tear in rotator cuff

[9863]

so according to my physio i have a tear in my rotator cuff, seems fairly low risk kind of thing as im still able to do legs (back squats, front squats, lunges etc) & use my arm fine carrying cartons of beer (i work in a bar) without pain.
so he's strapped it up, but something like this how long do they normally take to heal properly so i can go back to doing incline bench/shoulder pressing etc?

would a couple of weeks of no upper body exercises be enough?
he gave me a couple of little daily rehab exercises to do for the rotator cuff but yeah

[9863]

so went to the doctor today & he gave me a referal to get an xray & ultra sound (i asked about MRI but he said its basically the same as an ultrasound but more expensive?) also put on there for me to have a steriod injection into the shoulder.

when im taking a jumper off & move my left arm forward while its raised above my head it feels like its almost rolling out of the joint at a slight hint of pain, but if i do this to the side instead of front theres nothing (just feels normal)...any ideas?

[BrotherWolf]

so went to the doctor today & he gave me a referal to get an xray & ultra sound (i asked about MRI but he said its basically the same as an ultrasound but more expensive?) also put on there for me to have a steriod injection into the shoulder.

when im taking a jumper off & move my left arm forward while its raised above my head it feels like its almost rolling out of the joint at a slight hint of pain, but if i do this to the side instead of front theres nothing (just feels normal)...any ideas?

how long it takes depends on the gravity of the tear and by the therapy you do, rotator cuff muscles are very delicate and sometimes they never fully heal unless you do some therapy, deep tissue massage etc..
to break up the scar tissue that forms when it heals.Make sure you ask to show you some stretches and exercises you can do to avoid that

[sowilson]

OP, do some reading http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00064. Typically conservative treatments are tried and if that doesn't work then surgery. Depending on the extent of your injuries it can take quite awhile to fully recover and return fully to previous activity levels.

[2Rude4MyOwnGood]

so went to the doctor today & he gave me a referal to get an xray & ultra sound (i asked about MRI but he said its basically the same as an ultrasound but more expensive?) also put on there for me to have a steriod injection into the shoulder.

when im taking a jumper off & move my left arm forward while its raised above my head it feels like its almost rolling out of the joint at a slight hint of pain, but if i do this to the side instead of front theres nothing (just feels normal)...any ideas?

It doesn't make any sense for your doctor to administer a cortisone injection prior to reaching a diagnosis. I wouldn't recommend doing that.

An ultrasound may detect some injuries, but nothing is as reliable as an MRI with arthrogram when it comes to diagnosing shoulder injuries.

The fact that your shoulder feels like it's rolling out of the joint is a pretty bad sign, and increases the suspicion that you've torn your labrum. Your RC may also be affected, but an unstable joint is a very common sign of a labral tear. I wouldn't delay getting an MRI with arthrogram to diagnose this.

[9863]

Hmm well all pain & the popping feeling has disappeared regardless of what position I have my arm in
Scans on Wednesday, sounds promising
Hopefully all that is required is time

[Postmort3m]

Change doctors immediately if he really told you an ultrasound is equal to an MRI

Yes, mad. I'm an MRI Tech.

[ToPHeR35]

How does MRI compare to CT Scan w/o contrast? I got a referral for CT Scan because I think my biceps tendon is dislocating. I can't do MRI because of screws in my shoulder.

[9863]

so here's something interesting....
got xrays & ultrasound done, both come up with nothing wrong which had both me and the doctor doing the tests a little puzzled.
I'm thinking about asking my doctor for a referral for an MRI? sound like a good idea?

or just try ease back into training & see how i go?
MRI will set me back $255, worth it to make sure?

any advice appreciated

[2Rude4MyOwnGood]

so here's something interesting....
got xrays & ultrasound done, both come up with nothing wrong which had both me and the doctor doing the tests a little puzzled.
I'm thinking about asking my doctor for a referral for an MRI? sound like a good idea?

or just try ease back into training & see how i go?
MRI will set me back $255, worth it to make sure?

any advice appreciated

I'm not all that surprised. An X-ray is used to diagnose injuries to the bone, not soft tissue. The only real reason for you to have one would be if your injury was the result of trauma.

An ultrasound is used for soft tissue injuries, but it's not accurate/reliable for diagnosing shoulder injuries. An MRI with arthrogram is the only true way, in terms of imaging, to determine if there is damage to your RC or labrum.

[9863]

okay, need some advice as im not sure what to do here....

with my shoulder, its basically pain free. the only position i experience any sort of discomfort (more of a pinch then pain) is when my arm in straight up in the air (90 degrees) with the side of my arm basically touching my head.
Any other position there is nothing, if i do a front or back double biceps pose there is no pain like there used to be.

My mum (who has been a nurse/Psychiatric nurse manager for the last 30yrs) & my doctor both seem to think its just some deep bruising & the "pinch" im feeling is just due to the swelling.
Does this sound about right? because it is feeling better & i have full function, like lifting trays of glasses (i work in a bar) is no issues for me.
I even practised last night bench form, lateral raises, bent over lateral raises & front raises (with no weights) just to test rom & for pain, felt no pain what so ever.

I sometimes feel a little burn, not a bad burn but more like something similar to a couple of mins after youve done a set like lactic acid build up type thing?

Anyway question is ive been told an MRI (with the use of radiation for these scans) will assist in lowering testosterone levels? is this true?
Because at the moment i feel as though i could go back to the gym & just take it easy....start back with low weights, make sure form is 100% etc

is it worth the risk? or just go get the MRI & be sure?

[Postmort3m]

There is zero radiation with an MRI. Stop listening to stupid people.

[9863]

There is zero radiation with an MRI. Stop listening to stupid people.

cool thanks mate

[2Rude4MyOwnGood]

There is zero radiation with an MRI. Stop listening to stupid people.

This.


OP if I were in your shoes I'd get the MRI...just make sure it's an MRI with arthrogram.

Shoulder injuries are nothing to fk around with. They take a long time to heal, and they can become exponentially worse if not properly treated.

If it's not bothering you, continue with PT until you feel comfortable enough to return to the gym. But take it easy. If it's still causing you trouble after a few months, I'd definitely the MRI if you haven't already done so. No sense in just guessing what your injury is.

[9863]

so it appears the referal the doctor gave me for the MRI is just a normal MRI, with the arthrogram. the injection for the dye, can that weaken the muscle like a cortisone injection?
I dont know anything about them thats why im asking.

Is there that much difference between a normal MRI & arthrogram to warrant going back to the doctor & getting another referal?
I dont have any pain at the moment, i just want to make sure its right...last thing i want to do is make it worse
I dont know the difference between the two, so if someone could clarify for me that would be tops

thanks

[2Rude4MyOwnGood]

so it appears the referal the doctor gave me for the MRI is just a normal MRI, with the arthrogram. the injection for the dye, can that weaken the muscle like a cortisone injection?
I dont know anything about them thats why im asking.

Is there that much difference between a normal MRI & arthrogram to warrant going back to the doctor & getting another referal?
I dont have any pain at the moment, i just want to make sure its right...last thing i want to do is make it worse
I dont know the difference between the two, so if someone could clarify for me that would be tops

thanks

Did you mean to say "without" arthrogram? Sounds that way from the rest of your post.

Here's the deal with MRI vs MRI/A:

A regular MRI would be fine to detect a rotator cuff tear, but at this point nobody really knows what's going on in your shoulder. If they were 100% positive that it was an issue with your RC I wouldn't have a problem with it.

An MRI/A is able to detect damage to the RC and the labrum. Labral tears and RC tears can be very difficult to differentiate based on a physical exam...which is really all you've had up to this point.

I've read countless posts from guys on here who were told that they probably had a RC tear, had a regular MRI which showed no damage, and then 6 months later an MRI/A showed a labral tear. If you're going in for an MRI for a shoulder injury, you might as well cover all your bases while you're in there so you can avoid going back for a second one.

The injection will not make your injury worse. It's a bit uncomfortable for a few seconds but that's about it, and it will be FAR more beneficial in diagnosing your injury.

[fulloffat]

been following this thread. Saw a specialist last Thursday on an unrelated injury to this, but I seem to get a lot of pushback for doing MRI's, especially if they're possible old injuries that didn't heal right, or scar tissue.

I've got the idea that MRI's wouldn't show anything like that. True?