Rotator Cuff / Bicep Tenodesis Surgery; Recovery Log

[richtoys]

All I have done thus far is cardio on a stationary bike while wearing a sling

[tkdnj]

Hey Rich - sorry to hear about your accident and surgeries. I tried to post my progress on a regular basis in this thread (at first every few days, then as time went on weekly, then monthly). Please feel free to post any specific questions, and I will be glad to answer them based on my experience. I had a full rotator cuff tear requiring 6 anchors, and and a bicep tear requiring a bicep tenodesis which required a "double strength" anchor of its own (so 7 anchors in total).

I am a very dedicated 51 year old, more into bodybuilding than strength training.
Best,
Nick

[tkdnj]

8 months since my rotator cuff / bicep tenodesis surgery.

I have been back lifting for about 4 months. Been pushing very hard, high intensity, going to failure, but ABSOLUTELY no jerking the weight. Basically using all machines except for barbell curls. Rep range is 8-12. Back to my "push/off/legs/pull/off" routine, so I am working out 3 of every 5 days. To be honest, with the machines they have available today, I think most of my workout, even when I am 100% healed, will be on machines. Hoist, Hammer Press, etc... just awesome. Again, my focus is bodybuilding, not strength, and at 51 I want to be in the game for years to come.

Shoulder is still sore after work outs and when I wake up, but making progress since my last post which was 2 months ago. My biggest complaint is that I still cannot do a bench press movement (with dumbbells or barbells) without pain. I do chest pressing movement on the "free motion" cable machine. I am able to keep my elbows in, shoulders low, and tension across my mid-to-lower chest using that machine. I have been making slow progress with push ups; strength is there but that particular movement hurts still.

Regarding strength: Back, and Tri's are around 90%. Legs are pretty much the same since I was hitting them while I was healing up. Shoulders and Bi's are about 80% back. As I said, the biggest challenge is chest. There is still a lot of pain when I do a bench press movement so I am still doing all isolation exercises, but like I said, the intensity is high, including going to failure.

My surgeon he said it will be 9-12 months (which is 1-3 months from now) until it is all healed and feeling normal.

Best,
TKDNJ

[sowilson]

What does your PT have to say about ROM, strength, balance, and the pain you experience doing pressing motions?

[tkdnj]

I ended with PT in August, exactly 4 months after surgery. She was happy with where I was with everything (ROM, strength, balance, and the pain I have doing pressing motions)

[sowilson]

Then you should have another visit with your PT to try and find resolution to this.

[Championstuff]

I had the same surgery in september, i have my last visit with my surgeon on tuesday and my final pt on the 16th. been back to the gym, but it's tough to get back into a routine. i'm glad that it's all over though.

[tkdnj]

I had the same surgery in september, i have my last visit with my surgeon on tuesday and my final pt on the 16th. been back to the gym, but it's tough to get back into a routine. i'm glad that it's all over though.

Good luck....for me it was easy to get back into a routine, I couldn't wait to get back to it. I hope you post in this thread; I'm curious to see how other's heal... good luck!

[68tgutz]

Guys, I cant tell you how motivating this thread is for me.
I just had subscapularis repair and biceps tenodesis on my left on 2/2/2016.
To be able to see how people with similar surgery have been able to and are recovering helps tremendously. Everything from the nuisance of the sling to only 3-4 hrs of sleep a night in a recliner, and the stress of losing all my gains, just drives me insane. My PT's call me Alpha and say they are keeping an eye on me to reel me in if necessary. I cant wait to move on to active therapy( 10 days out ) just to let my muscles know I haven't abandoned them, lol. I have been riding recumbent bike and light dumbell and cable work in the gym 3-4x week. I think supps and a great diet are even more critical now to aid in recovery / healing process.
At 47 , its hard to not feel as though i will never get back where I was. But in reality, there are so many options for staying fit and muscular, maybe never benching, squatting, or deads over 300 will ever bother me?
Guess I will just have to wait and see. I appreciate the thread, please dont hesitate to share your stories even after a year post surgery and i will try to do the same.
Thanks All!!

[tkdnj]

68tgutz - I am glad this thread helps; I was hoping that when I created it (I look forward to reading about your progress; don't hesitate to post any questions as I check this thread all the time). I know what you're experiencing as far as sleep, the anxiety about losing gains, etc... My posts throughout this thread hits on all that. Here is the latest:
10 months since my rotator cuff / bicep tenodesis surgery.

- I have been back lifting for about 6 months
- pushing very hard, high intensity, going to failure, but definitely stop before I have to cheat
- Still using almost all machines; the machines at my gym (24 Hour Fitness) are great, Hoist and Star Trac. I feel (hoping) that for bodybuilding I can get the same results as free weights Considering the extent of my surgery, I may always be using mostly machines. I must admit I do miss my dumbbell flat and incline benching. It just feels like (in my mind) I should be moving some free weights (I do all my chest movements on the "free motion" cable machine. It allows me to keep my elbows in, shoulders low, which keeps it relatively pain free) but on the other hand, my workouts on these modern machines have been great. I still can't do bench press movements without pain, so I have no choice anyway.
- I am a little concerned about my "good" shoulder. When I did try to do dumbbell bench presses, the good shoulder really hurt, especially in the front of the shoulder where the bicep tendon is. Probably just the typical tendonitis a lot of us get at our age, but since I know what I went through with my shoulder surgery, I am a bit nervous, so, being careful, icing a lot.
- using my favorite "push/off/legs/pull/off" routine, so I am lifting 3 of every 5 days
- Shoulder is still a bit sore after work outs and when I wake up, but making progress.
- Strength is close to where it was before surgery (except for benching since I can't do that yet, and may never be able to)

Best,
TKDNJ

[HGMann]

Hi Everyone. I had a subpectoral bicep tenodesis, and arthroscopic labrum and HAGL repairs about two weeks ago on non dominant side. Surgeon was out on vacation so this is the first time I will see him since the surgery. I saw some interesting info on #of anchors used, % of tear, leg workouts. I can't wait to get back to an active regimen but know it will be 6 months to a year of recovery. I want to make good use of my time during the visit and an looking for help with questions to ask. If anyone has any feedback on what to ask I would appreciate it. Hope I covered this enough.

Thanks

[tgutz]

68tgutz - I am glad this thread helps; I was hoping that when I created it (I look forward to reading about your progress; don't hesitate to post any questions as I check this thread all the time). I know what you're experiencing as far as sleep, the anxiety about losing gains, etc... My posts throughout this thread hits on all that. Here is the latest:
10 months since my rotator cuff / bicep tenodesis surgery.

- I have been back lifting for about 6 months
- pushing very hard, high intensity, going to failure, but definitely stop before I have to cheat
- Still using almost all machines; the machines at my gym (24 Hour Fitness) are great, Hoist and Star Trac. I feel (hoping) that for bodybuilding I can get the same results as free weights Considering the extent of my surgery, I may always be using mostly machines. I must admit I do miss my dumbbell flat and incline benching. It just feels like (in my mind) I should be moving some free weights (I do all my chest movements on the "free motion" cable machine. It allows me to keep my elbows in, shoulders low, which keeps it relatively pain free) but on the other hand, my workouts on these modern machines have been great. I still can't do bench press movements without pain, so I have no choice anyway.
- I am a little concerned about my "good" shoulder. When I did try to do dumbbell bench presses, the good shoulder really hurt, especially in the front of the shoulder where the bicep tendon is. Probably just the typical tendonitis a lot of us get at our age, but since I know what I went through with my shoulder surgery, I am a bit nervous, so, being careful, icing a lot.
- using my favorite "push/off/legs/pull/off" routine, so I am lifting 3 of every 5 days
- Shoulder is still a bit sore after work outs and when I wake up, but making progress.
- Strength is close to where it was before surgery (except for benching since I can't do that yet, and may never be able to)

Best,
TKDNJ

TKDNJ, I am really curious why you still have enough pain to deter you from barbell bench. i wonder if that was due to the nature of your injurie(s)? You had several anchors installed, correct? I know machines are awesome, both newer machines and lots of older stuff too.
I went to the gym today for a recumbent bike session and to my surprise, one of the personal trainers let me borrow a ice water therapy kit. I guess it pumps ice water from a small cooler? Pretty cool. he had the same surgery a year or so ago and said it helped tremendously.
I cant wait to hit that 5 month mark and start lifting again. Active therapy starts in 6 days!
Let us know if/when that benching pain eases off. Have you tried smith machine?
also, BTW, I am the same guy as previously posted under 68tgutz , I just found my old user and password and as of now cant figure how to link , or i guess I'll have to eliminate newest username.
Anyway, good thread.
Lets all heal, learn, and lift!!

[tgutz]

I am 24 days post surgery,I start active therapy next week. i am actually looking forward to it. PT said I must stay in sling for 6 wks, my boss not too happy about that. I am hoping, like so many stories I have read in here, that my repaired shoulder actually comes back stronger. It was my weak side anyway, so stronger would be cool. I am worried about the bicep tenodesis though. I wonder if it will contract just as hard, or WHEN I will be allowed to. Will I be able to ever do pullups again? Should I even try to flat bench 4 months from now? Lots of questions remain, I hope I dont become too gun shy when it comes to working out. I was always able to lift with pretty good intensity.

[tkdnj]

Hi Everyone. I had a subpectoral bicep tenodesis, and arthroscopic labrum and HAGL repairs about two weeks ago on non dominant side. Surgeon was out on vacation so this is the first time I will see him since the surgery. I saw some interesting info on #of anchors used, % of tear, leg workouts. I can't wait to get back to an active regimen but know it will be 6 months to a year of recovery. I want to make good use of my time during the visit and an looking for help with questions to ask. If anyone has any feedback on what to ask I would appreciate it. Hope I covered this enough.

Thanks

Hey HGMann - in case you didn't see your surgeon yet, you'll want to ask about the surgery and the near term:
1. How many anchors did it require, did the surgery go as planned?
2. When to start rehab, and will he provide instructions for the rehab therapist?
3. How does he want you sleep?
4. Sling all day? Night? For how long?
5. Your current pain

Good Luck

[tkdnj]

TKDNJ, I am really curious why you still have enough pain to deter you from barbell bench. i wonder if that was due to the nature of your injurie(s)? You had several anchors installed, correct? I know machines are awesome, both newer machines and lots of older stuff too.
I went to the gym today for a recumbent bike session and to my surprise, one of the personal trainers let me borrow a ice water therapy kit. I guess it pumps ice water from a small cooler? Pretty cool. he had the same surgery a year or so ago and said it helped tremendously.
I cant wait to hit that 5 month mark and start lifting again. Active therapy starts in 6 days!
Let us know if/when that benching pain eases off. Have you tried smith machine?
also, BTW, I am the same guy as previously posted under 68tgutz , I just found my old user and password and as of now cant figure how to link , or i guess I'll have to eliminate newest username.
Anyway, good thread.
Lets all heal, learn, and lift!!

I assume I have pain with the benching movement for two reasons. The main reason is I had a full tear of the bicep tendon (at the top) that required a bicep tenodesis which required a "double strength" anchor because there was minimal healthy tendon. The second reason is simply due to the number of anchors needed (7) due to the size of the tears, will require more time than the usual time to feel right. Most people have 2 to 4 anchors. 7 means double the amount of holes drilled in my bone, and of course means I started out with a worse case than most.
I started upper body lifting at 4 months (I was doing legs well before that)...but went very easy at first, and did not do anything for chest until it felt "right", and did biceps very light due to my bicep tenodesis. My surgeon and my rehab therapist said the bicep was the biggest risk at first.
I tried the Smith Machine a month or two ago. It hurt. I should probably try it again since I don't need to get the weight in position, which hurts me now. That said, LOWERING the weight hurts more than pushing it up, so who knows. I will give it a try again with light weight.
I did not use the ice pump. My surgeon said ice and cold packs were just as effective. But everyone I talk to who used it says great things.
I started therapy at 5 days, but it was not active at first, just passive.

[tkdnj]

I am 24 days post surgery,I start active therapy next week. i am actually looking forward to it. PT said I must stay in sling for 6 wks, my boss not too happy about that. I am hoping, like so many stories I have read in here, that my repaired shoulder actually comes back stronger. It was my weak side anyway, so stronger would be cool. I am worried about the bicep tenodesis though. I wonder if it will contract just as hard, or WHEN I will be allowed to. Will I be able to ever do pullups again? Should I even try to flat bench 4 months from now? Lots of questions remain, I hope I dont become too gun shy when it comes to working out. I was always able to lift with pretty good intensity.

I train biceps with high intensity, but do not go as heavy as used to. For example I used to curl 75 pounds for 8 reps in my workouts. Now I curl 60 pounds, for 10-12 reps, VERY STRICT. That said, I do go to failure. But absolutely no cheating AT ALL. My gut tells me heavy weight and cheating would put that tenodesis at risk. I do lat pulldowns (to the front) with good weight, but as they hopefully will show you in rehab, I make sure my scapula is pulled down and to the center first, taking the stress of the shoulders and into the lats. So, doing your pull ups that way should not be an issue (eventually)
You'll know when you can bench because you will ease into it with push ups, then light weight. For me push ups still hurt (but again, that movement is only one that still bothers me). Incidentally, I can do shoulder presses with good weight. It's just the bench press / push up movement that bothers me.
You will be gun shy at first, but in a good way. You will lift stricter, but (I think) with the same results. Because even though you may be moving less weight, you will be focusing in on the SPECIFIC muscle even better than before.

[sowilson]

Another way of getting back into the bench after shoulder labrum surgery is to start by limiting the range of motion either with board presses or pin presses and doing higher volume (i.e. 15-20 reps/set). My son's protocol was a month or so of arm work and pulls no presses, 3x15 and then to start benching with a broom handle, followed by a bare bar, and finally adding weight for 3x15 and a 6"-8" board. He progressively added weight for a month and then stopped adding weight but decreased the thickness of the board (so 6 board, 5 board, 4 board... to no board). From that he started progressively adding weight. Finally, after a few months of this he started to reduce volume and lift at a higher percent of 1RM (so 3x10, then 3x8, etc). Once he was back up to working sets of 165lbs or so he added in other presses and started working on form for Olympic lifts. This scheme was on the recommendation of his surgeon who is an NHL team doctor and director of medicine for a D1 college's athletic programs.

[tkdnj]

Another way of getting back into the bench after shoulder labrum surgery is to start by limiting the range of motion either with board presses or pin presses and doing higher volume (i.e. 15-20 reps/set). My son's protocol was a month or so of arm work and pulls no presses, 3x15 and then to start benching with a broom handle, followed by a bare bar, and finally adding weight for 3x15 and a 6"-8" board. He progressively added weight for a month and then stopped adding weight but decreased the thickness of the board (so 6 board, 5 board, 4 board... to no board). From that he started progressively adding weight. Finally, after a few months of this he started to reduce volume and lift at a higher percent of 1RM (so 3x10, then 3x8, etc). Once he was back up to working sets of 165lbs or so he added in other presses and started working on form for Olympic lifts. This scheme was on the recommendation of his surgeon who is an NHL team doctor and director of medicine for a D1 college's athletic programs.

great info! I wish my rehab therapist suggested this. Thanks!!!!!

[tgutz]

Finished my 2nd day of active therapy today. new exercises to do along with overhead pulley work and wall climbs. Most of the stuff is pretty painful at first but once I am warmed up, my range of motion increases and I can stretch further. When the PT stretches me....now THAT is painful!! But I understand I cant let stuff heal and freeze up in that position and scar buildup, etc, etc.
They scheduled out PT sessions for me through mid April, that would be 2 1/2 months post surgery. Approx. 4 passive PT sessions and 14 active PT sessions. They mentioned the fact that my " sport ' is weightlifting, that they want to get me ready for it before I finish with PT. So my question to anyone who has had this done...How long will my PT go under normal circumstances? And they actually said I will be working with weights in the gym before i am able to handle body weight stuff?
Kinda confusing at times, but really excited to be moving along, however painful it is.

[tkdnj]

I would think four months minimum. And yes, weights (LIGHT!!!) before body weight exercises. You will be ready to curl with very light weights, and do shoulder presses with very light weights, and do things like tricep extensions with very light weights, before you'll be able to do a push-up or a pull-up. Good luck! Keep us posted, and don't hesitate to ask any questions.

[stevetxfit]

6 months since my rotator cuff / bicep tenodesis surgery.

I have been back lifting for about 2 months. Been going light and strict (which I probably will do forever), but with high intensity. Rep range is 8-15. Back to my "push/off/legs/pull/off" routine, so I am working out 3 of every 5 days.

Shoulder is sore after work outs and when I wake up. Other than that I am pretty pain free (except when I do a bench press movement - more on that in a minute). Last week at my 6 month visit with my surgeon he said it will be 9-12 months (which is 3-6 months from now) until it is all healed and feeling normal. He did say I have good strength and mobility for the extent of my repair (I had 7 anchors put in)

Regarding strength, Back, Bi's and Tri's are around 80%. Legs are pretty much the same since I was hitting them while I was healing up. Shoulders are about 70% back. The biggest challenge is chest. There is still a lot of pain when I do a bench press movement so I do my whole chest workout, including a pressing movement, on the cable machine. I have been making progress with push ups which is a good sign. So still, I am doing all isolation exercises, but like I said, the intensity is high, including going to failure.

I have gained all my weight back. The biggest difference in my physique is the atrophy in the bicep and lat of the side that had the surgery, but it's coming back.

if anyone is facing this surgery, I would be glad to answer any of your questions.

Let's Go Mets!
TKDNJ

Thanks for posting your progress. Had my bicep tenodesis 5 days ago and one second I feel great the next the pain is horrible. I only take pain meds as needed because mt stomach cant handle it. I am also a personal trainer which made the situation worse. Hearing your progress has made my anxiety calm down.

I also get very little sleep because I cant get comfortable. I started doing bicep curls, no weights. no squeeze, just range of motion and it feels good to get stretched out. My first PT is this week and I will make sure I take some meds before I go.

Thanks again for the info

[tkdnj]

stevetxfit: yep, I know the feeling of one moment fine, next a lot of pain. The bad pain should start to ease up around now (unless you move your arm). Sleep for more than 45 minutes at a time was almost impossible for weeks. I slept in a recliner for 2 1/2 months.

I would be very careful about curling anything, even air. I was told not to contract my bicep for a long time (I can't remember exactly how long, i am sure it's somewhere in this thread). Please ask your Physical Therapist. Physical therapy is painful, but not brutal. I found the pain therapeutic because I felt like I was on the path back. I am at about 10 1/2 months now. It feels strong. I lift hard, but careful. As I said in previous posts, the only thing I can't do is a bench press movement unless I am standing up with my elbows close to my body, shoulders down, and my palms somewhere between facing down and facing each other. I "bench press" on the freemotion cable machine. The bad news for me is that me "good" shoulder, especially in bicep tendon area in the front of the shoulder has become very sore. I'm praying it's just tendonitis. The funny thing is I can do shoulder presses (in the front) with great intensity and good weight (for me) without pain. It's just the damn bench press movement.

Best,
TKDNJ

[tgutz]

UPDATE>>>>!!! 38 days post op.... SLING BE GONE MY BROS! My last PT session, this past Wednesday, my therapist said time to wean off the sling. He said my progress is very good. I have 18 different excercise's I do 3x a day. Therapist said do 30 reps a day...I do 90. No question the years of lifting have allowed me to listen to my body and know how far and fast I can go. I am making good progress because of all the extra work I put in. I am sure its all relative and depends on the severity of your injury and how complex the surgery was but for me I feel great! Surgeon said injury was caught in time and tendons all looked healthy. I am finally getting 6 hrs uninterrupted sleep at night, actually in a bed!! We all know how important deep sleep is for recovery.
The hardest part was figuring out my daily caloric intake. To go from an extremely active lifestyle to an almost sedentary one is quite an adjustment. I lost muscle size, no question - almost an inch on my effected arm! I definitely increased in bodyfat as well. I have recently settled in to what I believe will work for me to allow muscle growth and repair, or at least no more atrophy, and no more bodyfat gain.
I have PT 2x a week and I have hired a personal trainer 3 x week to help me make the most of my time in the gym. He has gone through the injury himself and is perfectly suited to help me over the next few weeks. I am super excited to track my progress and I will certainly share it.
The pain still exists, and probably always will from what I am told. its always worse in the morning. But you have to get up and do your exercises first thing. Pop an ibuprofen and grab an ice pack for a good 20 min. Start every day like this and your progress will be better I promise.
Take the down time to re-educate yourself on training methods and techniques. Learn the proper way to do exercises that wont put you at risk of injury. Focus on recovery and understand how important good nutrition is.
The first week or two after surgery, I have to admit was rather depressing, but now I feel re-energized and focused. I am excited to see what my future will bring knowing I will be stronger, healthier, and happier.

[sschantz]

Hi All,

Stumbled across this and have been avoiding going under the knife.

Quick story, about 25 years ago, playing roller hockey, rock caught in front wheel and I went end over end. Dr said I didn't need surgery but here I am and feel more and more pain. Nothing has changed in my workout, no longer life for max, more of maintenance.

If I do straight arm side laterals I am fine but if I try to perform them when elbow is at 90 degrees, very painful.

I did sumo deads and soo much radiating pain. 3 days later shoulder still hurts. Gave up flat bench pressing for DB's...

Good luck to your personally.

[tkdnj]

Been just about 1 year since the surgery:
- I assumed the shoulder would be "perfect" now but it's not. It's OK, but not perfect. Surgeon thinks since I had so much done (7 anchors) it is very possible it will take longer (still have issues with bench pressing movement and some soreness)
- Surgeon also thinks my issue with bench press movement may be due to my rehab therapist not focusing on things like subscapularis stability and flexibility
- Bigger issue: my non-surgical shoulder is having issues; especially in the bench press movement
- Xrays were clear (no arthritis, good spacing)
- MRI showed inflammation, small tears (not requiring surgery; at least not yet)
- got a cortizone shot to see how the inflammation reacts (1/2 in rear of shoulder; 1/2 in bicep tendon)
- plan is to rest for 4 days, then start lifting to see how it feels

I will keep you posted
Best,
TKDNJ

[domnap]

I had a bicep tenodesis and a subacromial decompression on 9-9-15, but did not have the success that you have.

My bicep ruptured 4 days after surgery, and I couldn't find any doctor willing to fix it, so now i am stuck with it.

But not only that, I still have pain, weakness and instability 7 months post op, and nothing seems to work. I did 6 months of PT, had 2 cortisone shots, 1 of which was done fluroscopy(under x-ray to make sure it's in the joint), neither of which have helped much either.

I also had another MRI-A done recently, which showed some stuff I guess, but nothing serious like a tear.

My doctor currently has me off of PT to see if maybe it was too much, and not giving the rest it needs to heal, but he said in the meantime to use it and keep it active. So today I tried to do some pushups, did 4 sets of 10, really no pain in the shoulder, just some weakness. Afterwards, my shoulder feels really irritated, although I don't know if it's the shoulder or what. It feels like its the groove where the pec attaches to the humerus, or like almost right up against the humerus head. I don't know if that area I'm talking about is the pec, or if it's RC, or bursa or what, but the thing that concerns me is that I had this same sensation before I had the surgery which was from a work related injury.

I see my doctor again in 10 days, so I'll bring it up to him, even though I did in the past but he never really seemed interested in it. If it was a pec tear though, I'm sure it would have healed by now since it's been over a year since the work injury happened. I'm just tired of this since I've been dealing with this for over a year, and the surgery made me worse, plus it doesn't seem like I'll ever be even close to normal.

[italianguy63]

TKDNJ
I had an accident fell on flight of stairs with my arm extended. had a total acute tear of my subscapulariis tendon(right dominant) which moved my long head of bicep tendon out of it's groove. had surgery April 6, almost 6 weeks later. it's been hell. it was good up until 3 weeks started PT, very painful only doing passive stretching, had incident week four where i put undo pressure on it by accident, thinking i tore the bicep tendon from bone. saw doctor he didn't think so, I'm on a lot of anti-inflammatories to bring swelling down. it has helped. the bicep pain is the worst of it. i ice it constantly, very important. the bicep is probably going to take longest to heal

One thing i have learned , get a reusable ice pack, don't rely on the ice machine. take your meds. don't try and be superman.
PT hurts.

So i read your story and I was like "OMG"so close to home. good luck to you man!!

hello all... i had surgery to repair 2 large rotator cuff tears and a ruptured bicep tendon at the shoulder on April 22, 5 days ago. i will document my recovery to provide info to those facing this. There is a lot available on youtube and in internet forums like bb.com, but not so much specific to guys like me (us); 50 years old with a goal of hitting the weights again. So, i thought this might help some of you. I will do my best to stay brief so you don't have read through too much, plus it's hard to type with my left hand.

day 0 - day 5

first off - the surgery
i will know more tomorrow when i go back to see the surgeon, but i know they used 7 anchors to re-attach and fix all the tears. Saw doc briefly in recovery room; he said it required more work than anticipated, but aside from my bicep maybe looking slightly different, i should get function back. i asked him about lifting weights, and he said yes, then i said "heavy weights?" and he said maybe not all the time. Not sure what that actually means, but i will find out more tomorrow.
As far as post op pain, it is painful as expected, but with the meds it becomes almost tolerable, but very uncomfortable having to wear the sling 24/7. Sleeping has been difficult, going to the bathroom sucked until my wife advised me to take a stool softener (there is tip #1).

Also, first 24 hours were weird because they used a nerve block during the surgery which numbed my arm 100% for 24 hours. I was advised to start the pain meds when i felt pins and needles in my hand to stay ahead of the pain (tip #2).

Today is day 1 of pt (physical therapy). i hear it is painful. we'll see.

Lastly, i have read that it will take 4-6 months to start light resistance training again, and a full year to get all the way back. Who knows if that applies to 50 year olds (will it be longer for me/us?). We shall see. Thank goodness i have the Rangers play-offs and the Mets to keep my mind busy.

Regards,
TKDNJ

[tkdnj]

Good luck to you Italianguy63. This thread should really help you anticipate what to expect. Feel free to post any questions.

Best
TKDNJ

[jmarstonrn]

I am 51 and on 5/8/16 I had surgery on my right rotator cuff. Tore every tendon except the Labrum and had the Tendonesis. After PT ended I continued the PT exercises daily and worked out with bands and no weights. At 6 months doctor said I can start using weights but keep the rep range in the 15-20 reps. Finally this past january was 8 months out I got the all clear to lift anything I could handle. Before surgery I was benching 4 sets of 10 at 225 lbs. I am now at 4 sets of 6 at 175 lbs. Bench press is now my weakest lift. At my 1 year check up I was benching 155 and the doctor said that he was surprised that I got that back and said that will probably be all I get back. I obviously see that as a challenge. I am contiuing to work on bench but have kinda of stalled at 175. I will have to figure a way to get it stronger. I kind of have it in my head that I will get back to 225 for my 2 year anniversary. Good luck and keep on keeping on. And by the way I am doing mostly free weights now including 315 on dead lift and 275 on squat and still improving.

[tkdnj]

I am 51 and on 5/8/16 I had surgery on my right rotator cuff. Tore every tendon except the Labrum and had the Tendonesis. After PT ended I continued the PT exercises daily and worked out with bands and no weights. At 6 months doctor said I can start using weights but keep the rep range in the 15-20 reps. Finally this past january was 8 months out I got the all clear to lift anything I could handle. Before surgery I was benching 4 sets of 10 at 225 lbs. I am now at 4 sets of 6 at 175 lbs. Bench press is now my weakest lift. At my 1 year check up I was benching 155 and the doctor said that he was surprised that I got that back and said that will probably be all I get back. I obviously see that as a challenge. I am contiuing to work on bench but have kinda of stalled at 175. I will have to figure a way to get it stronger. I kind of have it in my head that I will get back to 225 for my 2 year anniversary. Good luck and keep on keeping on. And by the way I am doing mostly free weights now including 315 on dead lift and 275 on squat and still improving.

Do you have any pain when you benchpress in that shoulder? Does any exercise give you pain anymore?