After Rotator Cuff Surgery-when will the pain end?

" I think we all have a tendency to hear and not hear or hear what we want to hear."

Yes! I believe this is very true. I know my surgeon told me, but I was sure it wouldn't apply to me so quickly pushed it to the back of my mind, I was, er, wrong.

I am 18 months out, and, my arm still aches, and I do not have full ROM, but close. It's also much weaker than it was before surgery, despite the gym, handgrips, etc. I suppose that will eventually come back.

The good news is the ache doesn't bother me anymore. The bad news is it's because my other shoulder is starting to badly hurt, suspect my osteoarthritis is tearing things inside me.

Honestly, no one told me. The closest I came to hearing about the recovery was when the nurse in pre-op said " you have rough 12 weeks ahead off you". Before I could reply I was out. I was anxious to have it repaired as it had been 6 mos and the first GP I went to blew me off. I didn't ask enough questions. Then the first time I saw my arm out if the torture sling, oops I mean immobilizer, I knew it would be awhile. That timetable was the best and worst info I got from this site. It takes time.

The pain can be relentless! Had my surgery in March of 2018, November of 2018 I slipped in the shower and fell out on the floor and broke the ball on my humerus. So here i am 9 months later and MRI yesterday and looking at a revision on my shoulder....ugh. Not looking forward to this, knowing what im look at.

WOW!! That must be depressing and frustrating piled onto the pain! I'm so afraid of a fall. I know it can be devastating especially at my age of 74. I do pray the best for you on your journey.

Thank you, I knew when i hit the floor it was bad. So very painful, never had a broken bone before . I guess at 55 im luckey. Just not looking forward to another surgery. I've never been in so much pain. I had my neck fused 3 through 7 and rotator cuff surgery was by far much worse. I say just hold on and take meds when necessary, especially before or after pt.

Oh no. You've had a time of it. I'm so sorry. Keep us informed.

Last week I took our very badly leash trained 65 lb dog to the vet. Not thinking I had her leash in my hand on my repaired arm and reached for my purse in the car. She took off like a rocket and really jerked my arm. Wow. But nothing happened to my shoulder. Whew. I guess the repair worked. 27 months later. But who's counting?!!

wow, ao lucky. Makes my arm hurt just to think about it...ouch !

This site is invaluable for those of us still in the throes of post- shoulder surgery. It confirms that there is light at the end of the tunnel, even though it can be a very long tunnel! I am almost seven weeks out of surgery for subacromial decompression on my right shoulder. I had a similar surgery on my left shoulder four years ago and I have never experienced pain like it. Even with childbirth there is an end in sight! Therefore learning that this time I didn't have a tear and it was arthroscopic rather than open, I hoped I would be in for a easier ride. The consultant did say to me post op, that although the incisions were less, there was still the same work done inside to sort the impingement. I think I heard this but didn't really take it in. In fact, the first couple of weeks I thought it was going to be a breeze by comparision. The physio at two weeks post thought I had done really with with ROM and was definitely ahead of schedule. She gave me more exercises, stressing not to overdo them, and I thought I was on the home run. At this point, with the increased exercises on board, the pain kicked in; horrible aching and night time throbbing and a real feeling of tightness when going through normal movements that up to that point I felt were not too problematic. When I mentioned this at the next physio appointment she said it's very common to have increased pain when the exercise schedule is steppped up. I was obviously way too complacent and very disheartened. I have had to accept that last time it took me a full year of recovery to be able to say I felt so much better, and if it is less than that this time, then it's a bonus. I think the hardest thing is trying to live a normal life when you spend half of the night awake and changing over ice packs turning you into a daytime zombie. I'm going to the gym twice a week - no weights or shoulder work obviously - as even if it doesn't do much fitness wise it keeps my head sane.So grateful to the posters on this forum sharing their experiences - especially in the early hours when things seem very bleak.

Have you considered an ice machine? If you're changing ice packs during the night it may be worth the investment. I found one on Amazon for about $125. However, it malfunctioned and rather than wait for a replacement I borrowed a Breg Polar Care Cube which was easier to use. It runs continuously and one fill up will last through the night!

Seven weeks post op for me was right around Thanksgiving last year. I wasn't having a lot of pain but i cried because i didn't have enough strength to snap the beans for dinner. ME who almost single handedly did our holiday meals! By Christmas I could snap beans but couldn't peel fruit for ambrosia...but it was progress!

HI Gwen. I did think about an ice machine but when i checked on Amazon it said they are no longer sold to non professionals. I was hoping at seven weeks post op that the night time pain would start to diminish a bit . However if it doesn't improve soon I may have to look into a second hand one physio told me today that it is still inflamed at this point Glad I only have two shoulders Couldn't be doing with this every few years!

Hi. You might also try a medical equipment supply store. I hope it soon gets to a point where you don't need it. Some how over the last week or so I have managed to strain the upper trap muscle on my surgical side. Thankfully there's no pain/discomfort in the shoulder. It just makes me even more cautious in using it and that probably adds to the spasm like tightness. My chiro worked on it today. It's Aspercreamed down and I'm applying heat. To your point about two shoulders, if this hadn't been my dominant arm I don't think I would have done it.

I spasmed my back muscles a lot when I was healing because I was twisting and using my back to protect my shoulder. Those spasms are miserable. Be aware and let it heal. Heat helped me a lot.

Thanks for your input. This is another reminder that even at this point-10 months-there's still healing going on!

I must admit there are times when I feel I would prefer heat to ice, but my physiotherapist told me that there is still a lot of inflammation at my stage of recovery and ice is a natural anti-inflammatory so I am worried I would do more harm than good. It's not too bad now, but the thought of ice packs when the weather is colder makes me shiver already!

Icing in winter really isn't any different as long as you dress for warmth and the room temperature is comfortable. For other issues my therapist has suggested the "heat/ice sandwich". Alternate heat and ice; always ending with ice. Works well.

I'm STILL dealing with this tightness/soreness/tenderness in my traps area! leaning head towards either shoulder, upper body twisting are painful. Pressure of any type-pillow, car seat back, etc-increases the tenderness. I've been using heat, percussion massager, topical rubs and rx muscle relaxers with good but temporary relief. What else can I try? I'm almost afraid to call my surgeon. Any suggestions?