Shoulder rotator cup pain

Lefty · From: Grayson, Ga.

I apologize if this is not the correct category.
On July 4th I was working on a wheelbarrow. I had my right arm extended and was tighning a bolt on the axel bracket. I heard a pop, and then had sudden pain.
I have been to an orthopedic doctor about this, but I am still in severe pain.
I would appreciate feedback from anyone who has had this problem.
I cannot play regular guitar for longer than 15 minutes before quitting. Steel guitar is better, but not 100%.
I am taking about 6 ibuprofin at once to dull the pain somewhat. I think I strained the shoulder a few months ago lifting a box in the basement.
I have always been able to lift what I wanted (6-3, 240 lbs) but now at 53 I realize my short comings.
thanks,
Lefty

Matthew Prouty · From: Warsaw, Poland

Lefty,

I cannot say 100% what your problems are, but you described what sounds like an "Acute Rotator Cuff Tear" This happens when someone tries to lift something too heavy for the weakend muscles in the shoulder which make up the rotator cuff. This is often associated with an audiable pop and then immediate pain. At age 30 we all start to experience muscle atrophy which excellerates as we get older.

So there are two routes to take. Surgical and non-surgical. If your doctor has not recommended surgury you should do the following:

Control the pain as best you can with what ever your doctor prescribed.

Beyond normally belief for your injury you do not want to keep your arm in anyone position for very long.

No over head movements.

No lifting

No repetative movements

There are 4 muscles in this group and often only one gets torn. You need to find some exercises that you can do to strengthen the others are soon are you can. This can help the other three compensate for the torn muscle.

The cure all for many of these injurys and it is like a mirical is a steroid injection directly into the shoulder.

If all else fails surgury can be used to repair the torn tendon. This really should be a last resort.

I am not a doctor, but have studied sports medicine and have played hard contact sports uptil a couple of years ago. I have had torn muscles, broken ribs, pinched nerves in my back and neck, you name it. I had one injury like yours that left me unable to sleep for 2 weeks. I finally gave in and went to the hospital. I got the steriod shot and in a mater of minutes the pain went away and never came back. This was of course for nerve damage, but it worked great. These things can really but a damper on your life so if you do find some exercises for the rotor cuff you should start doing them and not stop. They are funny little muscles that can cause a lot of pain.

I hope you get well soon.

M.

Mike Randolph · From: Cook Minnesota, USA

Hey Lefty, I have had both of my shoulders repaired. Mine were caused by bone spurs. My left one went first,had sugery,by the time it had healed my right one started giving me trouble. Had that one fixed. Have no trouble with either of them. Bone spurs are caused by repedative motion. You should not let go on without an MRI. Sounds like somethings certianly wrong. What did the doctor tell you? Yes it is very painful!!!! Take care and good luck.My two cents.
Mike

Joey Gaskins · From: New Bern, North Carolina, USA

HI Lefty, I can identify with your pain. I tore my right rotator cuff in a car accident, had surgery and 4 months later it tore again and had surgery a second time.
It still hurts at times and is considerably weaker. Physical therapy helps and the cortisone shot is great if you don't need more than 3. I'd save surgery for a last resort.

Jerry Malvern · From: Menifee, California, USA

Lefty, I too have a bad shoulder, going on now about 5 years. I had to surgeries ,called the Mumford procedure, got rid if bone spurs, cysts and shaved down the collar bone in a failed attempt to save the shoulder. I finally have an appt. this Wednesday with the famous clinic of Kerlan-Jobe ( Dr Jobe is noted for the Tommy John surgery ), they are the ortho clinic for the Dodgers, Angels, Lakers and Clippers. We are going to talk about joint replacement, as I have been in more pain than not for the last 5 years. Best advise I can give you is go get it fixed now, as I waited and it never got any better.

Lefty · From: Grayson, Ga.

Thanks for all the feedback. I go back to the doctor tomorrow. Hopefully the non-surgical route will work. I need do the physical therapy also. I have been travelling, and have neglected going.
Thanks for the good advice, guys.
Lefty

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

I tore mine trying to muscle a three-wood out of some thick rough. The shot came off, but I couldn't play golf for weeks afterwards!

Surgery was not an option (no insurance, and precious little money!) so I followed my doctor's advice, strengthened the related muscles and took things very easily.

Two years later I seem to be back to normal, and all it cost me was a doctor-visit and a few Ibuprofen...

RR

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

Good luck Lefty. Having been through all kinds of sports-related injuries (and finally left hand problems that killed my regular guitar playing) I understand how you feel.

My take - avoid surgery if at all possible - it can fix things, but cause other pain problems in some cases. Therapy is the way to go initially. And if the doctor recommends a cortisone shot, forget horror stories you may have heard and go for the needle - it can really help.

Hehehe - Jerry Malvern and I hang out at the same joints - Kerlan-Jobe (Dr. Dillin) did my back surgery, and Lombardo one of my knees...

One note - an MRI is mandatory. If your doctor suggests x-rays that's normal, but if it doesn't go away in 2 weeks (and it probably won't) an MRI is the only way to tell what's going on in there.

And do NOT let them give you prescription pain meds for an orthopedeic problem. That's just a mask and will cause much worse things that it'll solve. You need it "fixed", not covered up.

Hope that helps -

Jim

Jeff Garden · From: Center Sandwich, New Hampshire, USA

Hey Lefty,
Sounds familiar. You and I are about the same age and this is the first time I've had problems. I work on a farm and do manual labor most days - lift lots of heavy weights and probably more than I should. This spring I felt something go in my left shoulder - it got to the point where I couldn't even raise my arm to wave to a neighbor without shooting pains through the shoulder socket and down toward my bicep. Any activity involving a full arm extension (reaching under a mower or piece of farm equipment) or reaching above the level of my shoulder was painful and I seemed to have no strength in the shoulder. Also I would wake up at nite just rolling over on it. I haven't been to a doctor due to expense but as time goes by (4 months now) things seem to be getting gradually better. I definitely was trying to compensate for it earlier this summer when lifting things but now I seem to have more mobility and less pain although there are still certain movements which bother me. Hopefully in the winter time when outdoor work slows down, I'll be able to give it more rest. I've tried to stay off medication and find soaking it in a hot shower after a long day of shoveling, slinging bales, etc. seems to help. Good luck and let me know how/when yours gets better.
Jeff

Charles Curtis · Posted 19 Sep 2006 12:08 pm

Lefty, I would ask the doctor about taking those pills; too many may damage your liver. I have had arthritis in my shoulders for years, so in order to help, years ago I started doing push-ups and flys with dumb bells. I would ask a doctor and get his opinion before doing any exercises.

Pat Burns · From: Branchville, N.J. USA

I agree, most of us here are not doctors, so take our advice with a grain of salt (not a dose of salts).

Having said that, I had a tear in my left rotator cuff from a skiing injury years ago. I went to a doctor and physical therapy for it, but it always ached and was weaker than the right shoulder. Years later a freak occurence caused it to dislocate, making it weaker yet. A couple years later it dislocated again when I was roofing a shed, handling a sheet of plywood on a stepladder and caught a gust of wind. The doctor decided at that point to arthroscopically staple it up inside. I haven't had any problems with it since, no aches or pains, no dislocations, good as new.

My right shoulder now has arthritis (but not the left one that was operated on some 10 years ago). I was taking a lot of ibuprofen but in my experience, I wouldn't recommend it....caused me kidney problems. The pain was keeping me awake nights so I went to the orthopedist...he gave me a shot of cortisone which makes it feel better, but he told me it's a short-term fix just for the pain, not to be repeated. He prescibed excercices for it, and I have found that the best thing for the arthritic shoulder is excercise.

I would advise against self-medicating.

Bill McCloskey · From: Nanuet, NY

I am currently undergoing physical therapy for both my knee and shoulder. My shoulder popped out lifting weights and was aggrevated further playing golf. Went to the doctor. Shoulder just needs physical therapy but knee needed surgery.

The PT on the shoulder has worked well. I have much more movement in my shoulder now and the pain is greatly reduced.

Go to the doctor and then hope your insurance covers the PT.

tom anderson · From: leawood, ks., usa

I fell while rollerblading a couple of years ago & the pain was excruciating when I fell & lingered for months. I took Advil daily in increasing amounts & avoided going to have rotator cuff surgery because I heard I would have to be off work for 6 months,etc. Meanwhile I couldn't lift my steel or amp with my left arm & got a single 10 & a lightweight amp so the group wouldn't know the extent of my pain. Finally I did therapy for 3 months & got an MRI & got the surgery. The group had a gig two weeks after the surgery & I was able to go to practice & make the gig. Since then my shoulder has been fine & I can lift as much with my left arm as my right. I went in for surgery on a Friday & went back to work on Monday. Don't believe all the doomsayers about rotator cuff surgery. Find a good doctor & get it done.

Paul Arntson · From: Washington, USA

MRI is the way to go. Good advice. I just had surgery yesterday to repair a torn rotator cuff on my right shoulder and cortisone on my left shoulder. I did a lot of reading up on this problem. I am 56.

Yes it's expensive, but 2 doctors told me that if I waited any longer, it would tear off totally, resulting in 100% arm failure and a very long recovery. Seen it happen in a friend. Not pretty. That's what the stakes are if you don't get it looked at.

Pedal steel has to wait for a couple weeks, but I found out lap steel is going to work fine. Spanish guitar won't work for quite a while.

Guess I'll pass on a nice old twin reverb I saw. Nash 112 might be in my future...

Best of luck to you.
-Paul

edited to add update:
Friday - Actually, I can play spanish guitar sitting down. The only thing missing now is I can't raise up the right elbow to get leverage on palm blocking. No pain though. This is going to be a breeze.
Don't let the doomsayers put you off.

[This message was edited by Paul Arntson on 22 September 2006 at 03:31 PM.]

Lefty · From: Grayson, Ga.

Thanks to all so much for all the information concerning this subject. Special thanks to Evelyn Beavers for relating Randy's episode. She is a wonderful lady. This has helped me more than you know.
I am doing the Physical thearpy at he moment, and I am off the medications.
All these medications were making me feel 10 years older.
I guess when you consider carrying a guitar in a case that weights 90 lbs and an amp that weights 90 lbs. it seems easy to understand. When I did it regularly, it did not seem to be a problem. I guess age is starting to figure in.
I love this forum.
thanks,
Lefty

[This message was edited by Lefty on 22 September 2006 at 06:52 PM.]

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