Shoulder Surgery

I went to the Doctor today to go over last weeks shoulder MRI. I was told my shoulder is really messed up. My rotator cuff is tore, bicep muscle needs relocated and my collar bone needs shaved. The funny thing is it really only hurts with certain movements.
Has any member had shoulder surgery ? Im kinda curious what I'm in for. The surgery is scheduled for 1/15/26.
I was set to retire 3/1/26 after 31 years at Harley Davidson. That has been put on hold.

I have had the collar bone shave on both sides. Recovery from that was nothing. Can’t help you with the other two issues, though I’m guessing a nine month down time. Is that what you were told?

Rotator cuff. Brutal pain. Long recovery.

I had a 7cm (which is quite bad, but there is a lot worse) tear in my infraspinatus & supraspinatus and had surgery Dec 23. I wasn't doing anything at all with that arm for about a month, and even then, I was doing more than I was supposed to. The recovery in terms of physio was at least a year for me, however I'm still doing work on it. As TR930 said, the recovery is pretty crappy. I had my hip replaced a while ago, and would rate the pain recovery on that 3/10. Shoulder was easily 7/10 (worse). I'm in good shape now, and not 50 yet...

Good luck with surgery. If they don't recommend it, get something like this, it was a game changer for pain management.
https://www.polarproducts.com/polarshop/pc/Post-Surgery-c497.htm

I had two shoulder surgeries on my right shoulder while I was in the military, one in 2017 and another in 2020. I tore my labrum twice and totaled about 12 shoulder dislocations. The first operation put anchors in my labrum; the second one rewrote the whole thing and added a biceps tenotomy. It sucked, but honestly the second surgery hurt far less than the first. I just finished ACL reconstruction last summer, so I can say neither of those shoulder ops came close to the misery of knee surgery. The best tip I can give is to dominate your physical therapy, Hydrate eat healthy; it speeds up recovery way more than you think.

Edit: My recovery was pretty progressive, The first few weeks of pain and getting ROM back sucked, once I had my ROM and focused on rebuilding strength it wasn't as grueling of a process. After the 1st surgery I was doing push ups by month 3. Keep in mind I was early 20s for both of these procedures.

P.S Orthopedic surgery has come a long way over the years.

I've had three right shoulder surgeries. First was my senior year in high school in May of 2002, then the second one was June 2004 and third was July 2004. Yes, you read that correctly.

I was a pitcher in high school and college. First one was a labrum tear. I was working out / prepping for a showcase at Notre Dame and some of the Red's pitchers were in to get some PT work done and I was trying to impress them and a few days later, something didn't feel right. I couldn't pick up a glass of water. So surgery was needed.

Second one was a minor rotator cuff tear. I was warming up in college to come in, felt my right shoulder get very warm and then I had no strength. Got it repaired.

Third one was a dirt bike accident and landed right on my right shoulder and tore all 4 tendons in my shoulder off the bone. That did my baseball career in. Couldn't throw over 80 MPH. Before my first surgery, I was low to mid 90s.

I still have issues to this day. I have arthritis bad in my right shoulder and can't lift anything over my head. Shoulder is very weak. But hey..it doesn't mess up my golf swing! lol.

I was just in the doctors office last Wednesday to get my right pec looked at because I pulled it laying down on my chest on top of the counter to move my oven / range up over a 1/8th inch plywood to put back into place and I immediately felt something. Went in and the doc said it's just a grade 1 sprain and will to an MRI on Monday, 11/24 to make sure nothing is torn but I passed all of the tests with flying colors. Just a little sore right now. So when he came back in after looking over my x-rays for the chest / shoulder area he said "damn, your shoulder is garbage!" I just laughed.

Also, playing sand volleyball last October, I stuck my right arm out fast to get to the ball and my right bicep from my shoulder popped. So now I have a golf ball size bicep when I flex. No pain with it at all though.

All in all, get the surgery and take care of yourself. Crush PT and do all of the exercises at home. The shoulder tightens up quick if not consistently doing the PT work.

Best of luck!

I had a slight tear, so probably not the same - but I got turned onto something called "Shoulder Reliever" (https://shoulderreliever.com/) and I thought it was worth a shot. I was skeptical, but read nothing but great things and gave it a shot. It cured mine 100%. My boss, who is too old to surf, but still loves to surf was talking about how it messes up his shoulder every time and I told him about it. He got one too and now swears by it too.

Not sure it could fix something that needs surgery - but might be worth a shot? And if anyone else reading this has a "crunchy" shoulder that gives them fits when doing push ups, bench press (I gave this up) or wakes them up at night - this thing worked like magic for me and my boss.

If this info can help anyone else - just passing it forward as it did for me.

Just coming off 1 year with complete left shoulder replacement. In at 7AM and home by 2:30 PM same day. Couple of things I wish I'd known.

They send you home with a nerve block good for 4 - 5 days. It works! Do not take any other pain meds while the block is going! Constipation is not your friend.

Try to have a comfortable recliner to sleep in for a week or so. Ask your doctor for Ambien or something to help sleep if you think you might need it. I used a chilling pad to keep shoulder cool. Not sure it really helped me and they're a pain in the ass.

For me, pain was never really an issue. I saved my Oxycodone for my physical therapy sessions. Really helps extend those stretches, which you'll be doing a lot of.

Had my arm in a sling for 8 weeks. Went back to the gym for leg work after two weeks, also some of my good arm (not much at first until wound is fully healed).

Four months of PT twice a week (plus homework and gym). Improved steadily until 3 months, then hit a plateau, nothing helped. Until I took a full week off doing nothing. Next PT session movement improved so much I got my t-shirt and sent me home. So you can overdo the excercises, give yourself a break.

I'm 71, which may make a difference

ctjalsma wrote

Just coming off 1 year with complete left shoulder replacement. In at 7AM and home by 2:30 PM same day. Couple of things I wish I'd known.

They send you home with a nerve block good for 4 - 5 days. It works! Do not take any other pain meds while the block is going! Constipation is not your friend.

Try to have a comfortable recliner to sleep in for a week or so. Ask your doctor for Ambien or something to help sleep if you think you might need it. I used a chilling pad to keep shoulder cool. Not sure it really helped me and they're a pain in the ass.

For me, pain was never really an issue. I saved my Oxycodone for my physical therapy sessions. Really helps extend those stretches, which you'll be doing a lot of.

Had my arm in a sling for 8 weeks. Went back to the gym for leg work after two weeks, also some of my good arm (not much at first until wound is fully healed).

Four months of PT twice a week (plus homework and gym). Improved steadily until 3 months, then hit a plateau, nothing helped. Until I took a full week off doing nothing. Next PT session movement improved so much I got my t-shirt and sent me home. So you can overdo the excercises, give yourself a break.

I'm 71, which may make a difference

When you say replacement - you don't mean a full rotator cuff surgery - you mean the joint itself was replaced - right? Not sure I know anyone that has had this done. Knees and hips yes, but not a shoulder joint itself.

Yes, full replacement. Was bone on bone osteoarthritis.

i had almost this exact same surgery 11 years ago. I had separated my shoulder 9 times (mostly DH biking). Doctor repaired my rotator cuff and removed by bicep tendon and reattached it below the shoulder joint.

Recovery was pretty brutal for the first few weeks, but i really focused on the rehab. 6 months of physio weekly, followed by another 6 months bi-weekly. Also started with a trainer who took courses on shoulder rehab after 3 months.

After a year and still to this date, that shoulder is better than my "stock" shoulder(i had separated this one 4 times as well).

It was definitely worth it for me, just suggest you really focus on rehab.

I guess recovery really depends on your overall situation. Mine was just the bone issue, no ligament or tendon issues. So the recovery was really mostly the re-attachment of muscle tissue that needed to be repositioned, plus the overall trauma of all the nearby areas to make room during the surgery. They don't call it "bone cracking" for nothing, not something I'd want to watch done. The orthopedic surgeons I've met all spend a lot of time in the gym.

Having said that, people I've talked to that had both generally say knee surgery recovery is worse, by quite a margin. I'm not volunteering for another shoulder anytime soon, but can't say recovery was all that bad. Worst single event was constipation from opiates I didn't need, if that tells you anything. Watch that stuff.

Wow - you guys are making me not like old age! I made it to 54 without a night in a hospital, never a broken bone, or even a stitch in my body! My Dr was shocked when I went in for my numb hand.

I delayed my disk replacement for almost 2 years because I didn't want surgery, but finally gave in when sleep became impossible. Like he told me 2 years prior - it was a snap. Wheeling me in at 9:20am, waking me up at 11:15am, being driven home by noon and pushing a shopping cart around a store by 3pm because I was bored at home. Double disk, but went movable so no fusion and went thru my throat so no muscle cutting. I could have went to work the next day.

Thinking about crap like your shoulders and knees makes me cringe! Everyone I know that had rotator cuff surgery said it was a terrible recovery process. Let's hope they find a better way in the future. Watch my Dad go through a knee and he was a tough ass old farmer who never complained, but I could read his face.

I guess it beats pain forever, but damn thinking about it sounds terrible.

I am 57 and just had shoulder surgery on Oct 29, 2025. I am about 9 weeks post op and recovering well. I had a decent sized supraspinatus tear. Good luck with your procedure.

I had the surgery done today at noon. It seems like everything went fine. They did find a spur they had to remove as well. I guess I will see the real pain when the nerve block wears off.

Marmugmotleocay wrote

I had the surgery done today at noon. It seems like everything went fine. They did find a spur they had to remove as well. I guess I will see the real pain when the nerve block wears off.

Good luck - I hope the meds keep the pain at bay!

Marmugmotleocay wrote

I had the surgery done today at noon. It seems like everything went fine. They did find a spur they had to remove as well. I guess I will see the real pain when the nerve block wears off.

Curious as to how your recovery went? Especially if you had appreciable pain after the block wore off? I was surprised how little I had, there was pain but by no means excruciating or anything. Bigger issue was discomfort and dealing with all the limitations for a while.

hope you have a Lazy Boy recliner

middlemarch wrote

Curious as to how your recovery went? Especially if you had appreciable pain after the block wore off? I was surprised how little I had, there was pain but by no means excruciating or anything. Bigger issue was discomfort and dealing with all the limitations for a while.

The pain wasn’t as bad as I thought. I stopped taking Oxy and was sleeping in my bed with a wedge pillow after the first week. My recovery time off was 4 months but went back to work after 3.5. My shoulder healed very well and you can’t see the 5 incisions. The Short Term Disability checks from my job made the time off a little more stress free.
I’m going to see the surgeon in 2 weeks about my right shoulder. The MRI showed 3 tears but not as bad as the left. I will most likely have that surgery done in October then retire in February.
Thanks for asking

I met with the surgeon yesterday and my right rotator cuff surgery is scheduled for 11/5/26.

^best wishes!^

Would you be willing to explain the procedure in more detail? What exactly is being removed/added/modified? Bones/muscles/tendons/ligaments/cartilage?

I read through all of the posts on this thread and didn't see where you mentioned the source of the need for shoulder surgery. Is it age-related or injury or something else? Only if you care to share. I have wonkiness in my shoulders from overuse and mild (?) trauma and want to avoid surgery if possible.

Thanks.

chassis wrote

^best wishes!^

Would you be willing to explain the procedure in more detail? What exactly is being removed/added/modified? Bones/muscles/tendons/ligaments/cartilage?

I read through all of the posts on this thread and didn't see where you mentioned the source of the need for shoulder surgery. Is it age-related or injury or something else? Only if you care to share. I have wonkiness in my shoulders from overuse and mild (?) trauma and want to avoid surgery if possible.

It's probably age related and from the abuse they take everyday. If your shoulder hurts go see an Orthopedic. Maybe the pills or Steroid shot will help you avoid surgery. The MRI will tell the Doctor if surgery is needed.
The Surgeons repaired the multiple tears, reattached my bicep and removed a bone spur from my left shoulder. The right looks like it will be only repairing the tears but they don't know untill they get in there. I could most likely live with the left shoulder pain but the Doctor said the tears could continue to get worse. My insurance deductible has been met for the year so I have no reason not to have it done now.