I am scheduled for rotator cuff surgery, and my doctor is the surgeon for the Boston Celtics, he said rotator cuff tears do not repair or fix themselves . I did get a cortisone injection to get me through until surgery, and what a Godsend , almost pain free- until it wears off just before my surgery date .
Correct, full tears do not but alot of ppl strengthen the surrounding muscles/structures and they do not need the surgery. Ortho’s are surgeon’s so of course they will promote that. Finding a good physio is key to help stabilize and strengthen the shoulders, but good luck finding that one. I’m still looking.
I got the shot but you are right. If it's full thickness tear you either need surgery or like Joe Rogan did he went to CPI in Tijuana to get Stem Cells and PRP and his full thickness tear healed itself
I messed up my rotator cuff on my right shoulder about a month ago and I’ve been going though physiotherapy but I’m always in constant pain. What I really don’t understand is how my dad has been dealing with this in both of his shoulders for years now. He recently got shots in his shoulder and that seems to be the only thing to help so far.
Oh my god thankyou so k hi for this video I’ve been in pain for years and from your video I’ve figured out this is exactly what’s happening! My left shoulder is raised so much higher than my right, when I pull it down all the pain goes away!!! I can’t thankyou enough! I thought i needed surgery but now for once I actually feel like I could get this fixed with physio! Thankyou so much !!!
Thanks for the great explanation! You are a wonderful doctor! I am 62. I have full-thickness retracted tear of entire supraspinatus tendon problem but not much pain and almost full range of motion. If I don't take surgery, will I supraspinatus muscle turn to fat and make my shoulder worse?
What has worked for me, is (ala Dr. Kirsch) braciating... or HANGing. You hang (palms forward) from a pullup bar, for 15 minutes a day, in intervals of whatever your grip strength allows. It works pretty quickly to relieve the pain. There are drawbacks to cortisone and taking ibuprofen. So I don't. Try hanging and you may want to read the book "Shoulder Pain" by Dr. Kirsch. Good luck!
Thank-you Dr. That was so informative. I had surgery on my right shoulder, and don't want surgery on my left, now that I have been diagnosed to have a tear. The physio and wearing that sling afterwards drags on for months. Do you have a list of exercises to improve strength in a R.C. tear? There are so many out there, I don't know which ones are good or bad.
When you talk about a full rotator cuff tear, I presume it's not all the way cut off in the width direction, just at some point somewhere it's cut off all the way in the height direction? Because that would mean that the tendon is still connected and then I can understand some people go through life without pain. If it would be totally detached I also would not understand how just therapy can make it better because the tendon would have to grow 'through the air', land on the bone and reattach itself.
I have a partial tear of subscap near tendon insertion. Thing is, I have no pain, but shoulder is very weak. Am not able to lift more than 3 lbs above the chest. Doing the typical rotator cuff strengthening PT, but does not seem to help strength. Do I go on to injections / PRP? How do I know if surgery is needed, how likely is success? Are my symptoms more indicative of a nerve problem?
Dear Sir, My mom has rotator cuff, she: Diabetic, So, Cortisone might elevate blood sugar levels too much. (Currently, she taking 1. Anti-inflammatory medication 2. Vitamin D tablets) After watching your vid: I'll get her 1. Physical Rehab 2. PRP (Leucocyte rich), is PRP medication okay for diabetics or damaging like cortisone?
Are nonoperative rehab exercises effective for improving shoulder biomechanics for tennis players ( dynamic load , overhead with pronation and supination)?
What if you also have a labrum tear? I'm not getting any better and it's been over a year of PT. I lift weights and am extremely active.. that's how I got the partial tear in the first place and after my first mri, they discovered a partial labrum tear due to apparent subluxations in the past. I'm 4 cortisone injections in now and they worked extremely well but eventually wear off and the pain comes back.. I also did one round of PRP which was sort of imperceptible..I'm seriously considering stem cell treatments as a next step. I'm in the bay area and would totally come and see you if you have availability btw
I am 71 and I see now thanks to this video what I have to pay attention to when doing exercises involving the shoulders. When I was younger My trainer told me to focus on the area of the body you are working out but I see now it goes further then that.I need to pay attention to keeping the ball in the socket while doing the exercises. Thanks Again Doc c];-)
I impinged my shoulder lying in bed very sick with Covid. An osteopath released it but 14 months later although I have full movement I cannot lie on it in bed - if I do it’s agony. It’s stopping me sleeping and damaging my other shoulder which is now overused. I had an injection but it didn’t help (three weeks slightly more comfy but still unable to lie on it without throbbing tearing sickening pain. What can I do?
Man you explay "Egsacly" what I hawe and what I just founded assuming this is what I fawe and start locking for more information to be sure it is what I thought. And found your chanel. You explayed better then any other gays. Now I am more sure is bursitis. Thanks !
A decade of pain and totally apathetic medical personnel, I’m at my breaking point with all this shoulder pain, and this video was more informative than anything any doctor, nurse, or “therapist” said to me.
I went to see a physical therapist hoping there’s some hope but what a waste of time. I had more ideas what to do then her, all she did was print me papers of what exercise to do that I was already doing 🤦♂️
@@JeffreyPengMD thanks, those are the type of exercises which my physiotherapist has me doing. I added a couple of yours now as a result . My surgeon said my particular partial tear is a surgery she very seldom has to do as PT Will usually resolve the issue. I went thru a couple months of misery until I found this surgeon ( referred from my other surgeon). She was a godsend. My current PT guy has been awesome and now I can actually sleep a portion of the night on my left shoulder ( I don’t push it). I actually enjoy doing the exercises. Thanks again
@@JeffreyPengMD I have also seen the Shoulder stretches video of yours. Can I do those stretches if I am having a Rotator cuff injury? I am able to lift weights in the gym, but having pain in my left shoulder.
@@balajiparamashivan7639 In general, stretches are safe to do even if you have a rotator cuff injury. Start slow and advance as tolerated. Use pain as your guide and modify as necessary.
@@JeffreyPengMD today I did those stretches Dr, my shoulders are feeling light. I will follow ur tips and advise. Thanks again for ur time and suggestion. Will update you next week. I was searching for u in Instagram, can you help me with ur id ?
From what I’ve read, absolutely. Ppl have. Start researching, Athlean x, Precision movement, etc… they have some good videos. Precision movement works w/an ortho who goes more into depth about tears.
It’s been 2.5 months I still can’t lift my arm above my shoulder when it’s stretched out next to me. Some say it’s too late when it’s not fixed in 6 months , you will have to have a surgery. Is that true? I
Did you get an MRI? If you can't lift your shoulder i would guess it's one of two things: 1. Frozen Shoulder which I had before and was treated effectively with a cortisone shot and PT. 2. I've seen many videos where people with complete rotator cuff tears can't lift their arm at all.
This is the best explanation of my shoulder injury. You have linked all of the different parts of the injury together and helped me understand the overall problem and the steps for treatment.
Thank you very much for explaining the role of anti-inflammatory medication. My physiotherapist didn’t explain their importance, so I only took them occasionally at lower doses, so no real effect. I also went too hard into exercises I saw on the internet! So it got better, then worse. Please take the physiotherapy slowly folks! The internet sometimes fails to explain things fully.
thank you for explaining this way I am a badminton player and have this pain for 1 month, now i will take the medicine but what about the exercise i should do? plz guide
These statistics must use ppl that aren’t labors, have a active athletic lifestyle, have Jobs that doesn’t require much use of repetitive shoulder combo movements
I been in pain for the las 3 months the dr say i have bursitis ,everything you say in this vidio is my case. In 3 days iam going to the orthopedic with my mri see what he recommends me,i do not want to have surgery. Isn't too much advil can damage my stomach. I been in therapy for 2 months sometimes iam ok 2 or 3 days then the pain comes especially at night. Thank you for the good info.
Hi can i avoid surgery after 4 dislocation. Iam 27 I start physiotherapy last month i feel better i get more range of motion and less pain. I visited 4 different doctor all say surgery is the only way to get better
It is important to remember the side effects of NSAIDs (ibuprofen) and at that dose of it you likely will after 7 days have stomach and duodenal ulceration and after two weeks will have a high risk of a massive upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage. That dose needs to have an additional antacid medication prescribed to prevent this like esomeprazole or pantoprazole. A class of drug called a PPI (proton pump inhibitor).
I was already bit taken back to use those medicines, like the side effects might become an additional problem. For someone who never takes medicine even when they have the flu once every 6 years or so, it’s probably not for me..
Thanks so much! I wasn’t sure if starting some OTC treatment would be a good idea because I wanted to be able to monitor my own pain but, well, it hurts! lbs I do recognize this as a pain in the bursa that does extend about two inches below shoulder level. I’m glad you mentioned that fact about bursitis as i wasn’t sure if the cuff was damaged, why it would extend so low. Valued info 🙏🏼
Hey I’m a student (22yrs old) I play cricket and I’m very good fast bowler and can do workout with effective weights as well but the only problem I have with shoulder is I can’t do overhead dumbbells with one hand I feel alot of pain in shoulder and also other exercises requires much of rotator cuff. I think I have a tear and it’s been while but I haven’t told any one idk what to do, I don’t wanna stop playing cricket or any other sports and workout aswell.. !
I had a transmural rupture of my supraspinatus. Agree that I didn't have pain and could perform all "regular" day to day activities. But I was a competitive athlete and could only reach around 80% of my performance in overhead movements (eg 70 kg snatch vs 85) after 5 months of intense "rehab" (I still trained and competed). Rotator cuff surgery in athletes has a high success rate (in a study by Carbone et al in 2020, 100% returned to sport by 9 months and 91% reached their pre-injury level or higher; n= 22 athletes, 23 shoulders). 3 weeks post surgery, I sense a good recovery trajectory with no pain during day to day activities. Would undergo surgery again in a heartbeat. At 46 I'm too young to accept 20% performance reduction if there is a technological solution.
hai mr. Jeffrey ,what can I do with my completely tear off of my supraspinatus.After operation 2017 ,Supraspinatus was 8mm tear , with two anchor screws .my supraspinatus is now completely off.what do you suggest ,Ik want to keep on driving my motorbike,play a lot piano and guitar and like working with my hands.and high profile fotograph.I'm 69 .I did the operation because the chirurg said I had to do it at 62 ,because when older it has no use.He made me invalide.
Over a decade of repeated shoulder pain and repeated physicals therapy I ready for a permanent fix (surgery) Doctors and hospitals know how to milk my insurance at the expense of my quality of life, NO MORE!
Most helpful advice, thank you.Was worried the bursitis inflammation from injuring my rotator cuff, was similar to a necrotifising fingersprain years ago that kept inflaming and becoming more painful with time.Your advice video explained to me that all I require is the pain medication to reduce the swelling, that though not painful for previous six months, has persisted.Thanks for the information on how to heal without surgery.The fingersprain(tear) did require surgery and a week stay at the hospital, but I am confident in this scenario the "hunch", now just a bulge, is just that natural bursus(under shoulder joint)that remains aggravated, but not painful, nor limiting movement. So thanks for layman's terms , helping me find the way out of my predicament. I will consult with a doctor, if the week of anti-inflammatory doesn't do the trick. Considering how well it has healed on it's own so far, no longer concerned for long-term complications.All those years of anatomy study, and I wasn't aware the shoulder has a built-in plasma beanbag, just like behind the patellas of our knees, what a relief doc, that's wassup!I will rewind video to copy down both recommended medications , and see which works best for me.Thanks again for being so very informative, and not hiding behind non liability vagueness.
But what Happens with the functionality of the Supraspinatus. If I get a Full thickness tear ? Is the muscle than gonna get Short or insctive? Thanks for your content 😊
My husband went to therapy, had the steroid shots, he is presently taking Tramadol as needed for pain and another medication every 12hours not sure of the name, both of his rotator cuffs is torn there is a hole between the torn left side from MRI results ,no pain unless he sleeps on his sides. Still have hope before thinking of surgery. What advice do you have.
Thank you for this video. You explained shoulder pain really well. I ve been suffering for months, and not sure what to do about it. I will follow your advice and information. Appreciate you very much.
I am 59 years old with a full thickness tear and a labral tear. What are the physical therapy requirements and prognosis for labral tears with no surgery?
I had partial tears after a bad fall with impingement. 11 mths on with out surgery my physio has been working with me to get shoulder moving from non moving impingement to now lifting lightly above the head cold affects it mostly.
Thank You Jeffrey, you have explained Rotator Cuff injury, i know more watching your video than anything i have seen before and fingers crossed will get back my fitness
What a great and informative video. Excellent suggestions, if you are unable to take aleve or ibupfen, is there another pill that be a substitute. I recently had PRP and it worked very well. Also learned that it helps if you have arthritis. thank you
Informative, but it doesn't really address the issue of returning to fitness (e.g. weight-lifting), and is more attuned to people that will be lifting normal items in daily life from now on etc.
Question for everyone on here. I’m in my mid 20s. Throughout high school I used to work out a lot. One day I noticed I started getting pain on my left shoulder front area going down my chest near to my heart. At first I didn’t really notice. Later I started getting more pain and started freaking out it was my heart because the pain was going down my left chest near my heart. Stopped working out, pain slowly went away. I started again after a few weeks and pain came back. Forward couple years forward I stopped going to the gym because of the pain. Doctor did some testing found that I torn like a ligament on my left shoulder. I don’t get the pain at all when I’m not doing anything. But I want to go back to the gym again because I miss it. It’s been like 10 years. Today I was working out doing pull-ups. Now I can’t sleep because of the pain I get down my chest. That’s why I’m here lol. At the time I told the doctor I don’t want to shoot anything down my shoulder I want to do it naturally. But it’s been so long and no cure. What should I do? I see other post on here that people have it worse then me. Because I only get the pain if I do a workout on that arm. But what can I do to fix this? I want to able to workout again with no pain.
Sounds like it’s your pecs, they can absolutely cause chest pain. I’ve been there. Massage trigger point therapy and then strengthening in that order. Good luck though in finding someone knowledgeable.
❤️ This is so crazy! I have an appt today to see an orthopedic surgeon about my shoulder and your video showed up in my feed this morning with so much info! My MRI did not show a tear, but I have a lot of pain and swelling. Bursitis does seem like a probable answer, but we’ll see. Thank you for your easy to understand video! 🙂
That would be good. I have two full supraspinatus tears, no pain yet. I also have impingement both arms. Trying to find that one good physio. It’s like night and day with pt’s.
So far this is the best video that I have heard about this. I'm scheduled for surgery for a rotator cuff tear. I desperately do not want to have the surgery, so this video has helped me tremendously to understand what's going on. Thank you so much! I'll be canceling the surgery.
@@Sl33zytheclown The first month really no change, but I wasn't going regularly because of my schedule. But by the second month I started noticing more strength and more flexibility. I still have some pain and it isn't back 100%, but it's doable and it's better than it was when I started.
@@TK.000 actually what process you are doing can u explain , i have very light pain in my right shoulder , when i raise my shoulder after an shoulder workout at 45 degree angle it pains with some click sound , 2 days after workout not paining but i have that click sound in my shoulder what to do
@@slighty5879 I went to the Physical Therapist and they had me doing exercises that would strengthen the muscles around the rotator cuff to support it. First they would put a heat compress on my shoulder to relax the muscles and then they would do a gentle massage on my arm and then I would do about five different exercises. And then they would put ice an ice pack and an electrical device for the pain. If you can, get an MRI to show where the tear is and how bad it is first and then get some physical therapy. But if your insurance won't allow that, then do what you can at home with the rubber bands and very very light weights like 1 pound to start. I still hear clicking in my shoulder a little bit and I still have a little range of motion problem. It may never be 100% back to normal, but it's so much better than it was and I didn't have to do surgery. Surgery was not an option so I had to do the next best thing. It will take you months to heal, but surgery will also take you months to heal, even longer. If you can fix it without surgery, I think you should give it a shot. I wish you luck.
NSAIDs really just decrease the pain and inflammation caused by bursitis. But it doesn't solve the root problem which is impingement or weakness due to a tear.
I don’t trust this guy. Have googled him and something doesn’t feel right. His advise is sketchy and finally after 7 minutes admits a tear will probably need surgery. No shit Sherlock.
