However it does bother me when i open the car door and my current range of left arm is restricted when i left up straight. . HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. Thank you for the info posted on this page. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. thank you for your considiration and helle from Turkey:-). So it would seem strange that your surgeon would expect adhesive capsulitis to resolve with 6 weeks of physical therapy, unless you had already had the condition for many months and he had started to detect improvement? Knee Surgery . Unfortunately, I think 1cm retractions of torn tendon fibres do not favor natural healing of those portions of the tendon (without surgery). This exercise can be good for pain relief, and may also help increase the range of motion in the shoulder joint. Good luck with it. When the most effective non-surgical interventions (such as physical therapy) have not been able to provide sufficient relief of symptoms, then arthroscopic shoulder surgery is often considered. It's a supraspinatus tendon tear with 50% thickness and no labral tear. From time to time tendons do rupture from a variety of causes, in your case it sounds like the surgeons description of rope fraying is a good one. However, some people will never experience the same level of recovery without the surgery. I all of a sudden lost all my strength in my right arm and dropped the box. I did PT around December for a month, twice a week. The rotator cuff tendons cover the head of the humerus (upper arm bone), helping you to raise and rotate your arm. I worked closely with a physiotherapist for a good four months and pain got worse. Some can be altered with conservative rehabilitation exercises in order to prevent further tearing and ongoing pain, while others cannot be altered without surgery. I have full-thickness tear of supraspinatus tendon ,with 1.5 cm cap without tendon retraction plus supraspinatus Ask an Expert Medical Questions The Physician, Doctor 1,261 Satisfied Customers Versatile Emergency Physician, 20 years experience as a Physician. I do not want a metal shoulder. This level of degradation is not particularly common for someone so young, but does happen from time to time and may well lead to a complete rupture. It is also worth noting that whiplash associated disorders are complex. The blue arrows represent a full-thickness tear in the supraspinatus tendon, which is the most common site for rotator cuff tears. Surgery may also involve orthopedic alteration of biomechanical factors around the shoulder joint in order to prevent further ongoing damage to the supraspinatus tendon. massive cuff tears. Good luck with it and I hope you are feeling pain free sooner rather than later. Second, I am sorry to hear about your fall and subsequent shoulder pain. People tend to expect recovery after surgery will take a few weeks. Articular side: tears on the bottom of the tendon. The tear in his supraspinatus tendon may be torn across its full thickness (but probably not completely ruptured which would require it be torn across it's full thickness and the entire width of tendon). I had periodic pain and tingling running all the way down my forearm. my MRI result come out that supraspinant tendom has partial tear. MRI does demonstrate a complete massive tear of my rotator cuff with retraction and severe atrophy. Anyways, my appointment for surgery on my right shoulder is in 2 weeks.. Arthroscopic.. it use to ache and ache at night but recently its not so bad. In September '12 I had surgery to reattach both the right rotator supra and infraspinatus with excellent results. @anonymous: Hi Kazikp, I am sorry I cannot give you advice over the internet but here is some general information you may find useful. Does a full thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon need surgery? @anonymous: Hi Donald, I'm sorry to hear about your shoulder trouble and insurance situation. Either way, I wish you all the best with it (and a safe deployment and return). I have spoke with people that have had surgery on their shoulder and they say that is a very painful surgery, and they still have problems from time to time with their shoulder. From the information you have provided it is difficult to say whether surgery will be needed. An exercise or physical therapy program is necessary to regain strength and improve function in the shoulder. However, in some cases it is clear that surgery is likely to be the best option. He says that my tendon is failing. perhaps if delay is likely to lead to a complete rupture that could be prevented with early surgery). It is also worth mentioning that when surgeons send patients for PT and don't hear from them for a while, they may well have just assumed everything went well and there is no more problem (or they have so many patients that they haven't given it much thought). I can reach behind my back ok. my ROM did increase a very small amount, but my pain and discomfort never went away. Partial tears can be just 1 millimeter deep (only about 10 percent of a tendon), or can be 50 percent or deeper. However, worse yet would be delaying in such a way that you miss out on falling pregnant or delivering a healthy baby. So while surgery always carries some risks (which your surgeon will be able to explain), for some people this is the only option to experience a good outcome. I found the information good. I am sorry I can't offer you specific advice over the internet about whether you should or should not have surgery. When we finally returned home from sea a few weeks later, my shoulder had become so painful and stiff, It was nearly impossible to do just about anything. Although the presence of a small tear visible on an MRI does not always mean that is the problem causing your shoulder pain. I'm not sure whether the doctor you mentioned is a family physician / general practitioner or an orthopedic consultant / surgeon. Additionally, you do not want to be dependent on strong medications to reduce pain while you are pregnant. Additionally, surgery may be recommended for complete tears that are acute and due to a trauma. . I'm 43 and have been suffering from shoulder issues for over a year. In 2 of the 24 patients, the rotator cuff tear completely healed on its own. You mention your shoulder makes a popping noise, generally speaking the sound a joint makes is not a good indicator of anything (particularly if the popping noise itself is not accompanied by pain). Quick story on me: I'm 41, male, 5'11", 205. Thanks for the update and let us know how you go. At the . The surgeon(s) who ordered the imaging are usually the best person to speak with regarding the pros and cons in any particular case. I have continued to have problems with my arm and initially was told that I had a partial tear of my rotator cuff. Information on this topic is also available as an OrthoInfo Basics PDF Handout. This is a good example of why MRI's can be very valuable in cases like this. The popping may or may not be related to your shoulder pain (difficult for me to say without an examination etc.) I am sure lots of people would like to hear how it turns out for you. Anyone want to shed a little light for a vet? Do I will need surgery? In active individuals who use the arm for overhead work or sports. i d glad if ortopedist or physiotherapist reply ansver. but can get back fairly good motion about the shoulder . Degeneration of the infraspinatus tendon with bursa side fraying. So my tear went from a near full thickness tear to a full thickness tear. If it has been a while since the MRI, this may involve getting another one (as tendinosis can weaken the tendon, which may in turn lead to larger tears or even a complete rupture), it may also involve a trial of PT or a referral directly to an orthopedic surgeon. I was told that there were a few other muscles around the supraspinatus that were torn and I also had some bone spurs that could also be causing some irritation. Surgical repairs of complete tendon tears from a traumatic event, like a car accident, can easily fail when surgeons instructions aren't followed. The supraspinatus tendon is the tendon that is most commonly torn when people suffer a rotator cuff tear. I get asked about this a lot, perhaps I should write a page on rehabilitation following surgical repair of supraspinatus tendon tears! I here is incidental note made that the teres minor muscle is prominently atrophic. When supraspinatus tendon tear symptoms are chronic and severe, an orthopedic specialist will be able to provide good advice on likely recovery and treatment options, including the likelihood of successful recovery with or without surgery. Hope that helps! However, I think the most important thing you mentioned was falling pregnant. These include: pain that gets worse at night. I just received my MRI report which states : supraspinatus tendon is thickened and immediate in signal, with a small 3mm (transverse) x 3mm (AP) full thickness footplate tear. I returned to the orthopedic surgeon at which point he did an x-ray which looked good and sent for a mri Monday. I can reach behind my back ok. Surgery for a minor partial thickness tear will often involve a simple debridement of the tear. No, it may not be too late to get relief. The tear of the subscapularis muscle is less common then the tear of the other rotator cuff muscles, such as the supraspinatus, infraspinatus or suprascapularis. Rehabilitation plays a critical role in both the nonsurgical and surgical treatment of a rotator cuff tear. It is plausible to sustain one or the other (or both) from a fall. If not what is this indictative of. only taking out for prescribed exercises (e.g. @DrMikeM: Thank you Dr. Mike for answering my question. The researchers used a custom-built shoulder testing system to measure the effects of varying loads placed on the muscles of the rotator cuff and parascapular muscles. Dr Mike, Please help me understand what options I might have or questions to ask the surgeon about my full Reallmadhatter Mar 14, 2013 @ 3:44 pm. A full thickness tear is not usually a complete rupture. It is difficult for me to comment further based on this information. In this study, 24 patients who had full thickness supraspinatus tears and who opted to forego surgery were tracked over time. I had subacromial decompression February 2010 a year after a motor vehicle injury (I am currently a 34 year old female). It may take a while to overcome your shoulder pain, and you may even need to modify the types of activities you do, but working hard to be able to return to exercise is definitely a worthwhile goal. I checked into my local VA hospital and initiated my disability claim. It is important the the surgical repair of the tendon is protected initially to ensure that a re-injury does not occur. Popping noises can occur for a variety of reasons, the most common of which are completely normal. Also an ex ray of my shoulder "Demonstrate my humeral head close to abutting my acromion. Again, because your case is not straightforward, seeking advice from your surgeon(s) in this regard is certainly wise. 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