Shoulder Surgery

[Neal]

My right rotator cuff is torn in three places, in addition to my bicep tendon. Guitar playing, and anything else requiring a functional right arm, has become increasingly difficult. I tried rehab, but it was not successful. I am left with a choice: surgery and its aftermath, or limited use of my right arm for the rest of my life.

The choice is easy. I go under the knife tomorrow. I have an excellent surgeon, who has already fixed one bicep tear, three trigger fingers, and both carpal tunnels.

Has anyone else had rotator cuff surgery on LTG, and if so, how long until I can strum a few chords again?

 

[Opsimath]

No past experience here, but wishing you all the best for a full and rapid recovery!

 

[GAD]

I had rotator repair and the second largest calcification the surgeon had ever seen removed from my right shoulder about 10 years ago. They used a nerve block which is bizarre because your arm gets paralyzed and you no longer feel it or have control over it. Waking up after surgery and seeing them move it around without feeling anything was *weird*. Warning - don't be like me and think, "It doesn't hurt so I don't need pain meds" because I woke up screaming at 2am when the nerve block wore off.

According to my physical therapist, the only PT worse than shoulder is knee, and I already had that so I was a pro. PT sucks, but my mantra was "I want my shoulder back" and today I don't have *any* shoulder pain on that side. The first couple of weeks suck because your brain goes into full-on guarding and clamps all the muscles tight. I actually found some of the exercises to be enjoyable like the arm-bike and the weighted bows. The worst by far was the PT "massage" where they would squash the muscles flat with their thumbs.

On the wall at PT there is a little ladder and you need to walk up the ladder with your fingers. You graduate when you get to the top (over your head) and on day one I could only do one or two "steps" at belt level. I remember the day I got to the top like the day I graduated school. It was a big deal. I want to say PT was maybe 2-3 days a week for 4-6 weeks.

As for guitar, there will be none for a while. Another milestone I remember vividly was the day I could slide my thinnest guitar (A Jackson super-Strat) under my shoulder so I could play again.

Good luck! It sucks for a while but it's totally worth it.

 

[HeyMikey]

Good luck Neal. I did have a rotator tear a bunch of years ago, but a few months of PT and several years of self PT healed it to 90% without surgery. Next time I’ll probably do the surgery. I hope it all goes smoothly for you.

 

[Neal]

Thanks, GAD. Very helpful!

 

[bobouz]

Keep a small & thin bodied electric at the ready, and hope your recovery is smooth & speedy!

 

[tonepoet]

Best of luck Neal.

 

[Stuball48]

Quick healing after your successful surgery Neal.

 

[davidbeinct]

No experience with rotator cuff but I broke my shoulder skiing a couple years ago. Do your PT it makes a big difference. I got most of my range of motion back. Ibuprofen will be your friend during PT.

 

[Minnesota Flats]

Do your PT when you get to that point: it's a necessary part of if you want to regain range of motion.

I didn't tear my RT, but did have to get bone spurs ground out of that area in 2006.

Best of luck for a positive outcome!

 

[Westerly Wood]

I pray for a speedy and full recovery, Neal.

 

[GAD]

No experience with rotator cuff but I broke my shoulder skiing a couple years ago. Do your PT it makes a big difference. I got most of my range of motion back. Ibuprofen will be your friend during PT.

I had codeine for mine for the first week or two. I didn’t need it much but even the therapists said to take it if I needed it.

 

[walrus]

Good luck, Neal!

 

[GGJaguar]

Best of luck and speedy recovery!

 

[Minnesota Flats]

They gave me Percocet, but I didn't use any: the prior 2 pre-op years were more painful than day one post-op.
If they give you Percocet, just be aware that one of the active ingredients is oxycodone, an opioid.

 

[West R Lee]

Good luck and best wishes Neal. I've got a torn left bicep tendon myself. I was fortunate to have the Dallas Mavericks team surgeon inspect my MRI last week. He said it's about 2/3 pulled away from the bone and torn. It makes it very uncomfortable to rotate my left elbow to form chords. Now the good news. This is the very beginning of prime golf season and the surgeon is a golfer. Not to mention the 3.5 acres I have to attend here, so he said that though it needs to be fixed, waiting 6 months won't hurt a thing.......the golf swing won't hurt it, just don't lift like a weight lifting curl.

I'll have surgery in the fall.

Charlie, my wife had the same calcification with her rotator cuff surgery. She was able to free it up with serious therapy.

West

 

[davismanLV]

Sorry to hear this Neal. I have no shoulder experience, and in my hip/knee replacements the knee was rough with PT, the hip I skipped it entirely. The physical therapist said only thing worse than a knee, is a shoulder, which is exact opposite of GAD's experience. But they can fix it and as has been mentioned, take the pain meds, especially before PT for best result. When that nerve block wears off, be ready for it. Best of luck, and report back when you're able!!

 

[RBSinTo]

My right rotator cuff is torn in three places, in addition to my bicep tendon. Guitar playing, and anything else requiring a functional right arm, has become increasingly difficult. I tried rehab, but it was not successful. I am left with a choice: surgery and its aftermath, or limited use of my right arm for the rest of my life.

The choice is easy. I go under the knife tomorrow. I have an excellent surgeon, who has already fixed one bicep tear, three trigger fingers, and both carpal tunnels.

Has anyone else had rotator cuff surgery on LTG, and if so, how long until I can strum a few chords again?

Neal,
Best of luck tomorrow. I wish you a successful surgery, and a fast and complete recovery.
I understand and sympathaize with your condition, as I have damaged rotators in both shoulders. However, I am not yet ready for surgery because I play hockey, and at my age (I'll be 76 next week), if I have the procedure, the time for recovery and rehab will likely mean I'll never play again. So until I retire from playing, I take Ibuprofin as necessary, and live with the pain.
I know this doesn't answer your question but if it helps, my sister had her damaged shoulder surgically repaired a few years ago, and it took at least six or eight months for her to recover full use of it.
Again, best of luck tomorrow.
RBSinTo

 

[twocorgis]

Best wishes Neal, and I hope you heal up quickly. I've got a few friends that have had the procedure, with varying success, and I hop you have a good outcome. Keep us posted!

 

[Cougar]

My right rotator cuff is torn in three places, in addition to my bicep tendon.

Wow. Best wishes, Neal!