Sudden Bicep pain after rotator cuff and bicep repair
Posted , 62 users are following.
I am 6 weeks post rotator cuff/SAD/bicep tenodesis. Everything was going normal until today at 6 weeks when I was allowed to remove my sling. I slept fine and woke up with no pain. I got up, happily removed sling, went to bathroom, pulled up my pants and went to adjust pants by slightly reaching behind and got a stabbing, knifelike, cramping in my biceps. I went to lie in bed, struggled to put the sling back on...started walking to kitchen and the bicep started stabbing and cramping again. I almost passed out from the pain. I have called my Ortho (he was in surgery today) and sent e mail to my PT for advice and have not heard from either of them. I can do pendulums without pain and the shoulder flexion exercise carefully, but any bicep movement and it starts to cramp and stab at me. I am now scared that my arm will never get better and don't know how this good go from good to bad so quickly. Has this ever happened to anyone? I hope I hear back from my Dr tomorrow. I am really worried.
8 likes, 151 replies
hrkda916 ricochetred
Posted
Well I am scheduled for complete shoulder reversal replacement on the 26th of July. I pray this does the trick. All I’ve heard & watched on you tube, this appears to be a good thing. I’m praying it is. Will let u know how it goes
lashanda35558 ricochetred
Posted
lashanda35558 ricochetred
Posted
Hi, it's been 9 months since I've had my surgery, I am still in Physical Therapy and I am still unable to put my hands behind my back, or grip a rail to go upstairs, my question is how long after surgery were you able to do these? I know that everyone is different.
Rotator17 lashanda35558
Posted
I'm 9 months post op RCR (subscapularis tendon repair, biceps tenodesis, acromioplasty and Mumford repair). You might want to go back to the doctor & talk with him because recovery depends upon the procedure he preformed. I can get my arm behind my back and unfasten my bra but not as well as with the non-surgical arm. Gripping a rail to go upstairs is okay but I try not to use my arm to maneuver my body weight like I used to. I am trying to strengthen the rest of me so my shoulders don't have to do all the work anymore. I graduated from physical therapy at 6 months but still do the exercises and have just started to go back to silver sneakers at my gym (I'm 66).
I was concerned I was unable to stretch my arm all the way over to my other shoulder & the far side of the
opposite arm (give myself a hug). The doctor said that usually comes last and really a full year into recovery. I still have trouble with overhead arm strength and strength directly out in front of me...pressing things together, like using clippers in the yard.
It's great you can still go to therapy. If you re-visit the doctor he will probably reassure you and may want to tweak your therapy a bit to target the areas bothering you.
arj50436 lashanda35558
Posted
Everyone is different! At 5.5 months, I can get my hand behind my back but my active ROM is horrible. I can't lift my arm above my head.
In an ideal world, your physical therapist would be the best person to tell you what is going on, but the quality of physical therapy seems to have gone down a lot. I guess that they don't get paid enough to make a good living. It seems like good advice to talk to your surgeon.
toots83 ricochetred
Posted
Hi did u ever get any answers about your stabbing pain would love to know? Thank You Traci
claudia64090 ricochetred
Posted
Hello I'm in my 7 weeks after rotator cuff surgery, a tumor removal and about 16 calcifications removed as well.😔
yesterday at 5 am my bicep woke me up with sharp stabbing pain, so I have been in pain since then, percocet is helping for a while then the pain is back. therapy has been so painful and when I think that it cannot be worst well next day it is, however I can see how much I have been improving. I started PT two days after my surgery. Today while taking a shower I tried to reach the bar soap that fell on the floor , so I heard a snap coming from my shoulder 😔 but I did not feel any pain at moment actually it felt relieving 🙄. Do you think that I damaged an anchor? After dinner I took an oxy because of the therapy pain plus the bicep pain .
now I'm scared that I damaged the surgery, lucky me that tomorrow I have an appointment with my dr. Let's see what he says ( hopefully I just cracked my shoulder).
I'm so glad that I found people that I can relate to, I agree with everyone comments the recovery has been so painful . I had a sprained ankle few years ago but the therapy was not the horrible.
Sleeping has been challenging, being at home watching TV it has been ....My first two weeks after surgery I was only sleeping because of the medication , if you can called sleeping being seated the whole time.I'm getting frustrated and depressed, I have to take all of the medication to be better but I'm like a zombie 😪
I have been using the sling 24/7 since the surgery, so I feel trapped at home and trapped in the sling😥.
So tomorrow will be a big day, the dr will tell me if my shoulder is fine or if I damaged the anchor, my bicep has been with inflammation since day one so still the same plus the stabbing pains that I'm feeling now, and he will tell me if I have to go back to work on 09/01😥
hopefully all of us get better,soon.
love and light for all you guys
jan34798 claudia64090
Posted
hi I am 68 and four and a half weeks post op. All good until the physio said I could remove my sling at night. i pushed myself up with my good arm and the operated shoulder clunked and there was a searing pain down the bicep. like you I am worried that i have damaged the repair but goodness knows how.
does any one else other than me have problems with the caps lock whilst typing on this site?
gettinginfocus ricochetred
Posted
i did not read through all the other comment....so sorry if the questions are the same.
have you been icing? i purchased an ice machine, i used it every day for at least 3 months. i could not take any drugs other then advil and arnica ( homeopathic)
i had a couple movements as well and most of the time it felt better.
good luck at the dr.
jan34798 ricochetred
Posted
Hi I have had a repair on the rotator cuff too and am four and a half weeks post op.
like you everything was going fine until I was told by the physio that I could sleep without my sling at just over three weeks. i woks up in the morning and pushed myself up with my good arm and there was a clunk in the shoulder and searing pain down the bicep muscle. this has happened twice within a few days. i am wearing the sling again at night.
I am worried that I have torn the tendon again but I don't really see how I could have done as I have put no pressure through the joint.
waiting for a reply from surgeon
ricochetred
Edited
Hope you all are feeling better. I was just reading most recent posts to my the thread I started over 2 years ago. yes, it has been 2.5 years since my surgery. Today I took a mountain bike ride (road bike ride yesterday) and worked in the yard moving over a dozen stepping stones and several bags of dirt, digging and lifting. So, there has been life after surgery. My bicep was sore after yesterday...too much lifting and digging. But it's much better than a couple years ago. I did not imagine I would be able to do the things I'm doing today. I can lift my grandson! Yes, there were some painful and dark days on the road to recovery. Just wanted you all to know that you will get through this and will have stories to tell about your recovery and I hope everyone will get to a place where you can look back and say, "it did get better, I'm glad I did it."
val07840 ricochetred
Posted
This is the best site to get an accurate picture of what a patient experiences..thank you so much..from Australia...Had rotator cuff repair with biceps tenodesis..on to my 5 weeks..
Hopefully I will get to say down the track ..it did get better and I am glad I did it.
steven17092 ricochetred
Posted
i am 3 weeks out from rotator cuff and bicep reattachment i have aching and burning pain in my bicep 24/7. Could it be cervical nerve pain from C6? thanks
steven17092 ricochetred
Posted
i am 3 weeks out from rotator cuff and bicep reattachment i have aching and burning pain in my bicep 24/7. Could it be cervical nerve pain from C6? thanks
jayjaypee steven17092
Posted
I guess it could be but doctor will probably want to do a cervical epidural to rule it out.
val07840 steven17092
Posted
I am 5 weeks with rotator cuff and biceps tenodesis..and pain achy burning is still a problem with bicep. I have found ice and regular pain management will ease the pain..somewhat. I was given Palexia IR for pain relief for week or so..then Tramedo at night along with taking Panadol Osteo..for day...