Torn rotator cuff... what do I expect?

Hey man! Shoulder injuries definitely suck and are not to be taken lightly, however if you take them seriously and stay up with PT after treatment they can be easier to deal with. I essentially blew my shoulder up from baseball and pitching. I had a torn rotator cuff, labrum, SLAP tear, among other things. I was in a pretty beefy sling for a couple of months and had this awesome machine you hook up to your shoulder and press a button and it automatically provided an ice cold pack without me having to hold it or anything. Also I was prescribed very powerful painkillers and did not take one of them post surgery. Everyone has a different pain tolerance and obviously reacts to surgery differently, but that was my experience. I did think it would be worse afterwards so I was thankful for that.

PT is the hardest part. Unfortunately for me I was young when it happened (around 13/14, i'm 25 now) so I kind of slacked off and didn't take it as seriously as I should have. Do what they tell you to do and give it your 100% if they tell you to do activities at home do it, if they tell you to get a gym membership do it. Our bodies are not to be fucked with and although I don't have any major issues from my surgery I do have slightly less range of motion in my right shoulder now. Best of luck with whatever you do and you'll be back healthy before you know it!

**This post was edited on Jan 5th 2018 at 10:20:59am

smash up a bunch of egg yokes and then smear it all over your body and then go out and lay in the sun so it dries to your skin.

@Lbird

I actually work at a physical therapy clinic as a physical therapy aide. I'm not a physical therapist, but I do know that most of the time the recovery for injuries are much quicker if people go through physical therapy as opposed to doing nothing after surgery. With that said, it's hard to know how fast you will recover or if it will go back to normal 100%. Rotator cuff tear is a tough one. However, physical therapist are the best in the recovery/rehabilitation field. If you do get surgery, most likely you will based on your description, I highly recommend you go through physical therapy afterwards. I work with a lot of rotator cuff patients customizing their own exercise program, teaching them exercises, and giving modalities. I can honestly say that they were way better off than the first time they came in. As for the time being, I have a few suggestions. If your shoulder is inflamed or swollen, try to ice for 15-20 minutes at least 3 times a day. Although heat will make you feel better, try to refrain from applying heat if your shoulder is inflamed. Heat will increase blood flow to that area and make the inflammation worse. When the inflammation or the swelling is improved, you can apply heat to help relax tight and sore muscle if you want. Although I mentioned these suggestions, nothing is better than the directions given by your doctor.

I wish you the best!