Im still open minded about this so please keep your comments coming. My doctor basically said the same as what TxBuck just said and it seems to make the most sense for my situation. Most of my year I can take it easy and "get by" except the sleeping is an issue. The real problem is once deer season preseason work begins and then the actual hunting I will NOT take it easy. Too many stands to put up, too many tposts to drive, too many feeders to fill, too much chainsawing senderos to do, etc. Deer hunting has become my life(pretty much) and I wont not enjoy it to its fullest. If surgery will allow me to do the things i need and want to do then i will likely do it.

Should be a breeze. Good luck!

Had my right shoulder done in 1994, rehab was a booger!

"should be a breeze." Thanks SA but ive only gotten one of those comments so im not taking that to the bank. Most have been pretty doom n gloom.

One thing to remember is co-morbitities play a big role in the healing/recovery. Diabetes plays a huge role. being healthy and not overwieght plays a huge role. Not trying to say there is a large population on the forum, but the self portraits of some of these guys makes me think I am at six flags over San Antonio sometimes....

When I had my shoulder done, as bad as recovery was, it was worth it. I’m a lot older now though, and it would probably be worse on me now than it was then. That said, if it needs to be fixed, waiting and aging won’t make it better. Probably will make it worse.

I don't know about the torn rotator cuff but I had a torn labrum with some bone spurs. Surgery was the easy part. The pain after was almost unbearable even with the medicine ball connecting to the nerves. Rehab tried every emotion I had at first, hurt like nothing I can explain. Eventually rehab got easier but will agree to stick with it and follow it to a T. I feel I quit doing rehab too early and now have some restricted movement, not a lot but enough to know I can physically raise my arm so high, it just doesn't go back any further. I can honestly say things would have to get really bad for me to consider going through that again. Worst pain of my life.

My doc never mentioned labrum. There is something slight with a bicep and said it shouldn't be much for him to fix when he goes in but not sure about it yet. He also mentioned bone spurs but said that would clean up easy while in there. Talked about numerous spots with fluid but said those would go away. Mentioned some arthritis but said nothing to do except replace shoulder but not bad so no consideration there. I have great discipline so I think I will deal with the PT as advised and the more it hurts or the harder it is I will likely consider it a challenge and just do even better(I hope.) Thanks guys, keep em coming. Evidently its pretty common so im guessing others can benefit from yalls experiences.

Don’t want to worry you, but my doctor said about the same thing. The repair was supposed to be a scope job. And the doc did something that I had never heard anyone else mention. He had a camera inside the shoulder, which I suppose is necessary if he’s going to see what he’s doing, and maybe to protect against malpractice claims, and he recorded what he did. He later gave me a copy of the video, in which he’s telling me as he goes along what he sees and is doing. It was a little creepy, as I was watching tiny bits of me float along in liquid, watching the actual inside of my shoulder, and I really had trouble watching it. Then, at some point in the video, he told me that this was a bigger job than expected, and that he’d “have to open me up”. That’s when the video ended.

Turned out that the muscle in question (superspinatus, or something like that) wasn’t torn but was detached from the bone and had to be reattached. I slept sitting up for maybe 2 weeks. One thing that I highly recommend is something called a cryocuff, which is a strap-on ice pack for the shoulder. You can cycle the water so that it stays ice cold. You want one of those. Trust me. In the worst case, where you can’t get one, you can borrow mine. Won’t be the first time I loaned it out. Google it up.

Thanks 603.

Many better options these days. Game Ready System, Squid Compression System area acquire that come mind.


Try to find a therapist that uses IASTM, and maybe a Shoulder Sphere.

Wednesdays the big day for the surgery. I think im gonna order one of the cyro cuff ice thingys that 603 recommended. I just glance but looks like they are $50 to 150ish. The Game Ready that was mentioned is thousands... Any advise before I order one. Or any other advise on rotator cuff surgery/rehab. Thanks a lot for all ive got so far.

Fingers crossed. Hang in there.

Check with your doctor. They usually have the Game Ready's for rent and they bill insurance.

The cryo cuff is state of the art... if this were 1950

Txhog, good info, tks. May do that for sure.
Bill, thks.

Don’t knock the cryo cuff. It made my life easier in the late 80’s. Man, that was a painful recovery.

Years after I had the surgery, the VP of HR where I worked came into my office to ask about the surgery. How bad was it, he said, and he was having both shoulders done at the same time. I suggested that both at the same time was a really bad idea. And as for the pain, I said that it was worse than I can find words to describe it. He went ahead and had both done. I spoke with him a couple of months later and asked how bad the pain was. He said “worse than I can describe”. I never liked him anyway...

To the OP: make sure they give you some big drugs to take home if the surgery is an outpatient job. When the surgery pain blockers wear off, you are gonna know it. Maybe if they just scope you, it’ll be less painful.

This ain’t gonna be fun...but you’ll be Ok...

Two Rotators on the right shoulder, one involving bone repair and one on the left shoulder, that was after a separated bicep on same shoulder. The first two wasn't bad and took the pain meds until the prescription run out. The third and last one on my left shoulder seemed to take longer. Interesting part was I was still playing disc golf during the whole recovery for all of theme, switched arms depending on which shoulder. I was never given physical therapy on any of them but I did do my own therapy with stretching, weights, light work and throwing disc's.

Best wishes on your surgery, you and your surgeon will be in my prayers. As for the pain, I hope yours is as pain free as mine were. I took only 1 pain pill and it only made me sick to my stomach. After that, nothing but Advil or Tylenol and LOTS OF ICE on two shoulders and a foot rebuild.

Wife had hers done, then when they were in there decided she'd need total replacement because of the bone wear from not getting it fixed sooner. So a year later she had to go back. As for sleeping, doctor recommended and it works, a mechanical lift bed, raising the whole top half just a little,,, makes a difference, not just with pillows.

I feel you !!! last couple years, I haven been able to clear the anesthesia fog, so many surgeries,

Keep us posted, do your PT, listen to your "real" Doctors, they are usually right.

praying for you

I have a question about you user name. I watched The Virginian on TV last night. A new rancher moved into town and started stringing bob wire. Are you against bob wire? What is bob wire?

Dang i missed the last couple posts. Bill I love the Virginian. A better example might be "Open Range" with Duval and Costner. Love that movie. If you deer hunted you might understand my user name better.

7am tomorrow morning I have my surgery. Sincere thanks to all you for your advise and kind words. Im not responsible for any posts I may try to make in the next few days. Never really taken any pain meds for anything so not sure about that.

Good luck!

And Bill, look up Barbed Wire. Everybody just says “Bob war”

I agree with this. I had left shoulder pain for many years, I thought there was basically debris in there, would crunch and grind and was sore 24/7. I had a bicycling accident where I landed square on it.

Then I got those evil blue bands. I thought for a few months I was gonna die using them. But then the pain just stopped after maybe 4 months of using them. No more crunching, no more constant pressure. And strangely enough, no need for continued targeted exercise of the left shoulder.

Get who ever is going to track your meds and such to start freezing hunks of ice now and get a supply built up. That machine is great but it sure goes thru a bunch of ice!