their shoulders, but a surgery is an expensive and time consuming answer for something that might be remedied with a little rehab.
 

Ruddy Duck

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It depends on many factors. I did pt for 4-5 months and it didn't fix the issue. That being said pt may fix yours, try it and stick with it for a few months. The pain hampered the things i love to do and was having daily pain so i got mine fixed. They had to cut off my biceps tendon and re-attach it lower and shave off some bone. I was lucky in that i didnt have a full rotator cuff tear. Recovery is slow going and painful but i do not regret my decision to try and fix it.
 

LOV2HNT

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I had rotator cuff surgery this past March on my right shoulder. I'm 44 years old and was in PT for a solid 4 months going 2 - 3 times a week. Doc said if I didn't get the surgery done I would have a lot more issues down the road so I opted to get the surgery.

It is a very painful recovery and the first couple weeks I was doubting my decision to get it fixed. 8 months down the road and my shoulder feels 100% and I'm happy I did it. Thankfully my wife is a nurse and took good care of me the first couple of days, the pain was unbearable at first and since it was my dominant arm I needed help with getting dressed and showering for about the first week.

I still do stretching exercises everyday to keep things loose.

Good luck with your decision.
 


db-2

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A few years ago my shoulder was hurting so after putting up with it for a few months went and seen the doctor who pulls and pushes on you on table. Said he knew what was wrong and he would fix it. After a few months told him your not fixing anything so went to bone clinic in grand forks.
After the test said the rotary cup was torn so had the surgery. Not a big thing for me, some pain but not bad. Took one pain pill afterward. As far as i know it is fine except i do not want to tear it again and now shoot a crossbow. Been about four years.

If that is the case with you make sure you do what they tell you to do after the surgery. Do all the excerise they tell you to do. Will make a big difference later on. Trust me on this one.
Would like to shot the Mathews again and I think if I put the time in could but.

On a side note first went to Ultra in Grand Forks. Old doctor said I would not survive the surgery at my age and would not do it. I said really.
Quacks are out there. Small cut in arm, did it with cameras and he give me the pictures when done. Can see the string in these picturees and I guess maybe I do not trust it completely so I do favor the right shoulder somewhat and as stated shoot a crossbow.
Also get it done and do not waste time.

Hard to believe what they can do now days.
db

- - - Updated - - -

Reread your first comment and to address maybe what your concerns are.
Biggest thing for me was going into that tunnel. first time i asked for a blindfold which they said no but gave me earphones. After the second time in and wanting out again the nurse said she had others to work on and to get with it. I told her no problem bitch and to kiss my ass as i walk out. Different place for the second time and different machine and I took a nap that time in the tunnel.

Yes i heard all the stories, the fact you first get a shoulder block for pain besides being put to sleep, all the pain and all the pain afterwards.
Concern of tearing again and long recovery time. For me all that was BS and i guess to each their own.
Just go get it check out and if it is torn get it fixed and do what they say afterwards. No really big concerns to be scare of. db
 
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JayKay

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had my right shoulder done 6 years ago because of calicum growing from and old injury now my left shoulder is bothering me cant sleep on it taking ibprofin goping to have to have somthing done

Careful with that ibuprofen. If you tend towards gout at all, that stuff'll make it much worse.
 

BrokenBackJack

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I get a kick out of people who go to a Doctor wanting their opinion on something. The Doctor tells them the do and the don't and after they leave his office they don't do anything that was suggested to them to try. What in the heck did they go to the Doctor for in the first place if they weren't going to listen?
DB i too went through many MRI's. Never bothered me until after my third back surgery. After that i have super high anxiety and claustrophobic as all get out. Have to put me under for MRI's now and can't restrain me in any way. Twice i have popped up on the operating table while they were prepping me for surgery. Just laid restraints on my arms or body and I warned them not to do it before hand but they did it anyway. Up i came and i think most of them about filled their britches. They gave me a shot immediately and out i went! Never understood it before but now that i have it, it isn't something that i would wish on anyone. Just hope i never get put in handcuffs or restrained as i would probably tear my arms from my body to try and get them off.
 

db-2

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Hear you brokenback about claustrophobic.
what scares me most about death is being put in a box, with concrete on top and then dirt over that. maybe get burn instead. DB
 

guywhofishes

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I've never been a bit claustrophobic in my life. Then I had my neck scanned. So it was in the narrowest tunnel they make (inch or two above my nose). Longest 20 minutes of my life.

NEVER. AGAIN. (conscious anyway)
 


MuskyManiac

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My gut reaction would think you sprained your AC joint (separated shoulder). It would be real easy to tell if you had pain over that joint compared with pain over the side of your arm which could indicate rotator cuff. Or you can have a torn labrum. If it is separated and you have a step-defect over that joint you need to get your arm in a sling that provides compression over the joint so it heals even. If you let it heal with an offset you will get arthritis in there eventually and bone spurs which will cut into to rotator cuff, and then you will eventually need two surgeries--one to eliminate the AC joint, and one to repair the rotator cuff. Just go into to someone and get it evaluated correctly. You can't have an accurate treatment plan if you don't have an accurate diagnosis.
 
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Lycanthrope

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Old thread, but I figured I would continue it instead of starting a new one. Thinking I have a torn rotator cuff, right arm I cannot lift past 90 degrees, been that way for a decade at least, doesnt really cause pain unless I try to lift it higher than it wants to go. Left arm I have full motion on, wondering if its worth having surgery to try to fix, or better off just living with it like that, besides the range of motion issue, it doesnt bother me too much... Ive heard recovering from shoulder surgery can be a pita, and sometimes people wish they wouldnt have done it.
 

db-2

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tore mine and had it fix. First doc said i may not survive the surgery. Old doc who was going to tear the skin open to fix. So, i excuse myself from his office.

Next doc used camera and a couple of small cuts.

Went great, very little pain, did rehab and shoulder is fine.
Based on my experience, get it done. db
 


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