Rotator Cuff Surgery-4 weeks post-op
Posted , 82 users are following.
First two weeks after surgery the pain was intense and I could not sleep unless I was in a recliner. Have been wearing the immobilized but have a tendency to remove it when I know that there is no risk of injury. I do wear it at night but find I can't sleep good because I am not a back sleeper. If I try sleeping on my side with a pillow under my arm my shoulder hurts more. My other problem is that I am 4 weeks post-op and I can only do 2/3 passive exercises. The one where you hold the wrist of your bad arm and raise it above your head is impossible! I can only raise it to my waist because of the pain. My surgeon told me I have to do it! Easy for him to say! Any advice would be helpful. By the way, at this point my pain is manageable with extra strength Tylenol and Tylenol PM's at night. It sounds as if that will all change when I start P.T. !
5 likes, 315 replies
scrapbooker56 KJean
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mia98887 scrapbooker56
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scrapbooker56 KJean
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I remember him. Just didn't know his name.
cathy87114 KJean
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Those of us who have been corresponding for a while can pretty much weed out the fakers and trolls. At over 6 months, I can do a lot more now, but I'm still careful. Bought a 40-lb. bag of bird seed the other day and, as much as I hated to do so, asked for help getting it into the car and from the car to the storage room. Now that Spring is here, I'm starting outside cleanup but draw the line at handling heavy pots and lifting anything that can pull on my shoulder. Next week, painting the floor of our screen porch which means using the surgery arm. I'm okay with having to stop sooner than I would like if it starts talking to me. I still feel weak, but getting back outside and doing things again will help - I know it!
grammie48 cathy87114
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mia98887 cathy87114
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You sound like me with the garden stuff & bags of bird seed!
I moved some patio furniture around a few days ago because I ordered a new table...BUT I only used my left arm.
I wanted to do something constructive. Then I planted some flowers.... again w my left arm only. Of course the next morning my left arm and shoulder was very sore!
I’m almost 9 weeks and I turned a corner last week as far as pain.
I’m sleeping at night (better) and icing only 2-3 x day now.
PT is a godsend...
cathy87114 KJean
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We just have to keep moving, right?! Right!! Dropped by the PT office the other day to say hello. You know how they become your best friends, if just for a while. The Dr. of PT wanted to feel my shoulder to see where I was in my recuperation. It was definitely "snap, crackle, pop." He said that it was scar tissue and that, after a year, if it's still like that to come back and he'd work it out. He's done that on prior visits and, as painful as it is, works wonders. Hoping by then (September) that this will be behind me and life will be "normal" again.
christine_61665 cathy87114
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It's been awhile since anyone posted on this thread and I'm wondering how everyone is doing. My repair was a year and a half ago and my bicep area is still achy. More in cold weather. I finished PT and felt pretty good 6 months after surgery. Then I decided I could use my arm the way I used to and backed off on my strengthening excercises. I have always been lucky and pretty strong. I guess that was my mistake so I have started using the weights and bands again. And shoulder pinches. Also I forgot that a box fan was in a doorway and sped right into it and had a pretty spectacular landing on my arms. Maybe that agitated my arm. My shoulder and movement are good and pain free. It's just the aching. It's not terrible I just wanted to know how all were doing, this is the best thread.
shelly95376 christine_61665
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Nice to hear from you - I have no issues and it is 20 months since my major rotator cuff surgery. I have full motion and strength. I do notice a dimpling toward the back of my arm - near a incision site, but I am not going bare shouldered any time soon
mark2121 christine_61665
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Christine hang on in there and jeep working with the bands. I had a full year repaired May last year and after a lot of pain and hard work upto about 95% movement so really chuffed. It is slow but you will get there. Please stop running into box fans!!!!!
christine_61665 mark2121
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Thanks for the response. Maybe I'll drop by and ask the PT for some advice. You know how you get pretty close! It's just the bicep belly. I can carry 40 lbs of dog food with no pain. Patience!!
cathy87114 christine_61665
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It's so good to hear how everyone is doing. I'm 15 months out from surgery and think I'm right where I'm supposed to be. Once my 1-year anniversary rolled around, I did a couple of things. One, I started working with a personal trainer who knows how to work with these kinds of injuries and is helping getting stronger. It has definitely helped my self esteem and attitude go up, as if seemed like I was watching my body age in front of my eyes. 2nd, I met with my PT for an analysis of my recovery. He also was pleased with my progress. What he told me was very interesting. He said it takes about 1 1/2-2 years to be totally pain free and that it can take 2-3 years for the grinding, catching, and all the other funky things in the shoulder to stop.
In spite of feeling so much better I was still having numbness in both thumbs and 1st two fingers while sleeping (enough so that it wakes me up from a sound sleep). The surgeon immediately said it was carpal tunnel, but with no pain, I am not accepting that diagnosis. I have returned to sleeping with a flat pillow under my surgery shoulder and am learning to sleep in a non-fetal position on my side. Since I started this, the numbness has disappeared. The PT called it "sling neck" not carpal tunnel. I believe it's probably a pinched nerve.
Finally, because of yoga I have 100% mobility in my shoulder. So many good reasons to do yoga. I started back as soon as I got the okay from the surgeon and PT (almost a year ago) and can tell a difference if I have to miss even 1 week.
Hope all of you continue to see improvement and good health.
grammie48 cathy87114
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Interesting information Cathy. I am 8 months post op for a reconstruction surgery. I started waking with numbness in my hand and sometimes my arm about 2 months ago. I talked to my PT and he had me come back for a couple of weeks and worked on my neck. It's no wonder we have neck problems with the sling and I had 3 shoulder surgeries in 2 1/2 years so I felt like I was in a perpetual sling. Anyway, the PT worked and I have not had any problems since.
I wasn't having any pain until a week or so ago and when I use my arm to cross over my body it feels like a pulling sensation. Good to know we should expect these aches and pains for 1 1/2 to 2 years and it is probably normal. I'll quit worrying myself about it. Otherwise, this was a very successful procedure. It was a long slow recovery, but worth it to have nearly full range of motion and virtually no pain
Good luck to all of you in this situation. My best advice is to be patient.
mia98887 KJean
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hey everyone I had my surgery January 30 this year 2018. I’ve been completely healed since September. No pain at all & stopped physical therapy in August!!
I’m doing great. The only thing I had, was some pain in my OTHER shoulder and I realize I was favoring it and not using it!
BUT the more I started using it the better it’s been. Good luck to everyone!!!
I am going to probably stop following now.
Simplymie KJean
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I’ve posted about this once before, but I would like to get a few more reply’s, and hear about others who have had similar surgery. This may be long winded, as I’d like to give as much details as possible.
I am 25, and a dealer in the casino business for the last 4 years. About a year to two years ago, I was having pain in a very specific area in my right shoulder, along with ALOT of clicking, popping, and grinding.
Come to find out, it was my AC joint. Several cortisone shots, physical therapy, and pain relievers later, I decided to have surgery, in hopes that this pain would go away, or get some kind of relief. My surgeon told me he shaved my ac joint, cleaned up arthritis, bursa, and any spurs I had, and also discovered I had a post labrum tear. I believe I got a couple of anchors and sutures, and was in the big sling for about 3 weeks before ditching it and beginning PT. Everything was “fine” and my ROM improved very quickly.
Well, here I am, 3 months post opp, and the pain in my ac joint area is unbearable..MUCH like before surgery. Minor clicking which I’m told is normal. And I have noticed the very large bump that was there before, is there, but minimal and still painful.
I am going on Monday, to get a second opinion, as my doctor doesn’t understand why I am still in pain. I have been referred to a rheumatologist, as I have bad cases of arthritis related diseases in my family. However, how can I possibly be in so much pain this late in the game? I’ve had a cortisone shot last month, which didn’t help. Has anyone had a similar surgery, that has experienced this, and hopefully got better?! Yes, I’m aware this recovery takes time, but to be in the same exact pain as before surgery freaks me out.
Any feedback would be great.