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Some of you might recall I scattered myself all over the bottom of a cliff in a snow machine wreck up in Alaska last spring. I spent a month in the hospital in Anchorage, then most of the summer in a wheelchair. Well the legs are nearly healed so now its time to get the shoulder rotator cuff repaired. The surgery is schedule for December 4th.
Anyone had a rotator cuff surgery? How long did it take to get motion and strength back? How long before I can hit the pool?
I had my surgery on Sept 29 2008, I also had a compressed nerve that had to be released. With good PT , I am now working out with weights, flat bech, biceps, triceps and back. Hang in there, watch the prescription meds
Im going to try and avoid the meds, they were very hard to get off of after the leg surgery and recovery. They had me on a lot of morphine I believe it was. That stuff kills pain put it was not worth it.
So on the rotator cuff where you about 2 months? Could you sleep in a bed?
yeah, the sleeping is best done in a recliner for about a week or so, just remember as soon as the Dr tells you to move it, make sure you do or you can get what they call a frozen shoulder which is the build up of scar tissue.
Try going to slaptear.com - The Sports Injury Community - Home, it is a forum for tears and repairs and has tons of good info. I had a labrum repair done 6 months ago and am still in severe pain. Turns out there's debris in there causing issues.
The recliner will become your best buddy for a bit, there is NO sleeping in a bed (at least for anyone that I've ever talked to) and be prepared for the pain when the nerve block wears off usually 12 hours later. The mix I found worked well was hydrocodone and alieve at the same time, the alieve was a must to reduce swelling. Ice will most likely be your best friend.
Good luck!
AQHA....It is IMPERITIVE that after your surgery you "move" that shoulder as directed by your surgeon. As was stated you could likely develop "frozen shoulder". I had shoulder surgery 4 years ago. It works like new. However, it took 8 months to accomplish this. I had begun to think I'd made a horrible mistake by having the surgery as it seemed to me that is hurt as much as it ever did BEFORE the surgery. Then one day...all of the sudden, I realized, "Hey, my shoulder doesn't hurt anymore at all..." and it hasn't hurt since. It was like "overnite" 8 months later...I was "cured". I'm also an RN that works in surgery and was fully familiar with the procedure. We do lots of rotator cuff repairs. When I had mine I also had to have an "anchor" installed. It's a "pin" they put in to secure the ligament/tendon to the bone. Guess mine was pretty tore up!
Now...my OTHER shoulder is acting the same way...I asked my surgeon the other day if "rotator cuff syndrome" was "contagious".
Do the therapy that follows your surgery. It won't be fun...but it IS necessary for recovering your full range of motion. Recover well and do what you're told!
Ugg! After the spring I had I am so tired of being in hospitals... I hate to even do this but it needs to be done. I just dont know if I am mentally ready for this again-- oh well. No horse riding for me for a while-- that will be the hardest part.
Tomorrow is my last day at work before a five week vacation so that will give me some time to heal.
You'll do fine. It is necessary or you won't be saddlin' a horse or sittin' a saddle for a VERY much longer time if you don't go on and get it done. Take care of yourself. You owe it to your horses!
I had surgery 9-08 and I wish you all the best. The hardest part for me has been the loss of my independence. I, too, love to ride my horses and at middle age had just started competing for the first time in my life and had it all taken away.
The best peice of advice I can give you is to be very proactive in your post surgery care as you are doing now. I WISH I had gotten on-line to find information as provided here. I am almost 3 months post surgery and am in more pain now than prior to surgery. I had several small tears that were repaired, the bursa removed and subacromial decompression. I did not start PT until almost 4 weeks post surgery. Because of this I am on-line today looking for possible answers as to why I am not further along. I am beginning to feel that frozen shoulder has set in and I have a long recovery ahead.
My post surgery pain was really not that bad. I only took the hydrocodone because my husband basically force fed it to me. I had more ROM in the few weeks after surgery than I do now. So, please consult with a PT asap. Currently, I am taking ibuprofen and darvocets prior to PT (3x/week) along with daily exercises 3-5 times per day. Oh yes and ice and heat are my best friends. What I am also searching for is to know how much I should push myself during PT. I have dealt with 3 different licensed PT's and find they each have a different answer. Any advice here would be well appreciated. Do I only do the stretch until I feel uncomfortable or do I push through the pain and go with the "no pain no gain" theory. I really do want my life back. I am beginning to feel as if something was dropped into my shoulder during surgery.
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rotor cuff surgery
...I asked my surgeon the other day if "rotator cuff syndrome" was "contagious".
