torn supraspinatus, surgery?

[new2bmw]

hi there. It turns out i have a full thickness incomplete tear of the supraspinatus tendon. i have been doing physio for 2 months now and it feels the same as before. I have good ROM but it aches a lot at night and lifting and moving in certain directions hurts a lot.
i have 3 young children , am active, swimming, tennis etc. and am 34 years old. I am also a postman and my job consists of a lot of arm work when sorting etc.
I was told by physio that i should get pretty good results like maybe 90% as long as nothing else happens to the shoulder in the future.
I am not happy with 90%, my life is busy and physical now, and the demands will only become greater in the future. Is surgery something to look at here? It seems physio wants me to stick with them, but 2 years down the line I dont want to kick myself for making the wrong decision.

[new2bmw]

Hi there, i was hoping i would have recieved some advice by now but i am going to the doctors in the morning. Ilive in a very small town and i do not trust some of the judgements the doctors make. I am going to see if i can get a referral to the doctors in London. I hear they have a great sports injury clinic, hopefully i can get some opinions there, thats if the doctor here will give the referral.
still looking for advice,
cheers

[Heidi]

If its only been two months then I wouldn't recommend surgery so early. Stick with the phyio. They only say things like 90% to cover their own backs. By all means go to the Doctor and try to get a referral, but I think they will say the same unless you go private.

[JTrempe]

Hello,

I am a physical therapist. With a complete tear there will be no healing of the tissue, however, strengthening of the muscles around the shoulder can help to improve mobility. Of course you can try to continue with PT but based on your comment that it feels about the same, I don't know if more time will create a different result. I would also say that there is a risk of waiting to have the surgery in that with a complete tear the tissue can begin to retract, making it difficult to reattach.

Based on the fact that you want to swim and play tennis and that your pain and function have not changed in 2 months with PT, I would consider having the surgery. Do understand that the recovery will be a long process so it is not an easy decision.

For more information about rotator cuff tears and surgery, visit:

http://www.joint-pain-solutions.com/torn-rotator-cuff.html

http://www.joint-pain-solutions.com/rotator-cuff-surgery.html

Hope this helps.

[Darren_H]

Firstly JTrempe, I believe new2bmw said that he/she has a full thickness, incomplete tear of the tendon. Thus, the tendon is still attached and will not retract.

Secondly, I agree with Heidi. There can be many complications from surgical repair no matter the surgeon or approach. I would wager that the surgeon would not give you a guarantee you will be back to 100% either. I have problems with both of my shoulders from cycling crashes and climbing injuries. The most recent took about 8-10 months to rehab. I am back to climbing and at about 95%. I'm happy with my function given the ongoing instability I still have that cannot be changed by rehab. Hope this helps,

P.S. I am a physio as well.

[thad412]

I would agree with going to a Doctor that you trust. You can never be to careful when it comes to possible surgery. I would do some research and find a Doctor you would like to go to. Then I would do what ever it takes to get a referral. You need to be comfortable with your Doctor and trust there judgment.