Rotator Cuff Repair Pain

[tigerlilyx61]

Hi all. I am 4 days post op from a right shoulder arthroscopy rotator cuff repair in situ biceps and Deasis extensive glenohumeral debridement subacromial decompression acromioplasty. Whew what a mouthful. I am having significant numbness and so far I have not read anything about anyone's experience with this. Initially I thought it was the block they used ( and had myself worked up into a minor panic attack) but now I am thinking it's from swelling. Has anyone had this happen? I did follow instructions for tylenol and ibuprofen for the first 3 days regardless of having no pain and constant icing the first 3 days.

I can't start pt for 4 weeks and I will need to be in the ultrasling 111 for 4 weeks constantly. I am pretty sure my surgeon said he does not want me doing anything i.e. pushing, pulling, lifting, using arm to push off or anything that causes you to bear weight for 4 weeks but I am calling the office tomorrow about this numbness and will clarify that. Thanks in advance

 

[djklaugh]

@tigerlilyx61 Welcome to BoneSmart. It is a good plan to call your surgeon's office to check out the numbness. It might be from the swelling but given the complex nature of your surgery it could be something else. Does it feel like just the skin is numb or is it the whole arm? Are you able to move your fingers and wrist OK?

I sure hope your surgeon will be able to answer your questions and ease your concerns! Do let us know what you find out.

 

[tigerlilyx61]

Yes I can move my fingers. Yesterday it was not so great. At certain times throughout the day I could barely move them. I have a good radial pulse. The skin feels numb and tingly like when your foot falls asleep and then starts to wake up. And when I touch my skin on my arm and hand it feels numb.

 

[djklaugh]

@tigerlilyx61 When ever surgery is done and especially when done on joints, the nerves in the area get traumatized by being moved around, possibly stretched, and just generally irritated. It is possible for your arm to just have these nerves be sorting themselves out. It can take quite a while for traumatized nerves to get back to where everything feels normal. But do make that phone call to your surgeon!

 

[Figaro]

I’m at 6 weeks and had the same work done to my rat shoulder. That nerve that runs down the bicep under the elbow to the wrist has caused me a lot of pain but not really numbness. Until this week, when I rest my elbow on a counter or armchair, I get a sudden bust of numbness in my pinky and second finger., really weird sensation. I assume it the nerve healing. I would reach out to your doctor to make sure it didn’t get damaged or if it’s temporary. Side note, I started gentle physical therapy a week after surgery and it’s going great at six weeks. I also was in the ultra sling to totally immobilize it but gentle stretching by the therapist has really helped and even though it still have pain, I’ve become quite independent.
Good luck on your recovery

 

[tigerlilyx61]

I am now 2 weeks post op and naturally I am thinking about what I will be able to do and when I will be able to do it. I know everyone says to take it slow and I plan to but I have heard horror stories over the last week about people who re-tore their repair. It seems these people were all following physical therapy recommendations although of course I do not know this to be true.

With that being said please share with me your own recovery timeline. Another question...do you lift weights on the nonsurgical side?

 

[djklaugh]

@tigerlilyx61 While PT is necessary following shoulder surgery, it is very important to have a PT person who really knows shoulders! And one who will never push the shoulder or have you do exercises that are too extreme for your stage of healing. While I had replacements rather than rotator cuff repair the principles are the same.

What I did (with the PT folks agreement) was go in to see them every 2 weeks and I did the exercises they gave me diligently at home. The ones I was fortunate to have were very gentle and the exercises where a slow progress to strengthen and regain range of motion. For each shoulder I went to PT for about 4-5 months before we were satisfied that I'd gotten the optimum rehab for the shoulder. AND even after PT was officially done I continued to gain ROM as I used the shoulder more and more.

With tissue repair like rotator cuff it is even more important to take things slowly. I'd be very cautious about doing weight lifting even with the nonsurgical side as that can also strain your newly repaired parts. Remember you are in charge of your recuperation .... if PT is doing something that even starts to hurt STOP!

 

[tigerlilyx61]

OK so I am now 5 weeks post op from my shoulder surgery. According to my physical therapist I had the "works". My surgeon said that the rotator cuff tear was a large tear not a small full thickness tear that the MRI showed. I am pretty sure I tore it more at work one day. So I just started PT last week. I am going two times a week at this point with exercises to do at home three times a day. My question? How long is this pain going to be this intense?

 

[tigerlilyx61]

Is anyone else's pain amplified by weather? I am dying today and the only thing that changed is a rain system is moving into the area I live in.

 

[Jaycey]

I am going two times a week at this point with exercises to do at home three times a day.

Sounds like you may be over doing the exercises. If you in this much pain you might want to back off just a bit and let that shoulder settle.

You say your shoulder hurts worse today. Have you done anything new or lifted anything recently?

You will notice that I merged your newest post with your original recovery thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:

• That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
• If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
• Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.

Please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we will get it changed for you.

If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.

Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.

 

[tigerlilyx61]

Update: I wanted to keep a running update so other people who are thinking of or have just had this surgery might know what to expect. I am now 10 weeks post op. About a week ago I noticed the significant pain I was having started to subside somewhat. Don't get me wrong I still have pain but my physical therapist said this is normal and it would not be out of the ordinary to have pain up to a year.

Therapy is progressing slowly but it IS progressing. I am going 2 times a week and then doing my home exercises. I am only lifting max 2 lbs which feels ridiculously light but we are trying to prevent increased pain so I am trying to keep that in mind. I am slowly regaining my ability to raise my arm in front of me and I can see progress but man is it slow. The doctor told me it would be a long recovery...it just feels longer when you are going through it. Good luck everyone.

 

[Jaycey]

@tigerlilyx61 Sounds like you are making real progress. Maybe not as fast as you would like. But I'm glad you are seeing results and staying within your comfort level.

 

[mendogal]

Shoulders are incredibly complex joints so yes going slowly, progressing only as tolerated is important because a movement that benefits one set of muscles may irritate the opposite set.
From my relatively minor L shoulder surgery several years ago, the first focus was on slow steady improvement in range of motion, and then even more slowly working on strength. "Anything worth doing is worth doing well" definitely applies here!