Anybody done their Rotor Cuff ligament?

I'm not a doc but get it seen to properly ASAP and suck up whatever time it takes to get it fixed right.

I did mine about 7 years ago, didn't get it sorted soon enough and ended up needing a shoulder reco because all the other bits in there got screwed up from trying to compensate. I was out of action for 5 months.

Bummer.. Unfortunatly it's a pretty common paddling injury..

For this reason KIALOA developed their new double bend paddle that you might have seen me using..

The bend towards the end is meant to improve biomechanics of the shoulder joint by letting you slightly bend your top arm at the elbow and allowing you to drop your elbow slightly so it's lower than the shoulder joint..

Paddling with your elbow higher than your shoulder is the most common reason for your type of injury..

Hope it heals soon so you can get back on the water..

Guys,
Anyone with niggling injuries get them checked out. Dont waste time with xray and ultrasound. MRI is the most reliable way to go after doctor said it was just a strain that needed resting. Had what I thought was tendonitis in my elbow region for over 18mths only to find out the distal bicep tendon was torn. Surgery and minimum 12 week layoff is the result.

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laceys lane said..

E T said..
Well this is the last thing I need. Have just had it confirmed that I have a 18mm X 13mm tear in mine.

Has anyone else had similar, how long out of the water, what was the remedy?

I am pretty pissed right now

Thanks any heads up would be good.

ET.

im bummed for you et

Yeah a real bummer Lacey, I didn't even do it paddling. I was getting ready to go for a paddle, gear on the car etc and I went back inside to get my drinks and I fell down the stairs.

As I was falling I grabbed for the banister and tore the ligament.

Now I can't even get my Glide off the car.

DJ, I take your point about the elbow height, I think you have mentioned this before. It is one thing I do keep in mind.

Thanks for the responses.

ET.

I had my shoulders done 3 times twice on right once on left but more from a extensive kiting life

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E T said..
Well this is the last thing I need. Have just had it confirmed that I have a 18mm X 13mm tear in mine.

Has anyone else had similar, how long out of the water, what was the remedy?

I am pretty pissed right now

Thanks any heads up would be good.

ET.

G'day E T sorry to hear about your Rotor Cuff I tore mine right of the bone 20 years ago surfing I had to get a mate to take my wetsuit of me "the pain was brutal" I had to go under the knife at the time the best shoulder surgeon in Australia lived in my home town of Newcastle, So I was very lucky. It cost me $2,500 he felt pity on me and gave me FREE Physiotherapy for a month STOKED as I had no money left I spent it all surfing J-Bay in South Africa.

I was out of action for 4 months.

Don't waist any time. Go under the knife E T Good Luck, you'll be back in the water by Winter.

Rotator Cuff = 4 separate muscles, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis and teres minor - no ligament!! :) When you say you have this 'tear' confirmed - was that on an ultrasound scan?

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E T said..

CarterSUPhysio said..
Rotator Cuff = 4 separate muscles, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis and teres minor - no ligament!! :) When you say you have this 'tear' confirmed - was that on an ultrasound scan?

Yes I have Carter, I have a 18mm X 13mm tear through the subscapularis, with an associated subluxation, this was diagnosed via ultrasound and with associated X-ray to ensure no bone damage.

I am having light Physio to help the pain, am also booked into see an orthopaedic specialist to determine whether surgery is the best outcome.

In the meantime, rest it and look after it.

Thanks for the support folks.

ET.

ah yes, bummer! I'm sure when the orthopod sends you for an MRI, you might have a bit going on there! Good luck with your physio - a bit of rehab and you'll be back on the water, keep positive

Hi ET

Get an MRI before you go to the orthopaedic surgeon, it will save you a second visit.
The MRI's are expensive but from my experience the surgeon will ask for one anyway.
I have had 2 shoulder operations on the same shoulder and I have been told a shoulder replacement is on the cards in the future.

Sport for me becomes a balancing act, no kiting, 1 hour surfs/SUPS rather than 2-3hours, and golf occasionally.

Everyone is different depending on the extent of the injury so the operation and recovery (if you choose to that) can vary as well.
Good luck

Hi ET,

Lived and SUP'd with a torn rotator cuff for a number of years until it got to the point where I could'nt lift my arm above shoulder height for 3 days afterwards. Finally went to the surgeon who stated no amount of physio will help with the tear, as they do not repair themselves. It requires surgery to fix the problem.

I also had a condition called "shoulder compression", so it was under the knife for me and six weeks off work, probably half that if you are an office worker where manual labour is not required. That was 18 months ago, the shoulder is now fixed, though it probably took around 9 months to come back to full strength. I can SUP without any pain afterwards, but certain exercises cause it to act up, so for me cutting laps at the pool doing freestyle is a thing of the past.

One thing the surgeon was very upfront about was age. He stated once you get to around 50 or so the tendons/ligaments start to deteriorate and soften. This leads to progressively poorer outcomes from surgery as you get older. Good luck.

Regards
Brad

I also had torn tendons repaired in my shoulder 6 months ago next week. a very quick 1 1/2 hour operation with an overnight stay in hospital and out the next day with a bag full of drugs....
the first 2 days were ok, then the nerve block fully wore off. after that, for the next 10 days, the pain was that great at times that If given the chance I would have chopped my arm off to get rid of the discomfort.(sorry if that seems harsh but for me it was very painfull). Then after about the ten day mark it was just a case of dealing with the boardom of sitting around, strapped up for 6 weeks in a sling. once the sling came off then the pain came back as all my arm muscles had pretty much faded away. That blew me away on how much you rely on strength just to control an arm. got strength back quite quick and could feel the improvements weekly.
Had my first paddle around hillarys harbour at the 5 month mark(very light cruise). about another 4 weeks on and 4 or 5 light paddles on I'm feeling like I can see that i'll be back to normal again. All people that I've come across that have had this opp say that its about a 12 month recovery to get back to normal.(and I know quite a few dudes that have had this opp as Ive spent the last 25 years in the ceiling trade and its a common injury unfortunately).
It takes time to recover from, but if you are in the situation where you cant avoid the opperation than just don't expect it to be back to normal in a few weeks. I went into it thinking that i'll be right after a few weeks for some reason, I don't know why I did that, but as your doctor/surgon will more than likely tell you, 12months till you feel good.

ep1 of a series ppretty inreteresting stuff

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burleighlocal said...
Did it..only just been able to prone surf in the last few weeks…but very unfit for this.

Was unable to sup for 6 months but have no real problem now. Get it seen and get treatment started..physio will give you a list of exercises that you can bring home (and ignore like 99% of us). Needles are good…big needles are even better .

Where are you?

Be the 1%

Well it's done. Had my operation today.

Now I am sitting up in hospital with tubes and wires on me. How good are nurses the ones here are freaked awesome.

Ortho surgeon says because op was done about three weeks after injury the chance of full recovery is 95-100%.

now 2 days in here then two weeks at home and six weeks in a sling.
he says because I am fit and strong I should be able to start normal activity in3-4 months.

good thing to be a surfer and SUPer even if you are old

ET.

Well done ET, I hope you make a smooth and speedy recovery.

Having spent a fair amount of time in hospitals over the last couple of years, I have to agree that nurses are awesome.