I can't think of anywhere else to post this so here goes. I was wondering if anyone else on this board has had arthroscopic surgery on a shoulder. Specifically for a torn labral, a piece of connective tissue that runs underneath the rotator cuff inside the shoulder joint.

I have had no luck with Physical Therapy or Cortisone injections and am running out of options. Really long story how I injured it in the first place just curious if anyone has had the surgery? How long of a recovery? Did surgery solve the problem once and for all?

Not looking forward to going under the knife, but need to make a decision soon. Thanks for the replies.

I have had both shoulders done, my left one was job related in '97, my right one in 2003, was because of a power pole falling on me. The rehab was VERY painful on my left shoulder, I was off work for 2 months. It is about 80% and wont get any better. My daughter used to leave the house when I did the exercises at home, she couldnt stand to see me in that much pain. The right shoulder went a lot better after surgery and the rehab wasnt near as bad, maybe because of advances in the doctors technology or technique, same doctor both times. They both still give me a little trouble if I do a lot of work on the cars like block sanding or even hand waxing.
Make sure to do all the rehab exercises or you will lose some motion.
Ron

Danny,
Sorry to hear you need surgery but arthroscopic surgery is minimal invasive surgery. Usually it is out patient surgery so your in and out of the hospital in one day.

I think now days this type of surgery has a very high success rate.

I had major back surgery done in 2001 and was home in two days and back to work in just over thirty days. In the old days a guy could count on a week in the hospital and off work for six months minimum.

You'll be ok, go for it and get rid of that pain in the neck...lol

My wife had her right shoulder done in April for "frozen shoulder" and partially torn rotator cuff. Strangely enough, all that was caused by bad physical therapy for "tennis elbow" (she doesn't play tennis either). Anyway, she started physical therapy twice a week the day after surgery (with a very good therapist this time thankfully) and has just wrapped that up. She has done prescibed excercises twice a day since then and still does them. She is slowly but surely getting back to normal. At first she had some pain and couldn't get comfortable at night. Now much better. Still doesn't have much strength in that shoulder. That will come in time I guess but at least she doesn't have much pain now and has mostly full use of the shoulder after 6 months.

Have it done,had mine done last year.I had a fully torn rotator,slap leasion,and something else,total of 4 repairs.Hurt like hell,no sleep for two weeks after the surgery.Healed quick,I was at 90% after 6 weeks of therapy,back to work.Little bit of pain now if I work it hard all day ,but NOTHING like it was before surgery.Im sure everybodys situation is different.

I need to have surgery on my shoulder, but no one will do it unless I get 2 disks fused in my neck first, so I'm not getting surgery on my shoulder...

This is from the American Academy of Orthopedic surgeons. I've haven't had any specific experience with this surgery, but I know that arthroscopic surgery generally don't require extensive rehab and aren't terribly painful. The condition can get worse with time so it would be better to do something about it before the labral tear extends and causes instability in the joint.

"Shoulder Joint Tear (Glenoid Labrum Tear)
Advances in medical technology are enabling today's doctors to identify and treat injuries that went unnoticed 20 years ago. For example, physicians can now use miniaturized television cameras to see inside a joint. With this tool, they have been able to identify and treat a shoulder injury called a glenoid labrum tear.

Anatomy

The shoulder joint involves three bones: the shoulder blade (scapula), the collarbone (clavicle) and the upper arm bone (humerus). The head of the upper arm bone (humeral head) rests in a shallow socket in the shoulder blade called the glenoid. Because the head of the upper arm bone is usually much larger than the socket, a soft fibrous tissue rim called the labrum surrounds the socket to help stabilize the joint. The rim deepens the socket by up to 50 percent so that the head of the upper arm bone fits better. In addition, it serves as an attachment site for several ligaments.

Injuries

Injuries to the tissue rim surrounding the shoulder socket can occur from acute trauma or repetitive shoulder motion. Examples of traumatic injury include:



Falling on an outstretched arm

Direct blow to the shoulder

Sudden pull, such as when trying to lift a heavy object

Violent overhead reach, such as when trying to stop a fall or slide

Throwing athletes or weightlifters can experience tears due to repetitive shoulder motion.

Tears can be located either above (superior) or below (inferior) the middle of the glenoid socket. A SLAP lesion (superior labrum, anterior [front] to posterior [back]) is a tear of the rim above the middle of the socket that may also involve the biceps tendon. A tear of the rim below the middle of the glenoid socket that also involves the inferior glenohumeral ligament is called a Bankart lesion. Tears of the glenoid rim often occur with other shoulder injuries, such as a dislocated shoulder (full or partial dislocation).

Signs and symptoms

It is difficult to diagnose a tear in the shoulder socket rim because the symptoms are very similar to other shoulder injuries. Symptoms include



Pain, usually with overhead activities

Catching, locking, popping or grinding

Occasional night pain or pain with daily activities

A sense of instability in the shoulder

Decreased range of motion

Loss of strength

Diagnosis

If you are experiencing shoulder pain, your doctor will take a history of your injury. You may be able to remember a specific incident or you may note that the pain gradually increased. The doctor will do several physical tests to check range of motion, stability and pain. In addition, the doctor will request X-rays to see if there are any other reasons for your problems.

Because the rim of the shoulder socket is soft tissue, X-rays will not show damage to it. The doctor may order a computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance image (MRI). In both cases, a contrast medium may be injected to help detect tears. Ultimately, however, the diagnosis will be made with arthroscopic surgery.

Treatment

Until the final diagnosis is made, your physician may prescribe anti-inflammatory medication and rest to relieve symptoms. Rehabilitation exercises to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles may also be recommended. If these conservative measures are insufficient, your physician may recommend arthroscopic surgery.

During the surgery, the doctor will examine the rim and the biceps tendon. If the injury is confined to the rim itself, without involving the tendon, the shoulder is still stable. The surgeon will remove the torn flap and correct any other associated problems. If the tear extends into the biceps tendon or if the tendon is detached, the result is an unstable joint. The surgeon will need to repair and reattach the tendon using absorbable tacks, wires or sutures.

Tears below the middle of the socket are also associated with shoulder instability. The surgeon will reattach the ligament and tighten the shoulder socket by folding over and "pleating" the tissues.

Rehabilitation

After surgery, you will need to keep your shoulder in a sling for three to four weeks. Your physician will also prescribe gentle, passive, pain-free range-of-motion exercises. When the sling is removed, you will need to do motion and flexibility exercises and gradually start to strengthen your biceps. Athletes can usually begin doing sports-specific exercises after six weeks, although it will be three to four months before the shoulder is fully healed.


January 2001 "

Well I feel a little better now, thanks for all the replies.

Well I feel a little better now, thanks for all the replies.

You could need neck surgery.... I have a seperated AC joint... I function fine, not getting either.... The numbness in my arms kida sucks.

I had labral repair 3 years ago. Was suppose to be a 20-30 minute surgery with 10 days recovery. Wrong! Surgery lasted just short of 3 hours and I was out of work 3 months. Once he got in, damage was far worse than the MRI showed. Took almost 2 years to get full strength back. Would I do it again - absolutely. I was severly limited and now have none of the original symptoms. Just make sure that you have plenty of sick time or money in the bank before you go.

I had the AC joint repair, I had PT just two days after the surgery and continued for 11 weeks. I am a mechanic and where I work, you can't return to work til ready for full duty. It took about a year for full strength to return.

Well rick, thanks for scaring the crap out of me. At least it is a workers comp case. No need to worry about losing pay.

I had the AC joint repair, I had PT just two days after the surgery and continued for 11 weeks. I am a mechanic and where I work, you can't return to work til ready for full duty. It took about a year for full strength to return.

They retired me 3 years ago on the neck injury alone, with or without the surgery I was a liability. I guess it would be nice to be able to reach over my head, but that's overrated! haha...