Supraspinatus rotator cuff tear/surgery

Was extremely painful recovery for me. Maybe because they filed down the scapula also. If it’s not bothering you can still ride. It’s not going to repair itself and takes a long time(several years) to atrophy to a degree where surgery won’t work. Maybe wear a shoulder brace. I was in a sling for a month while doing PT. Need to move it soon after surgery or you will never recover your range of motion. Think it was 2 months before riding with a brace. 

I have a tear, but much smaller it seems. Going to try PT before MRI. How bad did yours feel before being diagnosed at 90%?
I dislocated my other shoulder and had a tear but did not get surgery after MRI. Still took a long time to feel mostly healed. This time it has been 4+ months and only feels slightly better some of the time.

I’ll be following this. Hope it goes well for you.

Day after surgery felt like an elephant was standing on my shoulder.  Got off pain meds in 2 days.  Religious with therapy. Waited til the 3 month mark before riding again, no issues from then on.  

There are four separate muscle tendons that make up the rotator cuff group. You tore the most common one. May notice some weakness doing activities with your hand over head such as painting, brushing hair, throwing a curve ball.

Nothing to lose with trying PT short term. If it effects your job, then maybe consider surgery sooner.

I have had four shoulder surgeries. Each of them has had a little different recovery and outcome, but  not an easy surgery to recover from. You’re looking at one year for full recovery probably back on the  three or four months.

Don’t put off shoulder repairs. As an OT, I’ve seen this way of thinking lead to not even being able to wash your face (case dependent.) Who cares about length of time to get back to moto, if you can manage the recovery time off of work make the decision that will benefit every other aspect of your life down the road. 

Hardest rehab I have ever gone through (I had many) was complete rotator cuff (8 entry points) and a filed scapula (like Brocster above). Unlike Brocster, it took me 6 months before I rode (my Street Glide). I sold the HD immediately because I still thought I’d never fully recover and told my wife I was done with scooters. I currently have 9 bikes (no street bikes unless you considered a Grom as a “street bike”) and ride whenever I can…. LOL. 

Best decision I ever made and glad I did it earlier than later. ✌️

Had mine done in 2023.  Very painful after surgery, 6 weeks in a sling.  PT is key!  It was a year before I started getting back to normal.  Still gets sore if I over do it.  Get an ice machine!

I’m a lineman with power company and had mine done in 2018 and was a tough recovery but well worth it in the long run!! My job is hell on the shoulders and took me about 5 months to get back working again!! After a year I felt damn near 100  percent again but doc told me that you are repaired but never  truly 100 percent again so don’t be  too crazy!!

Thanks. 

My doc said a tear in the rotator cuff (supraspinatus) is allowing my bicep tendon to move and causing the bicep tendon pain. Who knows….  I just know this is hampering my getting back into riding.

I had problems with mine the last 5 yrs . I had another injection yesterday. There doing a nerve block injection ina few days.  It feels like a4 ft plyers pinching it 24/7.  

I had a different shoulder surgery (Labrum repair,) but I'm glad I did it. I had dislocated my shoulder 6 times and it was getting loose. 
I was off the bike for about two months after surgery, but I've never dislocated my shoulder since. Pain free and I have full range of motion. Definitely be religious on the rehab, as stated above.  

Wasn’t me with the filed scapula, think that was wildbilly.  

However,  the rehab exercises seem silly, but do them, do them often and don’t think more resistance more weight is better. Do the silly excercises as prescribed.  In saying that,  even though I rode at three months it was about a full year before I had full strength overhead. I have since fallen back a little on the weak side (overhead) as I have gotten older. 

Same repair along with having a ruptured bicep repaired last year. I started easy mountain biking at 4 months and eased into riding a turn track at 5 months on MX bike. Just have to consistently be working it out with therapy afterwards, but not pushing so hard your sore and letting it heal properly. Get the surgery scheduled asap, and work it out with bands/weights as much as you can before surgery as to hopefully prevent a lot of atrophy setting in after surgery to help aid PT once you start. I had an awesome surgeon that had a protocol on his website as to where you should be progressing weekly, hopefully yours does as well! Good luck.

I had mine done 6 months ago. I had a giant hole in my rotator cuff and my bicept was no long attached. Im at about 50% right now and just starting to lift light weights again. PT weekly but i do my own at home daily. 

I'm in the same boat as you. Crashed and tore my rotator cuff about 2 1/2 years ago, then finished it off in the gym about 6 months ago doing cable rows. I've been recently riding again but the shoulder is just screwed. All I can say is to get it fixed right away. Waiting like I did only makes the repair harder and with less chance of recovery. I've realized It's never a convenient time to have a surgery like this so just get it over with and on to recovery. My final diagnosis is a full and complete tear of the Supraspinatus and is classified as massive. Full and complete tear of the Infraspinatus, also massive. Both muscles/tendons are retracted about 3.5" away from the joint. Skin grafts will be used to reattach them. Also two tears of my labrum. At the same time a Biceps Tenodesis will be performed, which is where they relocate the biceps attachment point to the top of the humerus. That tendon got destroyed from getting hammered out because of the destroyed rotator cuff. Been told 6 weeks in a sling and 6 months without lifting more than 5lbs. My surgery is July 10th. Be curious to know how your recovery goes when you have yours. 

Forgot to mention that the nerve block wore off on the second day. I couldn’t take the pain. Opiods don’t help me. Insist on the external bulb so you can get relief longer. I have broken a femur, tib/fib, ulna/radius, several clavicles and ribs nothing was as painful as the shoulder operation. 

My nerve block didn’t take, I woke up in excruciating pain!

My rotator cuff is as bad as urs. maybe worse.  I have full tears in 3 of 4 tendons. Only the teres minor is intact. And a full tear in long head biceps tendon. Im 56. Doc says its not fixable. Wants me to do a reverse shoulder replacement when im older. I have an appointment with a private surgeon in a couple weeks. Im in Canada . The first Dr would be paid for by our health care system.  The private surgeon if he can fix this shit will be out of pocket. 

So long ago now 2010 both supraspinatus 96% tear & infraspinatus 80% tear. Plaster of Paris around waist like a floating donut arm in full plaster with stick holding arm up & away from body for think it was 5 weeks. Longer rehab as it was not keyhole. Yea get off pain meds asap. Well worth it & don’t wait as the muscles retract & it’s harder to reattach the tendons/ muscles. Don’t rush back to moto you’ll know when the time is right. 
I remember putting a pulley in our utility so I could pull my fixed arm up to get the range back .

All the best, P

I im 2 moths in with my Supraspinatus rotator cuff tear partcial tear said my doctor only have had ultrasound on it yet waiting for an MRI. it was very painful the first 2 weeks but after that the pain started to go away. my worst pain come from litfing tha arm straight out almost no power. but had good power and no pain turning the arm invards towards the body, but my doctor said that it should be more pain to turn the arm towars the body  where did the worst paind come for you?