Orthopedics. Fracture or tendon tear. Not both?

[sebashocked]

Any wonderful MN experts around? Basically I dislocated my shoulder and fractured my greater tuberosity in the gym 3 weeks ago (hyperextension with a 6kg kettle bell) and had a follow up appointment today. I've rested my arm for 3 weeks in a sling and though it no longer hurts all the time, I can't raise my arm beyond about 10° in any direction and any movement is eye-wateringly painful. Instinct tells me that the pain is something tendon related rather than bone but the doctor today said that you either break a bone or tear a tendon but not both. Is that really true? I've had ongoing rotator cuff/impingement issues in the injured shoulder for some time and this feels pretty similar though much more intensely painful. The fracture was v minor and according to the doc shouldn't be that painful. I'm going to follow his advice and keep the sling on for another 10 days before starting physio but I can't shake the feeling that I should get a second opinion. Is it really true that a fracture means that there's no significant tendon damage?

The pain you mention sounds just like I had with shoulder impingement, I couldn't move my arm away from my body without agonising pain. I did mine turning over in bed, I pushed my elbow into the mattress to push myself up & felt like something ripped, I couldn't breathe for the pain, I was so scared I rang 111, they advised painkillers & see GP as soon as I could. I couldn't sleep on that side, pick up shopping, empty the washer, dry my hair. My GP sent me for physio, I was still in pain, I had steroid injections but they made me quite poorly as I have ME/CFS & the adrenaline disagreed with me. I finally got a referral to see a consultant who did x-rays & saw a small tear in my rotator cuff & impingement in my shoulder, I had arthroscopic surgery to sort the impingement & clear out a lot of rubbish that was in my joint. Was only in about 4 hours from arriving, having surgery to going home, my arm was totally numb from a nerve block they put in during the operation, just 4 tiny wounds no bigger than 1cm & a sling for a week with gentle exercises to get things moving, 4 sessions of physio & I was discharged. That was 4 years ago, I don't get the sudden pain any more but I've got arthritis in my shoulder & it is still a bit creaky but I can live with that.

Sorry wrong thread..reported.