Questions about rotator cuff injuries

[Bendigo]

I hear these can be pretty nasty and take a particularly long time to heal. So, what I want to know is how I can tell if I even have an injured rotator cuff in the first place?? What movement limitations will I encounter and what kind of pain?? How can I remedy the problem if I have a torn/strained rotator cuff?? Any other information about this would be of tremendous benefit.

[awesomeboy05]

I would only trust a doctor or physical trainer of some sort to whether or not I have a rotator cuff injury. As for how it feels, if you have a nagging pain in your shoulder that doesnt go away after maybe at least a week of rest, there's a good chance it's your rotator cuff.

[Kayo]

If its your rotator cuff theirs a good chance it will require surgery

[themonk]

back when I used to bodybuild I used to watch a show called "the fit show" all good advice but one episode featured rusty jefferson, an older bodybuilder who injured his rotator cuff an did certain warm-ups in a certain way first to make sure he didnt do himself any further damage during intense workouts, ill post a link now. (CONSULT A DOCTOR ASWELL)

[themonk]

theres a whole load of bull**** to watch through but there are some good tips on keeping your shoulder warm here and there

[Phantasm]

I've been unlucky enough to have had it. I seperated my shoulder and tore my labrum and rotator cuff. This was about 4-5 years ago. To this day, it is still not 100% and might never be (unless I get surgery). I'll tell you the symptoms I went through:
I've always had a small problem with my left shoulder, as far as a slight joint popping when doing weights or any lifting, mostly an off and on affair that I got accustomed to and basically ignored (lots of people have an irregular joint, in the sense that it's not totally smooth in the joint, so it kinda pops, as if you were double jointed). Anyway, one day I noticed that my shoulder was really sore; I ignored the pain and went about my business as usual. After a few days, the pain was still there and had intensified. I noticed I was having pain and limited mobility in the shoulder, partucularly if I tried to raise it about shoulder length or when I held it across my body (I played baseball and picture yourself batting right handed...the pain really was bad on my left arm during a batting stance). I gave in and went to the doctors, where I was given an MRI and Xrays which determined that I had almost no fluid in the joint and showed the damage to the labrum and cuff. He asked me when I dislocated my shoulder, which I honestly didnt even know I had; he explained that the only way that this could have happened was in a shoulder dislocation, which is very painful. He said I must be one tough dude to ignore pain like that (which really boosted my ego, but didnt really help otherwise) and siad that I had two options: Physical therapy or surgery. Being in baseball, I knew that surgery is usually the only outcome in this situation, but he advised against it and said that we should try the PT first and use surgery as a last resort. I ******ly agreed and went with it; it didnt help me one bit other than cause me more pain. Unfortunately, my insurance then decided to drop me and after a lot of BS, I had to switch to 3 different insurance companies and never did get surgery. It took about 3 years for me to actually get to about 80-85% mobility, range and strength back into the shoulder. I know only have pain 3 out of 5 days, though I'll probably get a sharp pain everyonce in awhile at some point in the day. It's especially bad during wet, humid days (which are frequent in miami). Last Therapist I saw said that I was very close to arthritis in the shoulder and that I needed to continue to work it out to try and prevent it from becoming arthritic. As far as boxing goes, the shoulder is very weak and noticebly undersized compared to my right shoulder (because of the pain, I never really caught up to the same strength I have in my right) So after jabbing a few hundred times, I dont even realize that I start to drop my left hand, which made my trainer get kinda pissed at me cuz he thought I was trying to showboat. But I honestly dont even realize it till he points it out to me. At this point, I need to try and build up the strength in it and ignore the pain until I can find an insurance that will cover the surgery; but that will mean at least a year of intense rehab before I can get close to where I was before the injury. And that is no guarantee that I will.
I hate to sound ominous, but its an injury that you dont want to take lightly. If you are feeling pain in there, go straight to the doctor and tell him. Dont let it get worse because it can cause more damage in the joint (I have a crunching sound in there when I move it...I'm like Rice Krispies...all you hear is snap, crackle and pop when I move the shoulder around!). If it's only a small or partial tear, then opt for the rehab; if it's a complete tear, ask a therapists advice, but you more than likely are better off getting surgery if you want to get a shot at full recovery and a minimal amount of rehab time. I regret not doing it cuz it had a domino effect on my life; I missed lots of work due to therapy, which caused problems with my boss, which in turn caused a GREAT deal of stress and depression (started to lose hair due to stress and drink alot), I actually got crows feet around my eyes cuz I was always squinting in pain and didnt realize it (I was only 24 at the time!), I gained weight due to lack of exercise and depression...lots of stuff all because of one small injury. That may only be my case and lots of it were probably not legitimate excuses, but when you get depressed your mindset changes. And it is a depressing injury when you go through it.
I hope this helps and I really hope you turn out to be ok...if you got any other questions, feel free to ask!

[kayjay]

What phantasm said.

You can learn to live with it without surgery (if it's like mine), but you always know it's there. I don't know exactly what my relatively minor problem is, but I can do most things except throwing a baseball.

[themonk]

**** that.
that message just made me that much happier that i warm up and down every workout