anyone ever tear thier rotator cuff?

[Force]

Well, i did it this time. Was doing some bench presses and i felt a pull in the back of my arm. the next day it was so painful i couldn't move my arm higher than shoulder height. its now two weks from the initial injury and there is still a slight burning in my arm/shoulder with physical activity, but i do have full range of motion back and it seems pretty strong now. Anyone ever have this happen to them? What did you do? how long did take to fully heal?

Ive seen my gp doc, but im headed to the ortho if this pain isnt gone in another couple weeks.

 

[Tango]

Yup. Been doing martial arts for the greater part of my life and was too stiff as a youngster and over exerted my shoulders and ended up tearing my right rotator cuff. I can empathize with you as it really is excruciatingly awful pain... Lots of people will tell you different things... treat it with cold, treat it with heat-- depends if you follow Western or Eastern methods I suppose.

For myself, while I have been to the doctor once or twice for this, I know that surgery is really the only solution to the problem and that is something that I won't do. I feel like more problems will come of that later on in life then learning to live with the injury, respect it and treat it accordingly.

I tore mine years ago and have flare ups from time to time over the years... sometimes not for 2 or 3 years and sometimes multiple times in a year. I can say that whenever a flare up does happen, there is rarely any particular motion or exercise that causes it so learning to avoid certain things never really worked for me. I can say however that the flare ups are far less painful and very short lived.

There are some really great stretches you need to learn to do for your shoulder using only a wall or corner... do them daily. Build the shoulder back up naturally and make it stronger again.... I would also go on to say that my doctor has tried to give me cortisone shots in my shoulder... Ive never let him. I dont think that is the right solution to the problem.... but that might be something you want to consider in lieu of surgery.

 

[aria]

Well, i did it this time. Was doing some bench presses and i felt a pull in the back of my arm. the next day it was so painful i couldn't move my arm higher than shoulder height. its now two weks from the initial injury and there is still a slight burning in my arm/shoulder with physical activity, but i do have full range of motion back and it seems pretty strong now. Anyone ever have this happen to them? What did you do? how long did take to fully heal?

Ive seen my gp doc, but im headed to the ortho if this pain isnt gone in another couple weeks.

I'm sorry to hear about your injury.

The ortho is the one who can tell you useful info. A GP isn't very useful other than pointing you in the right medical direction. I haven't had such an injury, but my dad is an ortho and I've had friends go to him for advice when this sort of stuff goes down and I listen in.

A rotator cuff injury is pretty terrible on the scale of shitty injuries. They do take a long time to heal and it's a very tricky area because you use it for everything, don't expect to start working out that area for a while. Some people can get away with PT and time, others might need surgery --obviously, if you ever get a doctor suggesting surgery get a second and third opinion. Never trust them --too many doctors that just want to get the insurance reimbursement for a surgery. A good doctor's first advice would be closer to "just live with it" than "let's start cutting" --trust me on that one, and that comes equally from my experience in law.

 

[Xian Xi]

Usually for torn stuff like that they just do an MRI to make sure it isn't extensive. You probaby have a small tear. All you need is some physical therapy. You basically just do motions to ensure that you get full range then the burning goes away.

The excercises that you need to do are pretty simple.

Do the hands behind the head, push your elbows as far back as you can then push them forward elbow to elbow while keeping your hands behind your head.

The other one is basically just stretching. Place the bad arm across your chest keeping your elbow locked and with the other arm push near the tricep area to stretch shoulder.

When I injured my shoulder that is what I had to do. For the head one, I had to do 5 sets a day and 20 reps each set. Take your time with it, hold the extensions for at least 3-5 seconds before doing the other. For the stretching it was 5 sets of 10.

Oh and when I had the burning feeling it was fun trying to pull start a chainsaw.

 

[brentsg]

It just depends on how severe the tear is. My sister had one and tried to live with it, but hers was severe enough that she couldn't regain range of motion without surgery. She went through surgery and PT and is fine now.

 

[Arcademan]

It just depends on how severe the tear is. My sister had one and tried to live with it, but hers was severe enough that she couldn't regain range of motion without surgery. She went through surgery and PT and is fine now.

My mom was the same way. She tore hers and went several month before deciding to have surgery on it. Took her about 4-5 months to the point where it was perfect once again.

 

[Scuz39]

yeah I would listen to your doctor on it...

 

[Force]

I do have full range of motion at this point and today its pretty pain free. I was doiing a series of rehab exercises as well, but it got sore over the weekend and i laid off. Going to get the orthos opinion before i start lifting again though. Also taking a shitload of joint/tendon supplements to help healing as well. Am shooting to start lifting light again 6 weeks from the injury (december 20th)

Just wondering what everyones experience was with it and how long before they went back to thier normal routine.

 

[Tango]

I certainly try not to let me stop me... when it is bothering me I just practice/train other areas...

Glucosamine Chondroiten MSM is a good call for sure... it's preventative medicine and some doctors scoff at the value of it... But I am a firm believer of the stuff.

 

[aria]

Whatever you do, don't push a particular deadline for going back to your routine if it doesn't mesh with what the doctor tells you now or with later follow-ups. It's not uncommon to make things worse in situations where people try to force it. Use it as an opportunity to focus harder on other parts of the body like legs and core --I know my legs and abs were a lot better after I sprained my wrist.

 

[Force]

Whatever you do, don't push a particular deadline for going back to your routine if it doesn't mesh with what the doctor tells you now or with later follow-ups. It's not uncommon to make things worse in situations where people try to force it. Use it as an opportunity to focus harder on other parts of the body like legs and core --I know my legs and abs were a lot better after I sprained my wrist.

Not a whole lot i can do in my routine with a sore shoulder, aside from situps and running. Docs are telling me about 6 weeks is average to get back into some light exercise (not only my own...im an rn and see quite a few at work). Sometimes way less, sometimes a bit more (2-3 months). Im going to push for an mri though. See how serious the tear is.

And i wont really be getting into any serious routine right away anyways. just really light on everything until i make sure the shoulder is stable and strong. Will probably at least half all the weight i was pushing, which wasnt all that much to begin with.

 

[Force]

well, after a couple days where the pain is relatively better i started doing the rehab exercises again. The joint is insanely weak.

Im doing one where i hold a 2.5 weight and press up over my head. if i do that for 20 reps i feel like the arm is about to fall off (not painful, just worn out).

I can do that like 100 times with the other arm and still feel fine. I hope this isnt worse than the doctors lead me to beleive....