Rotator Cuff Injury to Recovery Part #2

YHH left off with David finally seeing a doctor after 8 years from the date of his initial injury.

YHH: What was the doctor's initial thought to what he would find with the MRI?
David: The Doctor thought the Supraspinatus and Infraspinatus were damaged. As it turns out, when the surgery was done, only the Supraspinatus needed to be repaired.

YHH: As explained by the surgeon, what was the goal for surgery and how was the repair going be done?
David: Well, they explained the exact method of repair would be determined by what they found once they were inside the shoulder.

YHH: How long did the doctors give you for recovery?

David: They said typically 12-18 months for a total full recovery, where I would "forget" what shoulder it was which was injured and repaired.

YHH: What were the actual result of the injury once the surgeon got a look inside?
David: The Supraspinatus was torn off the humerus bone, with only a very small portion of tendon still attached. The surgeon used two anchor screws driven into the humerus, with what looked to be two braided cords (one purple and one blue). He then pulled the tendon back down into place and then stitched the two sections of tendon together.

YHH: The day of the surgery, how were you feeling after?
David: The day of, not too bad. But, I was pretty drugged still. Tired, groggy and a little sore....the worst was yet to come for sure.

YHH: Explain to the readers what your next few weeks were like.
David: The next 3-4 weeks all I did was take my prescribed meds, keep ice on it with the provided ice bucket with pump and blue cooler packs (shown in photo), and rest as much as possible. I had to sleep sitting up for the majority of this time which was very challenging and mostly uncomfortable. The resting was hit and miss...a very unpredictable schedule. I spent a lot of time watching movies and the original Star Trek series on blu-ray. The biggest help though was my wonderful wife. She was my personal nurse, making food, refilling my ice bucket (a pretty cool contraption), giving me my meds, hauling in wood for our woodstove...and there was much more. But like I've told her, because of the medication, I don't remember January 2010. I wasn't supposed to go back to work for 6 weeks....however, I wasn't comfortable with that, so I went back for 2 days during week 3 and week 4. After that, I slowly added days and hours to my work week. My employer has been wonderful to date and very accommodating with my schedule.

YHH: In those few weeks, how much movement did you have or were you allowed?

David: No movement for 4 weeks....although I did use the left hand somewhat to hold light things like a dvd or plate. I also did some light typing at work.

The next step to David's recovery was to slowly start physical therapy. From light stretching to finally some resistance with bands. We will catch up with David soon to take a look at his new workout routine.

(Photo of Supraspinatus provided by exrx.net)