Rotator cuff (shoulder) repair

[chickdiver]

Anyone had a rotator cuff repair? If so, how long before shooting is reasonably comfortable?

It appears that I have torn the subscapularis muscle in my right shoulder (had an MRI this morning to confirm the tear). I won't be able to get the MRI results and schedule surgery (if necessary) until Aug. 5- as we are leaving on vacation on Tuesday of next week. We have an LFI course scheduled for the weekend before Thanksgiving, and it looks as though if I schedule surgery before the end of August I should be reasonably functional by mid- November. Anyone have personal experience with this?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[JRG]

I had that surgery two years ago, the good news is that it took care of my pain and problems related to it, the bad news its a long and painful recovery, at least it was for me. As I recall I was in a sling for about 4-5 weeks (pain meds for about a week) and then started the physical therapy part of the procedure. I shot my pistol at about 5 weeks and it reverberated right up my arm to the shoulder, I fired two rounds and then stopped. I waited another month before I shot again. I did not shot a rifle and the thought of any recoil to the shoulder at that time would have floored me!!!! Maybe I'm a wimp......

but I doubt it.

I should definitely point out that my surgery was the 'open' as opposed to arthroscopic, and the recover time is much longer on the open surgery.

[wareagleky]

Been there done that. I would consult your Dr. and see what they say. Three months is a pretty quick heal time. Not to say it can be done, but I would hate to have to go back through the sleepless nights and pain of that surgery again because i wanted to get my gun off.

Check with your doc and do your P.T. that should make sure if you are up for doing it you will actually be ready for it.

Good luck with the surgery.

[aus71383]

Maybe get in some left handed training?

Austin

p.s. if my shoulder makes lots of little popping noises, and an occasional sharp pain, that's normal, right?

[Bark'n]

Contact LFI... They are reasonable people... more than likely let you reschedule for a different class unless your heart is set on that class date.

Talk about a class I'd hate to miss or reschedule... but you gotta do what you gotta do.

[Bark'n]

p.s. if my shoulder makes lots of little popping noises, and an occasional sharp pain, that's normal, right?

Oh yeah! mine does too... so does my neck, back and knees!

[chickdiver]

I don't think I need to reschedule. Everything I have read says that by 3 months out I should be very functional. I've had orthopedic surgeries before (ACL reconstruct and ankle reconstruct), and in my experience the recovery time they tell you is often very conservative- and not based on a very motivated patient (which I am).

[Bark'n]

Cool.... and btw... Good luck!

And we expect a FULL REPORT on your LFI experience this fall!

[Scrvoy]

When I had mine done it was 3 months to get back to work and then I was restricted to lifting no more than 5 pounds for another month. PT lasted about 5 months total. I started shooting a handgun after 6 months and it took well over a year before I was able to summon enough courage to shoot a heavy caliber rifle (7mm mag.).

[gglockster]

There are different ways that the operation can be performed. I had three small holes in my shoulder. The two things I did right that contributed to faster recovery:
1. Signed up for physical therapy before I had the surgery. I was then all set and was going to PT 2-3 times per week.
2. Planned out my recovery in advance and kept a positive attitude in PT.

The one thing that I did wrong in PT, I pushed myself too hard. I specifically asked about shooting and was told no rifle and to keep it to smaller calibers. I mainly shot 9mm and practiced a lot shooting weak handed.

I think in about 6 weeks after surgery that I was okay. I joked with the Doctor about the next time I'd see him would be for the other shoulder. No pops or cracks. Now a couple of years later, I do sometimes get that "I just ran into a door feeling". Most importantly, I now have more range of motion in my operated on shoulder than in my "good" shoulder.

IMHO, you should be okay if you have good Physical therapy AND you do the exercises. From the other folks who commented it seems that they may have had the procedure where the muscle is folded back during the operation, again mine was hi tech microsurgery stuff.

[Skye]

Good advice from all the posters above.

I ripped mine and had to delay surgery because of a broken back (from another accident). I could only lift my right arm slightly above the waist.

Rotater cuff surgery was a snap.

I have a great Doc and he insisted that I go through a bunch of rehab, which I did for about two months.

I now have 100% motion in right arm and shooting as usual.

Somehow I don't seem to have ANY desire to shoot the 12Ga anymore. Wimpy I guess but I don't want to have to go through all that rehab again.

...Skye....

[chickdiver]

The right doc makes all the difference in the world. I'm using the same guy who did my knee- and I really like him. First off - he specializes in knees and shoulders, he does mainly sports medicine, and the practice has everything in house from MRI to PT- so you get a very comprehensive treatment plan. He's also very aggressive with treatment. Like most sports med. guys he wants you up and moving (within reason) asap. I was mobile and weight bearing on my knee in 24 hours. 7 years out my knee is 100%.

The other thing- I still have 100% range of motion- it just hurts like hell at times. Most people tear the supraspinatus, which controls over the head motion, I tore the subscapularis which controls external rotation- the things that are painful for me are things like opening a car door or putting my hands behind my back. The repair should be done arthroscopically unless the MRI shows something really unexpected, in which case I may have to re-evaluate.