anyone had recent rotator cuff surgery?

[Leafbuds]

If you've had recent rotator cuff surgery, how long did you have to wait for it? Did your symptoms worsen while you waited? Most of the information I find online is pre-2021, and things are very different now. I suppose it is probably very different at different hospitals and maybe with different surgeons but there might be some generalisations.

I've been referred to hospital by my doctor after physio and injections haven't helped; possible tear or impingement he thinks, might be recommended for surgery. If it's a repair of a tear, I think that's much more involved in terms of recovery than if it's just impingment decompression, but I don't think that would make a difference to waiting list. It seems to be deteriorating over recent months, and I have read that earlier surgery can lead to better results, so I hope the waiting lists aren't so long that it worsens in the meantime

I had an mri which showed impingement and had keyhole decompression, no idea what the waiting time would be, have you been referred to orthopaedics and been given any dates for a consultation yet. I spent 2 days in hospital but very strict physio daily, I was back at work about 1 months later but as a nurse in a physical job.

yes I have an orthopaedics referral for early March and an mri referral at some point but not sure when yet. I wish the waiting time would only be a couple of months or less but I suspect it will be most of a year or maybe longer, just based on what I've heard from other people have orthopaedic surgery lately, but I know it's quite different in different specialities. I have a very sedentary job luckily so hopefully can be back at work early on if needed.

It's painful isn't it, have you got some decent painkillers. Are you able to work at the moment, as a nurse I couldn't work for about a year waiting for mri, op and recovery

Yes the pain is awful at times, but primarily only when I move or try to sleep, which means during the day at work it is manageable, thankfully. It does affect my hobbies and exercise though, which is getting frustrating. I can't imagine how awful it must be to be off work for a year waiting! It's been over a year already, and I wish I could have been referred and put on the list just in case right from the start, but of course they can't do that. I take some anti-inflammatories as they help the pain at night, but trying not to take them the rest of the time given that it looks like it'll be a long wait. I took them for a while last year for a short intense course where I had omeprazole as well, but it doesn't seem to make all that much difference and so I don't want to risk any long term damage for that. I am lucky I guess that the pain isn't all the time - though I suppose that means they might not refer me for any treatment until it is! It is worsening when I do get the pain, but it isn't all the time, by any means, only when I move in certain ways.

Hello OP, I am in the samr boat than you but I have no idea when my surgery will be scheduled. Have you had yours? How are you feeling now?

Following

I dislocated a shoulder and after prolonged gym use, I get rotator cuff strains. After four months of recovery it's good to go again but is always the first thing to ache months of gym.

I have had it now, fairly recently. It was about a 3 month wait but I think I got lucky with a new consultant who had a shorter waiting list. It's too soon for me to know how well it's worked, though. I keep worrying that the repair is quite fragile and maybe I've moved it too far or put too much weight through it accidentally, but I hope not! I have physio in a month or so once it's healed up a bit more.

They don't always do a repair, from what I understand; they might just do a decompression surgery and remove the inflamed bits, unless they think that the tears are actually what is causing the pain. I guess a lot of people have the tears but that isn't what is making things hurt, so they don't repair them in those cases. I'm not totally sure how they distinguish!

I might still need the other side done as well.

Went private after 10 months. It was actually quite reasonable at under £5k for following week surgery, all included plus 12 weeks of unlimited physio and gym membership. Would have been another 8 months under the NHS and was too limiting to wait any longer. Also had injections, physio, etc. etc. and MRI scan.
Wish they'd done the scan at A&E (broken ribs too and other injuries at the time) rather than just saying it's not broken, it'll heal, here's a sheet with some exercises. Bloody useless.

I am so pleased to hear that you had it done. I hope the pain is ok? I aso have a displaced clavicle fracture in the same right side that is not healing. The consultant was great and made urgent referral for a MRI, however I am just not sure what is happening, I feel a bit abandoned😂 He said that I have a significant rotator cuff injury, nothing else, but I am very much unable to lift my arm more than 90 degrees, comb my hair, put my seatbelt on etc so it must be bad... I just want whatever it needs doing done as soon as possible so I am not worrying about it!

@AutisSon Pain was really bad at first - needed lots of morphine - don't let them discharge you with Paracetamol! Much better after 5 days and pretty much back to normal after op mid February.
You need to contact consultant and nag so they don't forget you. Good luck!

Thank you OP! I hope you recover quickly too x

I don't think mine was as bad as that - the impingement was bad, but the cuff tear itself was small - although very painful! Apparently size doesn't correlate with pain all that well.

I had morphine as well. they are reluctant to give you enough I find and want to wean you off it sooner than you might be ready, which is frustrating as it's quite a painful surgery from what I read.

I hope you can get seen soon, as if it's from a traumatic injury, which it sounds like yours is, there is evidence that it heals better if it's done sooner, so you might be able to get them to move you up the priority list. I was surprised that I didn't have to wait that long for the MRI - they did some kind of extra Saturday clinics and I got in on that really quite soon. It took much much longer to get an ultrasound and a cortisone injection, which you'd think would normally be much faster. I think my tear got worse while I was waiting for that.

The NHS physio is fairly minimal - a sheet of exercises, an appointment in 6-8 weeks where I think it'll be a new sheet of exercises, and similar as it goes on. When you go private - or the protocols in the US - you seem to be seem several times a week in some cases, where they actually do the movements and exercises with/for you.

I had a ski accident in February and as a result I broke the right collarbone, and elbow and dislocated my shoulder. Some ribs added to the broken bones collection too. Is funny but I was getting better with pain etc, I had a steroid injection in the shoulder in March which helped a bit for a month or so but now is becoming worse by the day. I've sent the consultant's secretary a reminder that I am still here and suffering and I look forward to hear from her. I am just taking day by day now:) So glad you are on route to recovery and thank you for your responses, I needed that! I will remember to ask for morphine😊 x

Found this thread searching for rotator cuff tear info. Ive had an ultrasound and waiting for an orthopedic appointment in about a month. Ive got a small tear, moderate bursitis and fluid on bicep tendon sheath? And pain of course.

@Rollerbird I am sorry to hear that you are struggling, it looks like what you have is making you sore. I ended up not needing surgery for my rotator cuff but my collarbone is causing endless issues and is now beyond any possibility of healing. I am having a distal collarbone excision (removal of part of the broken clavicle) and some artificial tendons first week in July and I am not looking forward to it, although I know I will be a lot better after the surgery. Shoulders are buggers!! I hope it all goes well x

Hi Op, how is your shoulder now?

I am still recovering; I've had both sides done now, one a repair and the other a decompression. It's taking a lot time to recover and there still seems to be a fair bit of inflammation or something that is continuing to cause pain. I'm hoping for another scan at some point. But it's much better than it was - I can sleep fine now which is a huge relief. It still hurts to move in certain directions, but everyday things don't cause pain unless I happen to do that movement - it doesn't hurt just sitting there not moving or anything. And some of the movements that I coudln't do before, i can now. So that is improvement, just slow and not as complete as I thought it would be. I suspect there is nothing more surgical that can be done, and it's just time, physio, and maybe injections that are left for me.