Rotator Cuff Injury

[Sarcelle]

Hi

About 6 months ago I started to get a sharp pain in left shoulder and arm, which has since become a dull ache, or full on pain if I jar it. Sometimes it is much worse than others, but it is always a niggling presence. I suspect I overexercised it. My left arm does not reach up my back much, so trying to undo a bra from the back is an impossibility. Putting an arm in a sleeve can be problematical particularly a thick coat, and flinging off a duvet cover with that arm is a no no. Sleep is a problem. I can't sleep on my front or back (ever not just because of injury, just not comfortable) so always sleep on my side. If I sleep on the damaged side, I go off okay but eventually wake up. The other side is not too bad to sleep on except if my other side is very bad, it falls forward and hurts even if I am not sleeping on that side.

I eventually went to GP and they referred me to physio at hospital. I eventually got an appointment and she diagnosed rotator cuff tendonopathy (spelling?) and gave me exercises and told me to come back in 6 weeks for more assessment/exercises. Since then the physio dept has closed because of COVID.

My exercises do not seem to be helping, my injury shows no sign of abating and it is one of those small debilitating things that is actually impacting on me. Ibuprofen does not help.

Are there any physios out there who can recommend anything to speed up healing. Has anybody else had this and it eventually went?

[justilou1]

There are rotator cuff exercises you can do at home with a ball and with a theraband if you have one. You can look it up on YouTube. Definitely start small! If you have a big enough tear, it will probably need surgery. Unfortunately, it is like a tear in cling wrap. It won’t knit back together by itself, and it will be stretched out and cobbled up on either side of the injury. Strengthening the muscles around the site will help, but if it’s torn, can make it worse.