Any hubbies have shoulder (sports related) surgery ?

My hubby tore a few things in his shoulder over the past few years.
and it's at the point where he has to make a decision. surgery or not.

HE LOVES softball and will NEVER stop playing, so he's leaning towards going for the surgery.

Just wanted to see if anyone has had experience with this, what was the outcome, how long did it take to feel themselves again, etc.

Re: Any hubbies have shoulder (sports related) surgery ?

My DH tore is rotator cuff back about 8 years ago (before we met) & he had surgery. I am not sure what the recovery time was but he still plays a lot of sports now.

Back this past November he hurt his shoulder again & we thought for sure that he tore something again. We went to see his original surgeon & found out that he just inflammed the muscle around the bones. So he had to get a Corizon shot & then the Dr sent him for some rehab. It took a good 6 months before he had complete strength back in it. With that said, he was just outside last weekend playin softball & bowls every Monday night....

Re: Any hubbies have shoulder (sports related) surgery ?

My dad (who's very active and athletic) had his rotator cuff and his bicep repaired once. He reinjured it during the recovery - and it was when he went in for the second surgery that they discovered he needed open heart surgery. (He obviously did not have the second surgery)

As for the shoulder surgery, it's a frustrating recovery, but definitely doable. Make 100% sure you have the best physical therapists possible. It's not altogether unusual for the patient to reinjure the shoulder during rehab. Ask how long he's expected to be in a sling -- If they give you a range, take the longest amount of time. (If they 4-5 weeks, wear it for 5 weeks) Make sure he's willing to stick to the rehab program and do all he's asked -- and not overdo it!

Also ask the doc the success rate of the surgery. Even though they were talking my dad into a second surgery (and this was not the same surgeon as the first surgery), the doc told him it was a 50/50 chance that it'd be totally successful. (Yeah, I know, WTH? But, his low success rate was due to the fact that the surgery was already unsuccessful once)

NOW - PLEASE bear in mind that my father had other things going on, mainly the bicep tear that they had to fix. It's likely that the bicep tear rehab is what tore his rotator cuff again, but several surgeons (he got 4 opinions) said it's fairly common to reinjure the shoulder during recovery.

My dad's recovery was longer because they were unable to do the surgery arthroscopically. He was anticipating it being arthroscopic, but they wound up having to cut him open to repair the bicep and the rotator cuff. They mentioned this possibility somewhat in passing, so he wasn't entirely prepared for gind 17 staples in his arm when he got home.

This is apparently far more common than most people realize - and it's not just because of his bicep tear. So, while it's usually arthroscopic, be prepared that they may have to cut him open to do the surgery.

The good news is that people have it done everyday and are totally fine. I'd like to think my dad's experience was at total fluke, but I think you should be prepared just in case.

I'm sure he will be FINE!!

ETA -- My dad would have been back to playing sports, golfing, etc. withing 2-3 months after the surgery, had all gone according to plan... so yes, you can pretty much return to normal activity once you're totally healed!

Message edited 8/9/2007 8:52:22 AM.

Re: Any hubbies have shoulder (sports related) surgery ?

My friend does fencing, and from digging the holes for the 10 years he screwed up his rotater cuff and had surgery right after X-mas, this past week he just started doind the digging again. He said he still isnt 100%. He was out of work for a month.

Re: Any hubbies have shoulder (sports related) surgery ?

In high school I broke my elbow. The ball and cup part of the elbow in a really bad rebound landing. Basically I went up for a rebound and someone was underneath me when I came back down. I had a cast on it for 6 weeks and once I got the cast off it was a bit tight. I didn't have to get surgery but I would say if he was athletic he should definately get the surgery. I should have definately went to physical therapy but didn't listen to the doctor. here is a link for web md.

Should I have Rotator Cuff Surgery

Re: Any hubbies have shoulder (sports related) surgery ?

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

I'll show my hubby and see if he has any questions.

thanks again