Has anyone ever torn or partially torn their rotator cuff and recovered 100%?!
Question: Recovery to 100% and higher is definitely possible, it all depends on your physical therapy and recovery.
After surgery you will need to rehab the shoulder. Take this very seriously. Once you have "recovered" and the doctor signs off on your recovery KEEP DOING THE REHAB. That's the key.
I had shoulder surgery two years ago and still do the rotator cuff strengthening exercises. It really helps. Since surgery I've gained a solid 20 lbs of muscle and can push harder than I ever could before. It's because people ignore their joints until they injure them. My shoudlers are much stronger and more resistant to injury than they ever were before.
Answers: Recovery to 100% and higher is definitely possible, it all depends on your physical therapy and recovery.
After surgery you will need to rehab the shoulder. Take this very seriously. Once you have "recovered" and the doctor signs off on your recovery KEEP DOING THE REHAB. That's the key.
I had shoulder surgery two years ago and still do the rotator cuff strengthening exercises. It really helps. Since surgery I've gained a solid 20 lbs of muscle and can push harder than I ever could before. It's because people ignore their joints until they injure them. My shoudlers are much stronger and more resistant to injury than they ever were before.
yes, but requires supervised care by an orthopedic surgeon, and extensive rehab services to get total recovery. This is not an injury to ignore. It will not get better on its own.
To recover 100 % from a rotator cuff injury is impossible. It is a joint related injury and once you injure a joint, it will never be the same. I can tell you personally because I've had this injury paired with a third degree AC joint separation. In order to repair the injury, the surgeon first cleans the area with a scope and uses metal hardware and stitches that to effect the repair.
Someone who has this injury can recover with a good result, but the shoulder will always be weaker than it was before the injury.
Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
If you need rotator cuff surgery, get it. Just know that you are going to have long term issues with it. There will be pain which does not go away and you will have limits to your mobility.
Good luck
If maximum strength in the arm is needed for overhead work or sports, surgery may be needed. For a partial tear you may only need a procedure to trim or smooth "debridement".
The length of immobilization depends upon the severity of the tear. An exercise program will help regain motion and strength in the shoulder. This program begins with passive motion and advances to active and resistive exercises. Complete recovery may take several months.
ME!! I tore the left rotator cuff and 2 years later I tore the right rotator cuff. It took me a year each of continuous gentle exercise to completely recover.
The key is...............MOVE IT! It will hurt some, but you don't move it beyond that "ouch". But you have to move it TO the "ouch". Get it? If you don't force yourself to move it, it will eventually "freeze" and you won't be able to move it......ever.
Now, before you do the following, however, I'm going to assume this injury is at least a week old. In the beginning you would have been lucky to be able to lift your arm from your lap onto a table top in order to eat. I know I couldn't. I know I couldn't lift my hand to my mouth. I had to dip my head down to my hand to eat.
In those early days I sat with heat on my shoulder (heating pad with wet cloth under it) my entire day for 2-3 days. I lived on Motrin's (ibuprofens) about 400-600 mg. every 4-6 hours as needed.
The heat will encourage blood flow to the area so the injured cells can be taken away from the site and the ibuprofen can easily reach the site and reduce the inflammation.
You don't need to buy anything special, but here is what you do...
Stand close to the wall. Use your good arm to help lift the bad arm to the wall. At that point, put the palm of your hand on the wall and "walk" your two fingers further up the wall gradually and slowly, until you feel the "ouch" in the shoulder. Then walk it back down. Do it again at least 3 times.
Do this at least 3 times daily. Gradually try and increase the height on the wall until gradually over a period of months, you will be able to reach well over your head with your body against the wall.....believe me.
Now, stand sideways and do the same thing as above.
If possible, rig up a pully device somewhere in the house. My aunt had one already that she bought that fit over the door and had a rope (like a jump rope with the handles on it). When you pull on one handle, the other handle rises. Hope you can understand this.
Anyway, you relax the "bad" shoulder and arm. Grasp the handle which is all the way down. Grasp the higher handle with your "good" hand/arm and gently pull down which will raise the bad arm. Only raise it until you just feel the "ouch" in the shoulder. Don't do it too high. This "ouch" I speak of should not bring tears to your eyes, but it may wrinkle your forehead. Gently lower the bad arm.
Now.....I did all this because I am cheap.....I had no insurance for physical therapys, AND I refused to have surgery. I'm a nurse and I've seen too many surgeries that don't do anything except "freeze" the shoulder because people won't exercise it....they think the surgery will cure it all.
So, it's up to you. Doing it this way will guarantee it will get better but , like I said, it will take about a year to heal completely. Just remember.....DON'T BABY IT AT ALL!!
Make yourself use it as much as possible. Do your dishes, dust your furniture. It will let you know when you've gone too far. This will keep it loose. But don't forget to exercise, because this will force it to move a bit beyond under controlled conditions. If you don't move it a bit beyond, it will never heal beyond what you allow it to.
Good luck, and God bless
I am an RN