r/RotatorCuff

So I’m 10 months postop now and I wouldn’t say that my shoulder hurts. It just only does at night and I have to have the perfect set up with pillows for it not to wake me up. Other than that, it just feels weak all the time and I’m still preferring my non-dominant arm.

Is there a time when I’ll feel back to normal or is this just gonna be a permanent feeling of crunchy weakness in my arm? I’ve had a CT scan and they said it was healing normally from what they could see, but I haven’t been able to have an MRI yet.

I have rotator cuff & bicep (same arm) surgery lined up in July. I've been doing as much research as I can to be ready for afterward, and this sub has been a gold mine of good advice. Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's posted advice and their experiences, there's so many things you guys have talked about that I hadn't even thought of!

I had an acute injury in the gym about five or six weeks ago, come to find out I have complete tears of both the infra and supra spinatus. Oddly enough there was pain, but it initially improved and did not limit me to where I was back working out the next week and have been since.
It wasn’t until because of the compromise shoulder. I had a full long-head bicep tear that caused me to look into it and found all of these.

Now I am looking at a surgery for repair for all of this.

My range of motion is mildly limited at this point, and the pain is pretty mild, but it’s constant and I know it will only degenerate further if I do not get the surgery.

Can I expect to get back to where I am physically now after the surgery or am I looking at definite loss of range of motion and weakness, etc.?

Has anybody else gone through something similar and been in the same physical state as myself that can relate or would know what I realistically can expect?

This is horrible news that came on abruptly and suddenly, and I am absolutely not prepared for this mentally or psychologically.

I had rotator cuff surgery on 1/16/26. I had 3 tendons torn and retracted. Biceps tenodesis. Cuff mend graft. I was in a sling for 6 weeks. I have been in physical therapy since the first week in March. My passive range of motion has been improving weekly but my active range of motion standing and lifting arm is only around 90 degrees. Is this normal? How long will it take to regain my active range of motion? Trying not to worry but I don’t know what is normal or not. My next follow up with my doctor is June 8.

I've been experiencing shoulder pain since October, which I initially ignored. By January, after feeling a pop and a burning sensation, I saw a nurse practitioner (NP) who administered a steroid shot that only provided temporary relief. I underwent physical therapy for about two months, but the pain worsened. An MRI with contrast revealed what the NP described as a 50% tear, and I was referred to a surgeon.

During my appointment with the surgeon, he dismissed the NP's findings and described my tear as small, stating he would have opted for a steroid shot and physical therapy. But since the first round didn't work, He votes surgery. Despite his attitude, I agreed to surgery because I want to resolve this issue. When I inquired about recovery time, he made a flippant comment about my work as a teen services librarian, suggesting I could return to work immediately since my job involves sitting and reading. While I do have downtime, my role also includes decorating, organizing programs, and other physically demanding tasks, especially with Summer Reading approaching.

After the appointment, I reviewed the surgeon’s notes on MyChart to discover he contradicted himself, claiming I have a complete tear, which I find confusing. I decided to seek a second opinion from a new doctor next week.

Now onto my actual point. I’m worried that I may have further torn my shoulder or developed a new injury. The pain radiates through multiple spots. After I outstretched my shoulder recently, I was resting it when a sharp stinging pain radiated through the shoulder, I wasn't moving when this occurred. I was actually on my lunch break, sitting down (reading). I had my husband touch my shoulder to tell where I'm sore at. I am sore to the touch in the back and on the outer edge by the bicep. I am wondering if the doctor may have missed another tear or I made it worse.

I’ll be 79 in a couple of months and I’m in very good shape overall. I’ve been very strong all my life because I have been very active with my work as a Custom Wood Refinisher for over 50 years. During the course of my work and other instances, I have done some damage to my shoulders. Either one or the other will flare up after something I’ve done and it will be painful for quite a while and it eventually calms down if I don’t do something again. Both have full thickness tears, and I’m considering whether or not to have surgery on my left since it seems it’s the worst.
My question is: given my age and since I actually have good ROM and I just managed the pain from time to time, does it really make sense to actually do the surgery considering the long recovery process etc. etc. I’m thinking a little pain here and there now and then for the rest of my life might be fine. Being pain-free forever is nice but it sounds like it’s a pretty high price to pay. What do you think in weighing the two makes the most sense since since most of you have gone through the surgical route

The title says fall I mean punch my bad. surgery post op 8 weeks out. I have been punched directly on the shoulder last week. ive kept it in the sling with no problem up until today and have been icing daily. I did PT for the first time today since the punch and lord it hurts !! off the sling on the sling all the fucking time. its been swollen and is really swollen today. Do u guys think i messed up the surgery.

Hey everyone, looking for some advice.

I've been going to the gym for about a year now and recently switched from a PPL program to full body training. I was progressively overloading my barbell curls and went a little too heavy too fast.

My shoulder ended up subluxating three times during my sessions - it would partially slip out and go back in on its own. Visited an orthopedic doctor who recommended an MRI.

The MRI came back with the following findings:

- Suspected SLAP Lesion (small superior labral tear)

- Supraspinatus Tendinosis

- Shoulder Joint Effusion

- Subacromial Bursitis

- AC Joint Capsulitis

- Scapular Bone Contusion

I'm 20 years old and honestly pretty worried. The doctor mentioned physiotherapy as the first step but said surgery might be needed depending on how things progress.

Has anyone been through something similar? Did physiotherapy alone help or did you end up needing surgery? I'm really hoping to avoid surgery if possible.

Any advice or personal experience would mean a lot. Thank you.

I was 200kg bencher, then i torn my left supraspinatus, luckily not from the bone.
So they just sewed tendon to tendon.

It is still somehow awkward.

Surgery was 12/2025 so it is 5 and a half months.

Now im at 90kg/200lbs - which is super easy but somehow shaky and with weird feeling in shoulder.

Anyone who can share their experiences with benching heavy again after this surgery?

Any tips etc.

So, my surgery is coming up in a few days and I've been "practicing" doing things one-handed, by holding my about-to-be-surgical arm against my abdomen and trying to do everything else with the good arm.

But one thing I don't know is whether my hand and fingers on the surgical arm will be available for stabilizing (not lifting) things I'm holding with the other arm.

Like, it's much easier to open up my coffee container if I can grasp the base of it with two fingers while I twist the top off...or grip the bottom of the cereal box on the counter while I fiddle with the top of the closed box...are these things I'll be able to do?

Everyone has talked so much about how hard it is to do things one-handed that I guess I know the answer to this? But I also don't see how it would impact the shoulder to use my fingers to stabilize or grip things.

Please enlighten me!

I suspect I have either of these two things on my upper left arm or shoulder. I am going to see an orthopedic doctor and not sure yet if I will be either self paying or through health insurance if I apply and get accepted. I had this issue for a while already and had thought it was a nerve or muscle issue.

It wasn't until later on I thought if it's possible I have either of these two things. Is it possible to have both? The thing is do I go straight for an MRI for one area or both areas or should I get x-rays first? I know the orthopedic doctor will be saying what to do but you should always get an x-ray first? I know x-rays even when self paying doesn't cost that much money but an MRI costs a good amount.

The thing is would an x-ray indicate either of these two issues? Or would an MRI be needed? So if an x-ray shows either of these things or both, then doing an MRI is unnecessary?

Now has anyone here have no health insurance and paid for orthopedic visit and for x-ray and MRI's and then paid for surgery and thus self-paid for everything? I know when you self pay, it's cash price so the price is less as it's the cash price. Can anyone share how much they paid for either of these procedures including everything? I did read you will have to do physical therapy after this so it's going to be another 3k at least? So this will require you to go to a physical therapist every week for 2 or 3 months?

I know most people here probably have health insurance so their out of pocket costs isn't going to be that much though high deductible would certainly mean a good bit. But it would still be less than self paying right?

had rotator cuff surgery for a partial tear in Dec 2024. went through all of the steps to ensure full recovery. starting in maybe Jan 2026 i started to develop a dull ache in my collarbone that radiated to my shoulder. waited to see how persistent it was going to be and of course it hasnt gone away. Ortho gave me an xray and gave me steroids and sent me on my way. didnt say much just said it was “irritated“. hoping thats all it is. anyone else have this issue? i went through almost 2 years worth of hospital visits before they did my surgery only to be back at square one 2 years later.

I’m 28 years old and 14 weeks post op of a rotator cuff repair and bicep tendinitis, my repair was much larger than thought by my surgeon. My recovery is going very slowly ( everyone keeps telling me) I am doing all the right things plus more. But my biggest problem is my neck as I’m still guarding and it is causing a lot of pain and stoping the show most weeks as soon as we add weight or different exercises it inflames and causes headaches, light headedness and numb hands. I take my shirt off at the gym and stare in a mirror and try and stop the neck from activating but it is still hurting and causing all them symptoms, I was just wondering if anyone had this problem and how the fixed it ? Cheers

hi all, 40 y.o male.

I suffered a rotator cuff injury around 6 weeks ago playing pickleball. Went for an overhead and felt a sharp pain. I iced and rested for a few days before seeing an orthopedic specialist, who did an X-ray. He was adamant, based on the way I was walking and how straight my neck was, that I had a pinched nerve. As I "passed" his rotator cuff exam, he felt a rotator cuff injury was unlikely. He prescribed prednisone for the inflammation and was optimistic I would recover quickly with the aid of PT.

I have been in PT for 4 weeks and my therapist believes his assessment was wrong and that I did suffer a rotator cuff injury. Progress has been frustratingly slow. I am prepared to be patient, but I am increasingly thinking I need an MRI to understand the extent of the damage.

My broader question is whether anyone has experienced discomfort beyond the RC or the joint itself. My neck and upper body feel tight and uncomfortable, and my shoulder still feels "locked," as though it is putting pressure on the rest of my body. I am a little unsure what to accept as normal at this point, particularly given the initial misdiagnosis and the fact that my PT, though knowledgeable, is early in her career and tends to default to "everything is normal."

Any similar experiences or perspective would be appreciated.

Hi,

Male here 36 years old.

I will have my supraspinatrus repair with full thickness tear 1.1x1.2cm this coming Saturday. Is anyone have the same tear i have? What to expect after the surgery, how is the pain. What to expect after 6 weeks?

Thank you in advance.