persistent shoulder pain, for years... should I get rotator cuff surgery? Your experiences with it?

Question

I have inflammation and pain in my rotator cuff, going back years. Now that I'm actively weight training again, it's really bothering me and affecting my quality of life. Before restarting weight training, the pain was merely a minor nuisance, something I could easily live with. I had it looked at, and the doctors basically said I could come in and get steroid injections every couple of months to manage the pain, or I could have rotator cuff surgery. I've talked to a few folks that have had the surgery, and NONE of them have anything good to say about it. They said the post-operative pain was bad, and it took several months or longer to heal. What do you think?

Answer 1

Basically you have 2 choices stop doing activities that cause you pain or have the surgery. The surgery consists of a plastic screw being inserted into the shoulder, the tendon is then weaved into another piece of flat plastic that is then attached to the screw to hold the tendon into place. The recuperation time is around 6 months and you'll need physical therapy during that time. It takes along time to heal because there's no way to actually reattach the tendon permanently. The plastic just holds it into place while the tendon reattaches itself to the bone. The pain of the surgery can be quite intense but pain medication is provided.
Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I have the persistent shoulder pain as well. Due to working out I have no cartilage in my left shoulder between the bones. My surgeon gave me cortisone shots for a long time but they did nothing. I was told I sould have rotator cuff surgery but that it may not make a difference so I deal with it. At this point I am so used to it that I don't think I'll be getting the surgery.
I wish you the best.

Answer 3

You should try acupuncture, it is the only treatment for almost all pains.