I'm seeking advice from others on the pros / cons of moving forward with rotator cuff surgery. I'm struggling with whether or not to go through with surgery this fall. I'm a bit of a naturalist and skeptic of surgeons. But this injury has me in a tough spot. I fell skiing in January 2014 and took a hard blow to my right shoulder! I'm a 39yo female who is a total jock - I work out 5x per week and love all types of activity / sports. I compete in triathlons and formerly played college and semi-pro basketball. My goal is to be very active into my 60s-70s in triathlon, skiing, basketball (realistically only for the next 5-10 years), and strength training.
The MRI report from April 2014 says I have a 2.5 cm TV x 2.2 cm AP near full-thickness tear of the mid and posterior fibers of the supraspinatus. There is also undersurface fraying of the anterior fibers of the supraspinatus.
The surgeon recommended surgery considering I'm a very competitive athlete with a 90% chance of a full recovery and for an improved quality of life. He also said that rotator cuff tears (full tears) do not heal. I can only make it worse with another accident or overuse. At the time I visited the Dr in April / May 2014, I was having very bad pain at night. I gave up swimming altogether as the Dr said it could further damage the tear and I feared it worsened the night pain. I decided to hold off on surgery and see how I felt at the end of the 2014 summer.
I decided to see another DR for a second opinion in July 2014. He did not tell me definitively what I should do but recommended I do PT for 4-5 weeks and if there is improvement then reconsider surgery. If I do not improve then the PT will benefit me going into the surgery. He did say that rotator cuff tears DO HEAL with scar tissue..and this is as good as healing. I'm getting mixed messages from both docs on whether or not time and PT will actually heal the tear. Help! ;-)
Here I am with summer over and my partner & family asking me daily = "Are you going through with surgery this fall or not?!!" My night pain has subsided and I swam once for 15-20 minutes on August 20th and the shoulder felt 80%...ie. pretty good. I've done some basic PT typically prescribed for rotator cuff surgery. After 4 weeks of PT, there is still slight pain and limitation. I'm not crazy about the idea of surgery, but I know the shoulder is still a liability and I get occasional pain and limitation when I do day-to-day things like hitting a volleyball with my arm stretched out, lift heavier objects or children, or partake in athletic activities involving an outstretched arm or pushing overhead.
Has anyone out there with a full thickness tear decided to opt out of surgery? If so, how is your shoulder feeling today?
If I go through with the surgery and all goes as planned, will I still have functional limitations with swimming, overhead lifting or pushups, etc? With surgery, will I simply trade off one set of limitations and pains for a new set? Will the shoulder ever get back to 100%?
What can you all recommend?
Best,
Kathleen
The MRI report from April 2014 says I have a 2.5 cm TV x 2.2 cm AP near full-thickness tear of the mid and posterior fibers of the supraspinatus. There is also undersurface fraying of the anterior fibers of the supraspinatus.
The surgeon recommended surgery considering I'm a very competitive athlete with a 90% chance of a full recovery and for an improved quality of life. He also said that rotator cuff tears (full tears) do not heal. I can only make it worse with another accident or overuse. At the time I visited the Dr in April / May 2014, I was having very bad pain at night. I gave up swimming altogether as the Dr said it could further damage the tear and I feared it worsened the night pain. I decided to hold off on surgery and see how I felt at the end of the 2014 summer.
I decided to see another DR for a second opinion in July 2014. He did not tell me definitively what I should do but recommended I do PT for 4-5 weeks and if there is improvement then reconsider surgery. If I do not improve then the PT will benefit me going into the surgery. He did say that rotator cuff tears DO HEAL with scar tissue..and this is as good as healing. I'm getting mixed messages from both docs on whether or not time and PT will actually heal the tear. Help! ;-)
Here I am with summer over and my partner & family asking me daily = "Are you going through with surgery this fall or not?!!" My night pain has subsided and I swam once for 15-20 minutes on August 20th and the shoulder felt 80%...ie. pretty good. I've done some basic PT typically prescribed for rotator cuff surgery. After 4 weeks of PT, there is still slight pain and limitation. I'm not crazy about the idea of surgery, but I know the shoulder is still a liability and I get occasional pain and limitation when I do day-to-day things like hitting a volleyball with my arm stretched out, lift heavier objects or children, or partake in athletic activities involving an outstretched arm or pushing overhead.
Has anyone out there with a full thickness tear decided to opt out of surgery? If so, how is your shoulder feeling today?
If I go through with the surgery and all goes as planned, will I still have functional limitations with swimming, overhead lifting or pushups, etc? With surgery, will I simply trade off one set of limitations and pains for a new set? Will the shoulder ever get back to 100%?
What can you all recommend?
Best,
Kathleen