Just got the results of an MRI after sevevral months of shoulder pain and limited movement. Hasn't slowed my kiting but after a bad fall in the Dominican 2 weeks ago thought I should get it checked out. Several small tears and a large seperation. Of course the Doc wants to operate. Any advice or experiences would be appreciated. I hate the thought of being off the water all season and my work requires the use of both arms.
Thanks, Peter
Rotator Cuff Tear
Moderator: MK
Peter yea thats a tuff one. I have dislocated , Separated , torn both my shoulders and was supposed to get the surgery on each arm to tighten things up. I have not had the surgerys yet I dont like surgery and want to avoid it if possible I have been slowly rebuilding each shoulder trying to take it easy on them. Not really sure of the extent to your injury and every one is diffrent but you could just try letting heal until you have no pain then slowly start doing exercises that will strengthen the inner small muscles no heavy wheight s just soup can stuff... if you want a expert opinion see Freehill and Buss at the University they are the shoulder guys.
Sorry to hear 'bout the dinged wing, I cracked my collar bone several weeks ago and the doc was worried it might be a rotator cuff. I guess I still don't know 100% for sure, but it seems to be healing fine so I hope not. However, he was preparing me for the surgery route if it was the rotator cuff, because he thinks that's the only way to fix it and it would never heal right otherwise. 
That sux cuz I too do NOT like the thought of surgery. But if it's the right thing to do to get it fixed I would. Hopefully some other victims will share. Good luck & get well soon!
That sux cuz I too do NOT like the thought of surgery. But if it's the right thing to do to get it fixed I would. Hopefully some other victims will share. Good luck & get well soon!Mark F
Yep I broke my collar bone early this season and had a chunk of bone lodge below the break on top of my lung and in btween some magor veins the doc said it needed surgery but would probably be better left alone, and it was luckly. I have heard both bad and good with surgery for broken collar bones but now there finding its better to leave them alone . and yea in my case for my rotator cuffs im a little younger so they thought I can always still do the surgery down the road but its better to try to fix it with strenthening first. in your case peter you might want more than one orthos opinoin ? or youll just have to be cooking ribs with one arm for a bit and then enjoy the fall winds of milly.
I'll second what Jerry said about it being better than ever.
Each injury is unique so this is best determined by your favorite doc (I reccomend a sports physician and would think this is pretty routine surgery nowadays). "It sounds" like what I had done. I went 4 years with it progressively getting easier to dislocate. I thought I could limit my range of motion and "get by" but I grew tired of not being able to be as active as I like or competitive with sports (no overhead spikes or serves, no dunking, throwing, etc...). Then when it started to dislocate in my sleep and doing simple things like pulling a car door shut I took the surgery.
That was in 1995 and easily one of the best decisions I've made. Recovery sucked, I chose the pain over the pain killers (they basically left me drooling in bed and disoriented)
Again that was my shoulder experience. the better in shape you are now the better you will heal from the surgery. Plus, this may be a good time to get it done before the warm weather comes back.
Good luck with it. I'm hoping to get some riding time with you on Ripley (Ripley Riders!). Is your injury the reason why you've been flying over us kiters instead of joining?
Michael
Each injury is unique so this is best determined by your favorite doc (I reccomend a sports physician and would think this is pretty routine surgery nowadays). "It sounds" like what I had done. I went 4 years with it progressively getting easier to dislocate. I thought I could limit my range of motion and "get by" but I grew tired of not being able to be as active as I like or competitive with sports (no overhead spikes or serves, no dunking, throwing, etc...). Then when it started to dislocate in my sleep and doing simple things like pulling a car door shut I took the surgery.
That was in 1995 and easily one of the best decisions I've made. Recovery sucked, I chose the pain over the pain killers (they basically left me drooling in bed and disoriented)
Again that was my shoulder experience. the better in shape you are now the better you will heal from the surgery. Plus, this may be a good time to get it done before the warm weather comes back.
Good luck with it. I'm hoping to get some riding time with you on Ripley (Ripley Riders!). Is your injury the reason why you've been flying over us kiters instead of joining?
Michael
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Torn Rotator Cuff
MK Thanks for the comments. I got in to see Freehill at the Sports Clinic downtown and for now will do the PT route for starters. This is a bad time of the season for laying up a limb But without improvement I will do the surgery for sure. There are several issues in there.
I've been flying over some of the events trying to get some good pictures but no matter how low I fly I can never get the results I was hoping for by myself. I need to find someone good on telephoto to ride along and divide the work load. Kites look pretty small from the air.
See ya on the water. Peter
I've been flying over some of the events trying to get some good pictures but no matter how low I fly I can never get the results I was hoping for by myself. I need to find someone good on telephoto to ride along and divide the work load. Kites look pretty small from the air.
See ya on the water. Peter
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Hey Peter,
My name is Max and i'm almost done with my medical training as a PA (physician assistant). I have strong interest in orthopedics and sports medicine and have had the opportunity to meet a few great docs/pa's. I too have dislocated my shoulder, separated my AC, and broke my collarbone. Dr. Buss is probably the best shoulder doc in MN, and I have assisted in a few surgeries with him, however, his philosophy on shoulder injuries is to perform surgery as a last resort. He would advocate resting the shoulder and then going through physical therapy. If you still have problems after that, then do surgery. The tear will heal, but you may have some scarring. Even with surgery, you are still going to have to go through phsyical therapy. There are some specific exercises that you can do to strengthen and tighten up the rotator cuff and they only require soup cans. Anything heavier than a pound or two causes your deltoid to overpower the rotator cuff (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres major, and subscapularis). Dr. Buss and his PA (Vinh Dang) are now at an Abbot facility called Sports and Orthopaedic Specialists in Edina. They are all about doing whats best for the patient, and advocate conservative therapy before surgery. You can get ahold of them at http://www.sportsandortho.com or call 952-946-9777. Address is 8100 W. 78th street.
Orthopedists get paid big bucks for doing surgery, its what they know best and what they do, and most will advocate having surgery done ASAP. Don't make the mistake I made and have surgery on something that may not need it. An general ortho from Waconia told me I needed surgery on a 3rd degree AC separation, so I had the surgery (although Dr. Buss told me that according to the literature, 3rd degree AC separation do not need surgery). I had the surgery and due to how they fixed my AC by drilling a hole in my collar bone to cinch it down, it caused a weak spot and then I had a light fall and I broke my collar bone. My collar bone wasn't able to heal because the mesh from my surgery was caught between the bones. I waited 6 months for it to heal, it didn't, so I had to have my collarbone repaired with titanium.
So my advice to you is to get more than one opinion. See someone in the twin cities area and ask them what they think about "conservative therapy" before surgery. Every situation is different, but Red flags should go up if they try to schedule you for surgery in the next week or two. After spending time with Dr. Buss and Vinh Dang, I am a believer in surgery as a last resort. Surgery costs money, takes up a lot of time in recovery, and alot of time in rehab.
Think hard and do some research before commiting to a doctor or surgery. I hope this has helped in some way. Let me know if you have any other questions or need referals for other surgeons.
-Max Lundeen, PA-S2
My name is Max and i'm almost done with my medical training as a PA (physician assistant). I have strong interest in orthopedics and sports medicine and have had the opportunity to meet a few great docs/pa's. I too have dislocated my shoulder, separated my AC, and broke my collarbone. Dr. Buss is probably the best shoulder doc in MN, and I have assisted in a few surgeries with him, however, his philosophy on shoulder injuries is to perform surgery as a last resort. He would advocate resting the shoulder and then going through physical therapy. If you still have problems after that, then do surgery. The tear will heal, but you may have some scarring. Even with surgery, you are still going to have to go through phsyical therapy. There are some specific exercises that you can do to strengthen and tighten up the rotator cuff and they only require soup cans. Anything heavier than a pound or two causes your deltoid to overpower the rotator cuff (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres major, and subscapularis). Dr. Buss and his PA (Vinh Dang) are now at an Abbot facility called Sports and Orthopaedic Specialists in Edina. They are all about doing whats best for the patient, and advocate conservative therapy before surgery. You can get ahold of them at http://www.sportsandortho.com or call 952-946-9777. Address is 8100 W. 78th street.
Orthopedists get paid big bucks for doing surgery, its what they know best and what they do, and most will advocate having surgery done ASAP. Don't make the mistake I made and have surgery on something that may not need it. An general ortho from Waconia told me I needed surgery on a 3rd degree AC separation, so I had the surgery (although Dr. Buss told me that according to the literature, 3rd degree AC separation do not need surgery). I had the surgery and due to how they fixed my AC by drilling a hole in my collar bone to cinch it down, it caused a weak spot and then I had a light fall and I broke my collar bone. My collar bone wasn't able to heal because the mesh from my surgery was caught between the bones. I waited 6 months for it to heal, it didn't, so I had to have my collarbone repaired with titanium.
So my advice to you is to get more than one opinion. See someone in the twin cities area and ask them what they think about "conservative therapy" before surgery. Every situation is different, but Red flags should go up if they try to schedule you for surgery in the next week or two. After spending time with Dr. Buss and Vinh Dang, I am a believer in surgery as a last resort. Surgery costs money, takes up a lot of time in recovery, and alot of time in rehab.
Think hard and do some research before commiting to a doctor or surgery. I hope this has helped in some way. Let me know if you have any other questions or need referals for other surgeons.
-Max Lundeen, PA-S2
rotator cuff
I have dislocated both shoulders and tore up both rotator cuffs do to multiple crashes as a ski racer. The most recent was three years ago and following that crash I couldn't lift my arm above my hip. It took a year before I could sleep through the night or thow a ball again. It's been three years and I have no pain and fulll function of that shoulder. Full function meaning I can waterski. windsurf, kite, bike but most importantly lift a brew and even a fork. What more do you need? I recovered from all these injuries quicker than I would have recovered from surgery since rehab is quite lengthy. I was fully enjoying and participating in all my summer sports several months following these injuries. I know rehab, I've blown out both knees in the last seven years and went thru ACL,MCL surguries. Knees are a different matter; they support a lot of weight and we need them for our basic mobility. The rehab was 9 months but full strength took two years. Following the surgery you can't do much and its unbelievable how much muscle you loose during that time so you have to rebuild allover. The true acid test-are you still able to play your playstion or x-box? PS...Yesterday on the wac was great around 4pm! Thanks D.
Jim
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Re: Rotator Cuff Tear
One thing to keep in mind is that many times joint issues elsewhere (even if they are not currently painful) in the body can lead to shoulder issues. If you have an impact/crash it can be a little different some times, but most the exercises I help people with result in large increases in shoulder range of motion (ROM) in one session.
Personally, I would try many other options before surgery. If you have exhausted your options then find the best darn ortho you can find as it makes a HUGE difference.
I've successful fixed myself from a separated shoulder, completely torn shoulder, busted ankle, pulled groin/hip flexors, etc to just name a few.
If anyone is interested, drop me a line below. If there is not a huge change in your range of motion or pain in one session there is no cost. I don't think people should shell out their hard earned clams for things that don't work. Plus it will allow you to kite much longer pain free too!
Info at http://www.zhealthmn.blogspot.com/
Rock on and ride hard!
Mike N
Michael T. Nelson MS, CSCS
PhD Student, Kinesiology, U of MN
Z Health Level IV certified
Russian Kettlebell Certified Instructor (RKC)
"Using Science to Get You Results Fast"
http://miketnelson.blogspot.com and http://www.mikeTnelson.com
Personally, I would try many other options before surgery. If you have exhausted your options then find the best darn ortho you can find as it makes a HUGE difference.
I've successful fixed myself from a separated shoulder, completely torn shoulder, busted ankle, pulled groin/hip flexors, etc to just name a few.
If anyone is interested, drop me a line below. If there is not a huge change in your range of motion or pain in one session there is no cost. I don't think people should shell out their hard earned clams for things that don't work. Plus it will allow you to kite much longer pain free too!
Info at http://www.zhealthmn.blogspot.com/
Rock on and ride hard!
Mike N
Michael T. Nelson MS, CSCS
PhD Student, Kinesiology, U of MN
Z Health Level IV certified
Russian Kettlebell Certified Instructor (RKC)
"Using Science to Get You Results Fast"
http://miketnelson.blogspot.com and http://www.mikeTnelson.com