Rotator Cuff Injury to Recovery

This is a picture of my husband last year just playing around. So glad we have a picture to compare his arm size and strength as he presses forward in recovery. This is what his arms looked like cold about a year or so ago. Not all pumped up after a workout, just your every day arms. You will soon become very familiar with his tattoo as we watch his left arm make it's amazing changes through that which is Rotator Cuff Surgery.

My hubsband thought it important to share his story for those of you who lift and want to build size or who may have already injured a shoulder and are thinking of taking on the long recovery of surgery. This is no walk in the park, this is for sure.

So how did this all happen? Let's ask the husband.

YHH: When did you injure your shoulder? David: October of 2000

YHH: What kind of workout program were you involved in at the time and what move actually caused the injury?

David: My friend and I were following a very intense workout program designed to increase your max bench press from 25 to 50 lbs in 7 weeks. It was a great program and we both had results of 25lb increases from the beginning to end. Unfortunately, my shoulder quite literally gave out during the last workout.

YHH: How did you know there was something wrong?

David: Well, the initial pain grew worse overnight. The next 2 weeks my arm basically hung at my side. After the third week, and very little sign of improvement, I had to face the fact something beyond a minor injury was a very real possibility.

YHH: What was your first diagnosis?

David: Well, my initial meeting with a specialist resulted in "Give it time, I don't think it's serious, and you'll be fine". WRONG! I don't know if I could call myself an "athlete" per se, but I was always active enough to know my body and to know the difference between something minor or something major.

YHH: What was your treatment at that time?

David: Actually a period of a few weeks went by, probably 4-6 weeks, and I went and saw the specialist two more times. Finally, after the third time, he sent me to some physical therapy. Looking back, I should have went to see a different Doctor because I didn't feel what I was saying was being heard or taken into account. I was given simple physical tests, like pushing against a wall or the Doctor's hands. That is all well and good, but when you have to pick up your injured arm with your good arm to perform the tests after 2 months, something might just be really wrong. As it turns out, you can't rehab muscles, tendons, or ligaments which need to be REATTACHED. What a concept.

YHH: Why did you decide after all these years to have it checked out for another opinion?

David: Well, honestly, I was angry my input on the injury was not taken into account (most of us know our own bodies well enough), so I didn't go to another ortho surgeon. I went the route of therapeutic massage, chiropractic, and joint manipulation. All of those things helped tremendously to stabilize and strengthen the surrounding areas of the injury. Over time, my "team" of treatment specialists and I decided there was still something seriously wrong and I should go see another doctor and basically demand some sort of MRI. As it turns out, I did see another Doctor, and after explaining the situation and doing some simple tests like I had done before, he immediately stated he had to look deeper and ordered up an MRI. I didn't even have to get pushy or seek out yet a third opinion....wonderful!

YHH: Let me just add for David, during the time span of 10 years, he built up strength in other areas to over compensate for his injury and kept up with rigorous workouts. The new surgeon could not believe his strength test results and said "the diagnosis could have easily been missed all those years ago". David reminded the new Doc he was in no way the same condition then as he was today.

Keep reading to hear the diagnosis of the MRI and David's journey into the surgery room and his long recovery.