Pain after rotator cuff surgery

 First of all I can’t believe your surgeon wants you to do “pendulum swings“ this soon!  You could really do some damage to your shoulder repair. But I’m not quite sure about his protocol. My surgeon did not want me to do anything for four weeks except for wear this immobilizer 24/7. Sleep has been nonexistent with excruciating pain. My surgery was January 30, 2018. I’m almost 6 weeks postop and just started last week doing stretches and hanging my arm like a wet noodle.  My doctor told me absolutely do not swing your arms. I think what happens is because the tear repair is approximately 15% per month, the rotator has not adheres to the bone yet. And by swinging that disrupts the repair. Can undo the repair.

 I did not take a shower until after my four week postop appointment. I was doing sponge baths with the help of my daughters. Now I’m taking the sling off during the day and resting my arm on a pillow and I find the pain is mostly in my elbow. But my shoulder does ache periodically. Last night I try to sleep without my immobilizer, and I was in such excruciating pain I ended up putting it back on so I could lay back on a 45° angle with pillows & a wedge and get a few hours sleep. 

 By the way I had the exact same surgery as you, I had a 95% tear, Dr said was shredded  with two anchors in place and calcium deposit/bone spur removed from the backside of my shoulder from a tear that happened 10 years ago.  

 Hoping to start physical therapy next week which will be my six week mark postop. I know everybody’s different, and every surgeon is different, but I think pendulum swings only three weeks in, sounds too soon to me. 

Good luck with it all... it’s a painful process but will get better after PT starts I’ve heard.

Hang on in there....

You sound just like me.  My surgery was 2-15-18 so I am 3 weeks post op.  I wasn't having much pain until I started doing the passive ROM and pendulum swings last week.  I'm not taking any big time meds, just extra strength Tylenol and ice ice ice.  I can't wait to start physical therapy in 3 weeks.  My experience with therapy is that they want you to be out of pain and will give you all kinds of help and advice.   Also I want to say the first time I  had rotator cuff repair 2 years ago, it seemed like I was in pain all the time.   When I saw the surgeon at 3 months, he injected some cortisone.  It was miraculous for me.  Took down the inflammation quickly and the pain was gone.  When are you starting PT?

Hello Jule. I've had a SLAP surgery back in Aug. and my pain lasted sometine. I'm still dealing with pain off and on; even in my neck which started 2 months after my surgery! I've had a few cortisone injections for pain, but it didn't last but a few days. Therapy was ok, but then as time went on, my pain only continued, and I just got frustrated. I'm about to have surgery again to have scar tissue removed and after therapy I should be much better! I'm praying, because I want to finally be able to do the things I enjoy or haven't been able to do in some time. I know everyone's body is different, and so is the healing process, but you have to take your time, and not rush things either! It could take up to 6 months for partial healing and 12-14 months for complete healing for shoulder surgery. Stay positive and do what you need to, in order for you to heal right! This is my 2nd shoulder surgery in the same surgery which was over 20 years ago, but this time it was more intense. I pray you can get sime relief real soon! Keep us informed.

I had the same surgery 17 weeks ago and the Dr that done the surgery never has gave me anything for the pain since the surgery was done. I have went to him several times and told him that I can't sleep because of the pain, he has told me every time that there is nothing that he can do or give me, for me to go to Walmart and purchase some Tylenol PM to help me sleep. I told him that I don't need anything to make me fall to sleep because I can go right to sleep,but within an hour I wake up in so much pain I can't go back to sleep.

He wanted to give me a cortisone injection in my shoulder the last time I seen him, I told him that he needs to schedule an MRI and find out what the proublem is before he does anything, well I went last Tuesday and had the MRI and this Tuesday I go back to see the Dr that has been telling me that there is nothing that he can do for the last 27 weeks, well I am afraid that if he says anything about having to do surgery again we gonna have proublems.

I had calcium in and around the rotator cuff. IT was a VERY painful condition. My surgeon went in and cleaned out all of the calcium, shaved some bone down , put in a suture anchor, and sutured the rotator cuff back together. I had my surgery on Sept 25, 2018. It is now 2 weeks and 5 days. The first week and a half was pretty painful . Im still in pain but not as bad as the first week and a half. I sleep in bed but have to have about 6 pillows to prop me up. I still cannot sleep flat. My sleep is still very interupted. And i imagine it will be that way for quite some time. At 2 weeks, my surgeon had me start PT. He starts with a tens unit and heat on top of the leads which feels good. I am doing some pendulum swings, but not a lot.. I am using some pully's to slowly pull my arm up with my good arm with the pullys. Im doing ok with that movement. My therapist is gently stretching my arm and shoulder which actually feels good when he does that. I have to wear my sling for 6 weeks. When i reached the 2 week mark, and went to see my surgeon, he said i always need to wear the sling for 4 more weeks except when im watching tv, i could rest it on a pillow or my lap and at bedtime. When i move my arm a certain way, I get a really bad sharp pain , bad enough that i would yell. So, Im guessing its from the surgery.. I hope. Im also having neck pain probably from the sling. And sometimes pain in the bicep muscle on my surgery side. Im a little concerned about the amount of pain that i have when i move my arm in certain ways. But, im fresh out of surgery, 2weeks, 5 days... so hoping its from that.. We'll see......

Hi Julie

Just to reassure you, what you are describing is quite normal. Calcium on the bone..... the consultant described the pain as having a shoulder packed with tiny slivers of glass, he was so right!

I went through everything you are going through. That was in November 2016. Even with excellent physio not fully recovered until October 2017.

However today I am decorating the whole house......steadily. I also have a partial tear in my other shoulder so any pain in either from any activity, I get the trusty stretching bands and do my exercises. I am on my 4 th set, they have been a great investment.

Good luck with your recovery.

i had my surgery sept10,2018 and i am in the same amount of pain as when i came home from hospital. i have 2 anchors as well, severe dibrevment but i cant sleep in recliner, couch , or bed, im just miserable. i start therapy this Tuesday and I am scared about that because of the pain. How you know if you have had a failed repair?