Shoulder Surgery
Discussion
Hi All,
Ive been trying to avoid it for a few years and thought I’d gotten past the risk factor by working some serious shoulder strength and muscle, but a few days ago I dislocated my left shoulder for the 4th time. What was scary about this one was it was the first time it was a non trauma injury, I literally rolled over to get out of bed and it came out. Hurt just as much as the other times sadly.
I’ve come to the conclusion I will need to take on an operation. After the third dislocation a few years back i had a scan and it revealed both a Hill-sachs lesion and a Bankart Tear, but given it was mid-Covid and i was outside of private healthcare I had no option of an NHS op so i left it. I worked my nuts off building strength but i know the true strength of the shoulder is in the rotator cuff and clearly it’s lacking somewhere.
Key decision is when to take it on, would appreciate input from any one that’s had such surgery on how long you were out for. Right now, three days later i’m out of the sling as much as possible and have some movement but i’ve been here before so know what will happen over the next few weeks and i’ll be back to normal in 2-3 weeks. My thinking is am i best just to bite the bullet now and while i’m out of action anyway just have the surgery, or do i wait for a more convenient time? I think i’ll have Xmas in a sling if i elect for surgery now, and i’m not keen on that.
At the same time, does it make sense to get back to normal and then have to stop again?
Anyone had surgery on the rotator cuff able to share recovery stories and advice?
Cheers
Ive been trying to avoid it for a few years and thought I’d gotten past the risk factor by working some serious shoulder strength and muscle, but a few days ago I dislocated my left shoulder for the 4th time. What was scary about this one was it was the first time it was a non trauma injury, I literally rolled over to get out of bed and it came out. Hurt just as much as the other times sadly.
I’ve come to the conclusion I will need to take on an operation. After the third dislocation a few years back i had a scan and it revealed both a Hill-sachs lesion and a Bankart Tear, but given it was mid-Covid and i was outside of private healthcare I had no option of an NHS op so i left it. I worked my nuts off building strength but i know the true strength of the shoulder is in the rotator cuff and clearly it’s lacking somewhere.
Key decision is when to take it on, would appreciate input from any one that’s had such surgery on how long you were out for. Right now, three days later i’m out of the sling as much as possible and have some movement but i’ve been here before so know what will happen over the next few weeks and i’ll be back to normal in 2-3 weeks. My thinking is am i best just to bite the bullet now and while i’m out of action anyway just have the surgery, or do i wait for a more convenient time? I think i’ll have Xmas in a sling if i elect for surgery now, and i’m not keen on that.
At the same time, does it make sense to get back to normal and then have to stop again?
Anyone had surgery on the rotator cuff able to share recovery stories and advice?
Cheers
One of the characteristics of dislocating a shoulder is you become more prone to recurrence, as I'm sure you already know. I dislocated my right shoulder the first time when I was 14. I've lost count of how many times I've subsequently done it but it's no exaggeration to say it's over twenty. I've had two operations on it the first one became infected & led to a six week stay in hospital. neither op improved anything.
I'm sorry I can''t offer anything postive but my experience has been consultants promising the earth & the opposite happening. Obviously I'm a sample of one but personally I would avoid surgery unless there was no other option. It's a downer, I've paid a high price, being forced to give up, squash, football & cricket over the years. I particularly miss squash but can never go back to it. If you're set on surgery, speak to as many consultants as you can, gather a consensus before opting in. The shoulder is the most articulate joint in the body, the sheer range of motion works against you when you've weakened it through dislocation.
I'm sorry I can''t offer anything postive but my experience has been consultants promising the earth & the opposite happening. Obviously I'm a sample of one but personally I would avoid surgery unless there was no other option. It's a downer, I've paid a high price, being forced to give up, squash, football & cricket over the years. I particularly miss squash but can never go back to it. If you're set on surgery, speak to as many consultants as you can, gather a consensus before opting in. The shoulder is the most articulate joint in the body, the sheer range of motion works against you when you've weakened it through dislocation.
I dislocated my shoulder for the first time back in 2008. After that it regularly came out if I over rotated or extended it.
After the 4th or 5th time I eventually got a referral for surgery. From initial consultation to surgery took 16 months - and this was back in 2011 before there was all the current faff about waiting times etc.
Had keyhole done, and they started physio 2 days after surgery. Unfortunately for me it didn’t help, and I was doing something quite ordinary 3 months later and felt a ‘pop’ in my shoulder. Surgeon suggested it was the repair failing. Only option for me was full on invasive surgery where they’d lock it in place, but I would lose a whole range of motion from that, so didn’t opt for it.
I now manage it by doing plenty of shoulder strengthening at the gym and limiting sports/actions which I know cause problems.
If the keyhole works then brilliant. But for me it didn’t. Tbf I haven’t had a full dislocation in a while - normally I feel it slide out the socket and can manipulate it before it fully comes out.
After the 4th or 5th time I eventually got a referral for surgery. From initial consultation to surgery took 16 months - and this was back in 2011 before there was all the current faff about waiting times etc.
Had keyhole done, and they started physio 2 days after surgery. Unfortunately for me it didn’t help, and I was doing something quite ordinary 3 months later and felt a ‘pop’ in my shoulder. Surgeon suggested it was the repair failing. Only option for me was full on invasive surgery where they’d lock it in place, but I would lose a whole range of motion from that, so didn’t opt for it.
I now manage it by doing plenty of shoulder strengthening at the gym and limiting sports/actions which I know cause problems.
If the keyhole works then brilliant. But for me it didn’t. Tbf I haven’t had a full dislocation in a while - normally I feel it slide out the socket and can manipulate it before it fully comes out.
Unfortunately for me it is the most painful experience, i generally will go from excruciating pain to passing out for a bit. If it didn’t hurt and just came out now and then i’d deal with it. I have a consult on Weds, will see what they say.
Part of me thinks i can probably just do olympic levels of rotator cuff strengthening (which i’ve never really done) and that will make it manageable, then get it operated on in a few years when i’m less active. I’ve mistakenly tried to rely on the more visible control, so i’ve got pretty strong shoulder muscles but they are not the bits that stabilise the capsule and i’ve probably been a bit naive in not properly addressing the 4 rotator cuff muscles.
I know surgery has moved on a lot in recent years, modern techniques are generally considered very reliable but it’s the time out of action that bothers me. Clearly the consultant is going to say he advises getting the surgery done, but i’ll probe a bit as i understand anatomy and rehab, and i want to be properly informed.
Part of me thinks i can probably just do olympic levels of rotator cuff strengthening (which i’ve never really done) and that will make it manageable, then get it operated on in a few years when i’m less active. I’ve mistakenly tried to rely on the more visible control, so i’ve got pretty strong shoulder muscles but they are not the bits that stabilise the capsule and i’ve probably been a bit naive in not properly addressing the 4 rotator cuff muscles.
I know surgery has moved on a lot in recent years, modern techniques are generally considered very reliable but it’s the time out of action that bothers me. Clearly the consultant is going to say he advises getting the surgery done, but i’ll probe a bit as i understand anatomy and rehab, and i want to be properly informed.
For shoulders I will recommend Len Funk to be your consultant, he has worked wonders for me and mainly deals with high profile sports professionals.
https://www.shoulderdoc.co.uk/
https://www.shoulderdoc.co.uk/
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