Gerryattrick

Since a nasty bike tumble last year in which I tore the ligaments in my knee, I've also had pain in my shoulder, but only when my arm goes behind my body, so it hasn't affected riding. I've had cortisone injections and six months of physiotherapy with no improvement, but following a scan last month I've been told I've torn the tendons on my shoulder and they will only repair with an operation to re-attach the rotator cuffs. I could live with the pain but have been told that without the op it could lead to other long term problems such as arthritis.

I've been told that recovery could take up to 12 weeks.

I've had a good year for cycling in 2013 and regained my fitness and strength, and planned to ride through the winter, but now I'm really fed up that I'm probably going to go into next spring having to put a lot of effort to get back to where I am now.

I'm not a patient patient so can anyone who's had this type of op tell me if the Doc's anticipated recovery time is realistic or pessimistic?

BlazingPedals

My wife tore a tendon in her shoulder as the result of a fall. She put it off, but eventually, it needed surgery. Get a second opinion if you want; but if it needs to be done, then get 'er done now. You'll be ready to go next season, and no worse off condition-wise than me, who takes every winter off anyway. Doc's estimate? Probably close; although there will be PT after that. You're going to spend the first week after surgery sitting on a couch with an ice pack on your shoulder. Spinning on a recumbent trainer will probably help the healing - once you're feeling well enough to try - by getting the blood supply moving.

Retro Grouch 

I don't have any experience with rotator cuff injuries. I'm happy about that.

That said, that wouldn't be a difficult decision for me at all. I'd get it done the day after Thanksgiving, and plan to be recovered and ready to hit it by March 1.

OldTryGuy

Get it done, relax and rehab, use an indoor exerciser and then get back to riding. I would consider you a better candidate for surgery than myself.

My right shoulder is bone on bone. Two orthos, one of which is strictly shoulder, have told me the same thing, "you need a total replacement." Time for rehab a year but does me no good since I have triathlons and other events....a full Ironman in 4 weeks, half marathons, marathons, 5Ks and 10Ks in Dec., Jan., Feb., March, 70.3 triathlon in May...etc.

The shoulder expert ortho looked at my pictures and said "we describe shoulder degradation as Minor, Medium or Severe and your shoulder is beyond severe" then he asked me what drugs I used for pain. Told him nothing since I don't like what they do to me but I do pump copious amounts of cinnamon, turmeric and other anti-inflammatory herbs, spices and foods. I might scale back in 2016 when I'm 66 and then have something done.

Make the time to have it done and enjoy your new life.

Velo Fellow

I'm 66 and would loathe "scaling back" just as much now as back when I was 63. I think it's definitely n+1 when it comes to retiring from what we love to do. However, I expect recovery time can only increase with age so prolonging this may not be best. Times and distances may erode with age, but not the desire to be out there putting in your best effort. Somewhere there may be a recliner chair waiting for us, but it's always over that next hill.

phoebeisis

I've also had pain in my shoulder, but only when my arm goes behind my body- I could live with the pain but have been told that without the op it could lead to other long term problems such as arthritis.

Your main reason for having the surgery-long rehab-is to prevent arthritis "could lead to long term problems-such as arthritis"
Ortho docs ALWAYS say this-have you hunted the internet for any studies comparing-no surgery to surgery-long term-this sort of injury.
In general-you won't find much.
If you are oldish-55 or older-might be better to just live with it.
I know a fair number of people who didn't have ACL surgery-lotta reasons-and many years later have no significant pain disability.They were told "increased risk of arthritis"-
If you are old-.....

Sasquatch16

I have had 3 rotator cuff surgeries and I would say Drs. estimate is pretty much the reality of things. I need anothe rone but am living with it for now.

roccobike

Been there, done that, took around 10 weeks to get back on bikes, but I healed very fast according to Doctor and therapist.
Advice: Once you are cleared to begin physical therapy, start it and do all the exercises the therapist gives you. Recovery is based on how much you adhere to the therapy. Total 100% recovery takes about a year but well worth it.
This is a good time to have the operation so that you're back on the bikes in the spring.

Oldoarsman

Had my right rotator cuff repaired in early November, 2011...returned to my computer-based desk job six weeks later...it was not easy...

Had three PT sessions each week beginning two weeks after surgery which continued for sixteen weeks. Was able to regain full flexibility with PT, but I was not allowed to lift anything substantial or think about riding again until April, 2012.

Fall is a good time for the surgery...the sooner it's done, the sooner you can return to riding!

Best wishes for a quick and uneventful recovery.

The best tips I can provide are to listen to your shoulder, doctor and PT following your surgery, and be diligent in your PT sessions...don't push your recovery...I made the mistake of lifting something I shouldn't have and set myself back several weeks.

digibud

Both of my shoulders have fully torn rotator cuffs. I made a bad toss with a bag of trash and the result was I couldn't even lift my arm. Doc said I needed operations on both arms but could try a shot of cortisone if I didn't want the operation. That was three years ago. I got the shots and did phys therapy to strengthen the shoulder and have had no problem since. I know that one hard, bad fall or jerk on my shoulder could cause me to need that operation but you might consider being evaluated for the use of cortisone. I know one person who was still suffering nearly a year after her surgery. Some people heal well, others can take a very long time and some never get back to full normalcy.

Don in Austin

I have a bad rotator cuff and certain stretches and an excellent personal trainer have kept discomfort well under control. i feel fortunate the orthopedic surgeon who fixed up my knee discouraged shoulder surgery. At my auto repair shop I have the young boys to wrestle out transmissions under a lift.

Don in Austin

david58

I would see if it is possible to alleviate the pain via physical therapy, that sometimes works. Most gents our age have rc damage and tears to some extent, it is an overuse injury in most cases. Sometimes PT will work and you can avoid surgery.

I had my shoulder traumatically injured by an idiot in a self defense class. The rotator cuff 98% torn and the labrum ripped, too. I was out of the sling in 6 weeks, but being anything close to normal took months. I would say I was "normal" in about 10 months - but I wasn't riding then so I don't know how cycling would have been impacted. In general, it totally sucked and I don't ever want to go there again.

Jewel

Ugh. I don't envy you. Yes, it is an accurate estimate of time. I'm 50 and got a second opinion since my shoulder's been frozen since 2010 (went through several cortisone shots, then had an allergic reaction. Shots didn't work anyway. Went through a year of physical therapy and still only had limited mobility, but could still ride my bike and was just able to reach high enough with arm to put hair in pony tail... all I really needed the arm for). Wasn't going to have surgery, but injured it again & MRI showed bone spurs & arthritis, and it was still basically frozen. I chose end of August (end of summer) to have surgery and I'm STILL in physical therapy with pool work & exercises and deep massage. This time I have a good physical therapist. I'm not supposed to ride my bike unless it's on a trainer (shhh... I've been riding to get groceries, because I've missed doing it so much). One of the key things is to do your exercises, and don't lift heavy things.

Best wishes on a good, successful surgery and recovery!

FrenchFit 

I'm not playing doctor, but mine was so bad I lost 50% range of motion and all my strength in my left arm, couldn't sleep on my left or back. Hating doctors / surgery as I do: I rehab-ed it at the gym, kick-boxing, yoga, did those PT exercises you can find on youtube. I have about 95% of it back now and I'm not worried about it at all. Bad news, it's taken more than a year and it was a painful process.

Whiteknight

In most cases damaged joints will go arthritic as one ages. With or without surgery.
In 1975 I tore an ACL in my left knee at work. Company doc jerked me around with the sprain/strain nonsense. I finally made him an offer he could not resist. I get a good doc or he gets a fast-buck lawyer. So in 1977 I had it repaired. By 1990 it went degenerative. I was lucky. Most of those who had the repair done around that time usually went arthritic in 3 to 5 years. At that time, and to today, they use surgery as the last resort. Some people can live a long time with a torn ACL while others cannot. The problem used to be that after the corrective surgery you had the whole leg in a cast for 8 weeks. Immobilized. That set the stage for the start of the degeneration process. How fast the joint tissue deteriorates depends on how the person deals with inflammation within the joint. Chronic inflammation speeds up the rate of tissue degeneration. The long-term outlook for the damaged joint depends on how hard it is used. Surgery or no surgery.
I am now 71. I must watch the repaired knee for signs of irritation that promotes inflammation. I was instructed to take up bicycling in 2003 to keep the joint from stiffening up and to strengthen the thigh muscles that stabilize the knee joint. Instructed to limit the amount of standing and pedaling. I must use platform pedals or the lifting of a clipped in pedal pulls the knee cap tightly into the joint. The soft tissue on the back of my left knee cap has frayed as part of the degeneration process. The knee is sensitive to bicycle seat height and its position relative to the bottom bracket.

Artmo 

I've had both rotator cuffs fixed by surgery after enduring PT and cortisone without a cure. The surgery was done arthroscopically both times and PT was started a couple days later. The PT is VERY painful at first and 3 months is a fair estimate for recovery. Make sure you do the PT as prescribed and you should have a 100% fix.

HIPCHIP

Everybody heals at a different pace. The more work you put into it, the better you'll be and the quicker you'll heal. You need to get the surgery done and find a good Physical Therapist, preferably one who is sports oriented, who will know how hard to push you. I recommend calling your local college athletic trainer and find out who they use to help with their athletes, as a sports oriented physical therapist will usually work with the team. It would be even better to connect with a physical therapist BEFORE your surgery so that you can start therapy early and have everything as strong as possible so that you'll come back even quicker.

You have to be a good patient to get back, and that means doing your exercises at home (save an old tire tube for a resistance band), putting ice on your shoulder for 20 minutes (then off for at least 40 minutes) to help reduce the swelling and pain (you can do that now too).

Research "Shoulder Rehab" on the internet and look for exercises and stretches and start doing them now, unless your doctor says not to.

Rehab is just like your riding, the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it.

Gerryattrick

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply. At least I now know that if I do go ahead with the repair I've got a long period of (often painful) rehab to go through.

At the moment I'm leaning towards having it done, but the way the NHS works here in the UK, I don't have a date for it yet as I'm on a waiting list. It will take at least a couple of months for it to go ahead and I can change my mind at any time.

I've been told it's a keyhole surgery procedure with a very high success rate irrespective of age ( I'm 66) and I'm glad to hear others on here say that their ops were a success.

CrankyFranky

My 60 YO wifelet had hers done this June- a three-tear repair, done arthroscopically by the best surgeon in our area. He had said to expect something like 5 months to fully recover. Previously, she had tried for two years to avoid the surgery, with PT, etc., but it got no better and continued to hurt.

It's early October now, and she's back to full range of motion, but even though she does her PT exercises religiously (and is quite fit for her age, exercises 3X a week) her surgeon emphasized that the muscles can easily be damaged again if one pushes too fast - so she's been told to stay away from weight training or yoga for an additional 3 months. So for her, it will be at least 7 months until she can be fully active with her upper body, even though her operation was a complete success and her recovery progress is great. These are relatively small muscles that can be damaged easily.

If I were you, I would definitely schedule the surgery. While the rehab may be painful for some, my wife's wasn't at all painful. Although she's currently experiencing some minor soreness, it's nothing approaching "painful". Some people have uneventful recoveries, and some ave a fair amount of pain.

I'm not sure whether NHS allows you to choose your surgeon, or even whether there is a comprehensive reporting there of surgical outcomes. Having had an unsuccessful foot operation which required a second operation by a more skilled surgeon, I do understand your hesitation!

Your outcome will depend upon how fit and toned you are, how sensitive you are to pain, and how skilled your surgeon is at avoiding other nerves in this complicated joint area.

One thing in your favor if you do have the operation is that cycling normally doesn't stress your shoulder much (barring accident!) - thus you might be able to cycle even if you can't weight train with that shoulder. My wife can already cycle, though she usually does this in a gym on a stationary bike.

As an aside, I was on a waiting list for knee surgery on NHS when I lived in London in the mid 80's, and back then, the wait time was 4 years!. I ended up moving back to the US two years before I would have had the surgery.

Best of luck, whatever you choose to do. I really miss hearing the larks in high summer in the English countryside!

colorado dale

the best thing you can do is schedule one PT appointment asap get a set of exercises NOW the stronger you are going into the surgery the quicker you will heal

billydonn

I had RC/labrum surgery at age 60 and was riding very carefully, short and easy in a more upright position in just a few weeks. Feeling bulletproof took a few more weeks. I did the PT exercises religiously. You could spend some time on a trainer and not lose too much fitness after your surgery IMO.

YMMV etc etc.

msujmccorm

I had my right one repaired and was hitting a tennis ball again at 12 weeks, playing tennis again at 14 weeks. They had planned to do mine arthroscopically but when he got in there he had to cut me. Just bear through the first few weeks of therapy and don't get impatient. I found a comfortable recliner was the only way I could sleep for the first 10 days or so.

John_V 

No surgery for me personally, but my riding buddy, who is 65, had his RC surgery about two months ago. He did all of his PT, as instructed, and did a lot of time on the trainer for the first two week post surgery. Last Sunday, we did a 57 mile ride and yesterday we did a 62 mile ride. He had to adapt to placing his hands on the bars, rather than the hoods, in order to keep pressure off his shoulder and rode one handed every now and then, but he is still riding.

ratdog

Fair warning,... my sports doctor warned me that arthroscopic shoulder surgery is one of the most painful ever experienced. Be prepared to take the pain killer they give you early enough before the nerve block wears off. I didn't take my doctor seriously & I woke up at midnight when the nerve block was wearing off & I started to spasm from all the pain. Also, as someone else suggested, a good comfortable recliner is what you want in the house. You will be surprised by how much your shoulder actually dips when sleeping on your back. Everyone I know that has had the surgery could not sleep on their back for a few days.

As far as PT, 3 months of therapy will regain your range of motion. I found that with torn tendons it took close to a year to regain significant strength. Of course that'll also depend on how much damage you did to the tendons. Also, tendons must be mechanically re-fastened as they do not get enough blood to heal. The best my surgeon could do was to shave off the rough/damaged ends after I shredded 2/3 of my bicep tendon.

Good luck with the surgery.

rydabent

Due to past accidents, I have had RC injuries to both shoulders. The first one was sore for a long time. Then I bit the bullet, and started my own exercise program with weights. I laid flat on the floor and lifted weights from hip to verticle, from above the head to verticle, and from straight out from the shoulder to verticle. I used light hand weights to begin with and gradually went to heavier weights. In site of a month I regained full use of my arm with little pain. When the second shoulder was injured I did the same thing with the same results. Right now I have no shoulder pain at all. IMO and in my case having an operation would have meant cost and more pain. So I really question doctors that say that you will never get better without and operation.