do i have a rotator cuff tear?

[helix139]

Non-specific injury but can't chin anymore. I think I did it while wakeboarding. Pain is worse in front of delt down to elbow. Chest and shoulder workouts are same with no pain except chins. What do ya think? Deca help? Layoff plans on dbol cycle?

[BBAddict]

If it was rotator cuff, I'm pretty positive you would feel it in shoulders and chest workouts. I have an old rotator cuff injury and my shoulder workouts still hurt as a result. Are you sure it's not a bicep strain? Chins rely fairly strongly on bis as well as lats.

[shortz]

Need more information that this. A quick clinical exam generally tells us what shoulder injury you have. Range of motion and the way you describe certain pain and also where some of the pain. Do you have numbness in your bicep, fingers, hand or armpit? Can you touch the back of your neck or the middle of your back with your hand without pain? Does it hurt when you are not moving it?

[NYCmitch25]

^^what he said. I dont think so I dont believe your are in enough pain to suffer a complete tear (maybe a lesion); rather you probably developed shoulder impingement from the injury. Good rehabilitation and time off. I think the answer to your other question is pretty obvious.

[helix139]

I definatly feel pain if I were to scratch or wash my back with my left arm. I'm just gonna stay away from the chins for awhile. thanks...

[bonebreaker]

Non-specific injury but can't chin anymore. I think I did it while wakeboarding. Pain is worse in front of delt down to elbow. Chest and shoulder workouts are same with no pain except chins. What do ya think? Deca help? Layoff plans on dbol cycle?

I have had torn rotator cuffs in my left AND right shoulders in the last 6 years, both of which required extensive surgery. If you have a rotator cuff problem or tear, even a tiny one, you will know pretty quickly, especially when you do benches and most shoulder work. If those sets don't bother you, but chins do, it's most likely something else. One of the "quick and dirty" tests a Dr. will do is to hold your arms down by your side and see if you can laterally raise them one at a time. If there is a rotator cuff problem, you'll most likely have a loss of strength and/or pain, and the Dr. will have a good idea about whether it's a tear or not. Have one of your friends hold your arms, one at a time, down by your side and see if the arm that's bothering you is weaker than the other with mild to moderate pain. BB

[BBAddict]

I have had torn rotator cuffs in my left AND right shoulders in the last 6 years, both of which required extensive surgery.

How long was the recovery from these surgeries? I have old injuries that I keep aggravating and need surgery, but I don't wanna quit working out for the recovery.

[bonebreaker]

How long was the recovery from these surgeries? I have old injuries that I keep aggravating and need surgery, but I don't wanna quit working out for the recovery.

My left shoulder, repaired in 1999, was just a nagging pain that really didn't cause me to have to stop lifting or anything, but it was just an aggravation. I had a small tear about an inch long. The problem was complicated by the fact that I also had a bone spur that had developed on the end of my acromion, (shoulder bone), which had to be cut off. The bone spur also aggravated the impingement I had in the rotator cuff area. So, I couldn't have the repair done by the scope method. They had to do a "full open", which meant they had to cut me. It's not too bad a scar three to four inches across the top of my shoulder. The surgery was uneventful, about 45 minutes. Full recovery, to get back where I was before the surgery took a full year. Now, I could lift after 4 months, but nothing too heavy, and I was golfing after 3 months. I was warned that trying to lift too heavy to quick would result in having to have the surgery done over. In 2001, March, I was working out, benching, and my right shoulder just blew all to hell, I could actually hear it rip, like you would tear a bed sheet down the middle or something, it was an ugly sound!!! Anyway, I had golf trips planned for the spring and summer and didn't want to be disabled during the summer, so I waited until early 2002 to have the repair done. This tear was classified as "massive", the Dr. told me that he had never seen such a large tear and couldn't believe I could still use my arm. The day after I tore it The Dr. shot me up with Cortisone w/Lidocain and that pretty much solved the pain issue, however, he told me that I could wait, but he couldn't keep shooting me up because the Cortisone would cause deterioration to the tissue, and the surgery within 6 months or so was critical. This surgery took over 4 hours. They almost had to wake me to get permission th take some tissue from my thigh to be able to close the tear properly, but, fortunately, he was able to get it closed. They also had to do an Acromioplasty as they had done on my left shoulder. After my left shoulder was repaired in 1999, the Dr. told me that my right one would have to be done sooner or later, because the bone spur was even bigger than the one on my left shoulder, the impingement was worse, and further, my right Acromion was hooked inward, putting even more stress on the rotator cuff. This recovery, to get back where I was, took a full 18 months, with therapy, three times a week, for the first 4 months. I could golf after about 6 months, and light, VERY light, weight training after about 8 months. Both my shoulders are now better than new. By the way, this Dr. was the team physician for the Charlotte Panthers, (ortho stuff), so he was great I figured that a multi million dollar athlete(s), body was put in his hands often, so my $.25 body couldn't do any better. His name was Dr. Donald D'Allesandro with the Miller Clinic in Charlotte, N.C. I recommend that anyone needing this type surgery, seek out a Dr. who is affiliated with a pro sports team, they know what it takes to do certain repairs better for an athlete, than a regular Dr. who just does surgeries on the avarage Joe or Jane. If you need any more info, I'll be glad to help. BB

[bonebreaker]

How long was the recovery from these surgeries? I have old injuries that I keep aggravating and need surgery, but I don't wanna quit working out for the recovery.

P.S. If they are able to do the surgery arthroscopically, the recovery time is a bit less by several months. Much depends on how severe the tear(s) are, naturally. Even though they can use the scope to repair, you must remember they still have to make incisions, I think 4, to be able to see and use the necessary tools, etc., and they're cutting through muscle and such to get to where they need to be. You'll hear tales of people having rotator cuff repair by the scope methoid and "working out full in a few months". Maybe so, but I don't think they gave themselves enough recovery time to fully heal. Who knows what the long term effects could be. Best bet is that you'll not be able to lift, full out, for at least 7 or 8 months. And that's considering everything being minimally damaged before surgery, how long ago the damage occured and what the extent of scar tissue is. BB

[NYCmitch25]

Great story BB... thanks for sharing your xperience. Glad to hear it worked out in the end.

[helix139]

Looking back several years ago I had the same kind of injury with helping a friend take off his bench shirt. I gave it a hard pull with both arms and felt a pop with my right shoulder and couldn't chin for 6 months. Reaching across my chest to put my seat belt on made the most pain...so I guess it is some tear in my shoulder like the one I had years ago. Thanks for the info..hope I never have shoulder pain/ need for surgery.