Anybody here with rotator cuff damage, past or present?

[GiantKitten]

If so, what did you do about it?

I've had weakness & discomfort/pain in my upper arm/shoulder for ages but only consulted doctor google last week. I don't think it's terribly bad but it''s my dominant arm so it's very hard not to keep using it all the time.

Should I be taking ibuprofen regularly? Should I be asking for referral for physio?

TIA

I’ve just been diagnosed with this by GP, I’ve to do exercises from nhs site and self refer to physio.

I can’t take lots of anti inflammatories due to asthma but even morphine isn’t helping so that probably wouldn’t help much anyway.

Luckily not my dominant arm, but I have 3 dc and youngest is under 2 so it gets used lots...

I had a rotator cuff injury just before my finals at uni. Had lots of physio and my physio strapped it up for quite a few weeks to hold it in the right place whilst I did all my exams. I then had to do exercises at home for a long time afterwards.
It also got worse again when I was pregnant and I had to have physio again and pain relief injections into the shoulder.
Now however many years later it still plays up from time to time and I have built some of the strengthening exercises into my normal exercise (when I actually get time)
My biggest mistake was not doing the physio exercises as often as I should.

yes, and I managed to drag it on for 2 years before going to the gp. was referred to physio, and the nurse gave me a steroid injection in it which was the most horrid painful thing ever. Injection worked though and I am now pain free in my shoulder, though it is still a little weaker than my other one (three years after treatment)

I saw an osteopath who really helped, and gave me exercises to do at home which also helped. Pretty much got rid of the pain.

I had cortisone injections in both shoulders, neither helped, despite one leaving me in agony and unable to get dressed for 4 days. However 12 months physio did help a lot. I still go every few weeks. I have to pay though, so not a cheap option.

Go to your doctor and ask for a referral.

Yes and I've had every treatment there is twice and tons and tons of over the counter painkillers over the years.
I developed a secondary problem due to overcompensating for the original (sports) injury and it's that which causes me alot of pain.

Recently had two rounds of acupuncture and the chap was a trained chiropracter and that really helped. But yep, it's a bugger alright. Physio is also good but I don't do it often enough.

I damaged mine after tripping while running for a bus. It got to the point where I couldn't lift my arm above shoulder height, and I had to have 12 sessions of physio at the hospital.

🙋🏻‍♀️ Except it’s more like 💁🏻‍♀️
I had physio and chiro and then a steroid injection. Nothing helped and finally a consultant I was seeing about my back refrrred me on
Shoulder specialist offfered a minor laparoscopic tidy up as mri showed some partial tears
Turned into 4 hr surgery when he found that 2!tendons including the supra has completely detached and retracted into my bicep and a third was hanging by a thread
Also had my collar bone filed down and shoulder ball plus bursitis oh and a cyst.
6 months recovery and it mostly doesn’t hurt but still can’t do front crawl movement
Get a scan.

Most painful thing ever. I really struggled with it.

Physio done properly will make a huge difference. Injured 20 years ago and never fully recovered as I didn’t do exercises properly or often enough, was left with considerable deficit.
3 years ago damaged again, had amatryptiline for the pain after a couple of false starts with other painkillers. GP thought Id dislocated as movement was so poor. Physio managed to get me back to 99% movement, I still do exercises very occasionally if I feel any weakness creeping in but rare these days.

If you can afford it, Id get private physio to speed things up to kick off, lots of self help on web but someone checking you're doing it properly will make all the difference.

Good luck!

I had it with my dominant arm. Doc prescribed naproxen (which is just another anti-inflammatory) and strapped it up to stop me moving it so much. Took a couple of weeks to get back to normal.

My mum has hers operated on but it wasn't successful. She ended up with a new shoulder. She is still in constant pain a year later.

An utter bastard, I've got constant pain in both shoulders from strapping down trailers. I don't think they're actually damaged, but I hadn't done any similar for years, and I'm pushing 60 now. Also I'm bulking up, and now the cuffs on my favourite shirts ride up, not mention looking like a f----g gorilla.

Damaged mine lifting noving boxes and experienced excruciating pain for nearly two years. I cant take Ibuprofen and nothing else seemed to touch it.

Eventually sought out a private Physio and within a month I was almost back to normal.

I was shocked when she showed me photos of how much higher I was carrying that shoulder and how easy it was to resolve.

@Flyingsouthwiththeswallows

Yes, I do that too, even now. I have to consciously try to realign my shoulders otherwise I end up in excrutiating pain. I've had to try and relearn my natural posture.

Gosh, reading these I realise mine isn’t bad at all - some of these sound excruciating, you poor things. Mine is age-related I think, I wasn’t aware of doing anything strenuous to start it, it just crept up on me.

Thanks for all advice, I will go to GP & ask for physio referral (there used to be a local place, DS1 went with a skiing knee injury but that was ages ago, but I’ll see what they say). Any exercises I’m given I will do religiously if it means avoiding injections & surgery!

I’m not sure about taking ibuprofen - I can take it, but I wonder if by masking pain it might lead me to cause more damage?

Doonhame I can’t imagine managing young children with this! Hope yours will improve quickly.

I damaged mine by giving myself a very embarrassing fall in the car park at work. I had pretty strong anti-inflammatory for a while, rest and later physio. It took ages to completely heal but it wasn't too bad.

Had frozen shoulder with arthritis. It dragged on and on.... Physio suggested swimming. I was sceptical. I tried it and haven't looked back. If I don't swim regularly I feel the pain and swelling start to return.

If you only consulted Dr. Google then you don't truly know why the joint is causing pain. Shoulders can have lots of types of problems (not just rotar cuff damage). Each problem has its own best forms of treatment.

My shoulders started being a problem 6 yrs ago. X-ray ruled out osteoarthritis, Dr. suggested physio. I had one session of private physio and did exercises for months but they didn't seem to help. My shoulder isn't getting worse so I suppose I'm waiting for it to degrade enough that a more obvious treatment is offered. I don't use painkillers for it. I really only find it a problem when trying to sleep (painful to lie on my side but don't like to sleep on back or front).

I love the ... Bill & Bob? physio videos on Youtube & have followed a lot of their advice about what not to do to aggravate mine (no carrying carrier bags, for instance).

I've spoken to lots of people who had steroid injections or surgery for their bad shoulders, one gal even talked about shoulder joint replacements, but I don't know how bad it has to be to get those. Frozen I guess, for a start.

Physio in a pool, gentle movements, massage, painkillers, a steroid injection (which wasn't pleasant, but a doddle compared to one in a buggered ankle joint and only sorted the bit that was injected, not the equally fucked bit at the front) - and time. Lots of time, about a year for pain to reduce and then another six months of gently mobilising and strengthening/increasing range of movement before I could say with certainty that it was painfree.

Shoulder injuries are a bastard and surgical treatments have a poor success rate, especially for frozen shoulder. My only absolute is NEVER FORCE THROUGH THE PAIN. Because that just makes it worse and increases the healing period, along with making it more likely to dislocate if you're hypermobile which, in comparison, is an absolute fucking cunt. (That happened following the first rotator cuff injury that I tried to push through, rather than allow to heal).

See your GP. Although they don't like it long term, when it really hurts, sticking it into an across the chest sling that takes the weight on your elbow for a couple of hours can give you a break from the pain of Having an Arm. Do the exercises religiously. And learn to sleep on your other side before it gets so painful that you wake up during the night.

learn to sleep on your other side

How does that work if both shoulders are painful to sleep on? (meant with , honest)

@QOD exactly the same as mine scheduled for max 2 hour surgery ended up being 5 hours as they found much more when they investigated. I went from a 3 month recovery to 12 month but it was the best thing to do for me...only time it hurts now is when I get really cold! I would deffo insist on physio and a scan! Mine dragged on for 18 months before they decided to op as the steroid injections didn't work

I had this 6yrs ago, carrying dd2. I went to the gp, was referred for physio, I also did some. It made a big difference. I occasionally get twinges across my shoulder blade so need to watch my posture, particularly when exercising, but am fine now.

Oh, and learn to lift things properly and safely - no dragging/snatching at things, building up your biceps, triceps and back muscles so that the muscles designed for lifting are used, rather than grip strength and trusting on your shoulder to do all the work.

The example of a shopping bag is useful here - are your arms at full length, just hanging down with the weight of the bag, or are they bent and your bicep is bearing the weight? When you put them down, do you bend your knees and lower them to the floor beside you, thus keeping the weight at its minimum, or do you reach/swing out and let go when they're in front of you?

Every centimetre a weight is away from your centre of gravity increases the force and therefore stress on the supporting muscles. Carrying something at arms' length and out from your body is vastly more risky for joints, tendons and ligaments than carrying it close to your chest. Even poking your head forward slightly increases the forces acting on your neck hugely, to the extent of causing long term pain and even disability.

Yoga is brilliant, as is Pilates, when you're able to move. Swimming can actually be counterproductive if your technique is a bit shit, but the coolness of the water and support can help you gradually mobilise.

But Posture, Posture, Posture is the first rule in my opinion. Technique, Technique, Technique is my second. Get your posture sorted, be aware of technique and that gives you the best chance of recovery and not doing it again.

It's shit, though. I sympathise