Torn Rotator Cuff

[CR_Dave]

I got clipped in the first turn of a race about a week ago. THe bike stopped cold and I went head/shoulder first into the ground. Wow, I never hit so hard. After shaking off the stars, my shoulder was hurting. I could not raise the upper part of my arm. Went to the ER the next day as the pain became worse. Nothing is broke. ER doct thinks it is a torn rotator cuff.

Over the past week, I can now lift my arm forward , to the side, and back in the horizontal position. Any further, there is a lot f pain and a bit of trouble returning it back to my sides.

I want to race this upcoming weekend and think it will be OK.

What the heck is going on and should I worry about it?

How quickly can I recover.

 

[James]

DId you get xrayed or MRI?

Yours sounds like mine. Got the Xray, nothing broke (supposedly). Went for the MRI to check rotator cuff. Rotator cuff was ok BUT there was a break (non displaced upper tuberosity) where the rotator cuff attaches to my arm bone. Long story short, if I had gone riding (with the same symptoms you have) I would have most likely 'displaced" (pulled the fractured bone apart) the bone fragment requiring surgery and assorted hardware to fix it.

Even if it is torn rotator cuff (as opposed to the preferred non-displaced fracture that won't require surgery) you may get a good shot of pain just when you need to be hanging on. You may come out ok, or you mey get hurt worse. Also, you could have a partial tear, which could heal on it's own if you rest it...or it could become a full tear if you race with it.

Unless you are Mike Larocco - who was racing with torn shoulder muscles (out now I think) - I would recommend finding out before you get back on the bike.

Non-displaced fracture - 6-8 weeks to heal + PT
Partial Tear rotator Cuff 8-12+ weeks to heal + PT if it heals on it's own
Rotator Cuff Surgery 8-12+ weeks +PT and it may never heal 100%

Obviously people heal at different rates and these were just estimates given to me. I am in week 9 I think and still far from 100%

 

[mdmader]

So James, some questions for you. I'm going in on March 28th for my torn rotator cuff and I was wanting to know, how long until you were able to just be functional again? How long were you out of work? Are you riding again and if so, how long of a wait did you have. And last, how bad did the operation hurt?

TIA

Mike

 

[CR_Dave]

Is there a way that I could wrap the shoulder to add some additional support. The pain is tolerable while riding. I think if I were to crash again and reach out extended I will have problems. Sorry for the injury denial, but I love to race.

 

[G92Joe]

I had a very similar crash. I tore my rotator cuff from the arm bone. Rode 2 more times, then crashed each time trying to hold on in fast whoops since my shoulder was weaked from the original crash. I had a MRI, that revealed the tear, then had surgery to reattach it with 4 screws. That was 3 months ago. Still have 6 more months of Physical therapy to go. If I was yoou I'd get an app't with an Orthopedic surgeon, who will then schedule you for a MRI. Don't ride until you know what's going on in your shoulder - you can crash easily again and add more injuries on top of what you already have

 

[James]

Sorry for the late response.

I had my accident on December 8, 2002. I didn't miss any work except for the doctors visits - but I do have an office job and I am right handed (left shoulder broke). I didn't have surgery LUCKILY because I only had the broken bone and no tears. So my recovery is expected to be MUCH quicker than someone having the surgery. For the first few weeks. I could hold stuff in my hand, but the arm was basically useless and I couldn't roll up the window in my truck or hand money to the drive through person. They didn't put me in a sling but I was instructed to do NO lifting. You will most likely be in a shoulder stabilizer/immobilizer for several weeks with the surgery.

At 8 weeks, they said the bone was likely to be completely healed. The similarity would be the deterioration of the muscles from inactivity. I still haven't been back on the track. I rode the bike around an open pasture two weekends ago. I have no problem blastin around on the flat ground and the injury is actually making me use my legs a LOT more to hold on.

Like G29Joe, my shoulder is still very weak, even after 2+ months. It is obvious to me that I couldn't hang on through whoops or a rough landing that needed a save. The worse part is when the bars get pulled quickly downward like when landing hard rear wheel first. A small hop over a ridge in the pasture resulted in serious pain and the whole arm went numb. I expect if I came up short on a real jump...I'd be in trouble (some would say I am often in trouble even when healthy).

I plan on going to the track next weekend mostly to hang out and I'll take it REAL EASY (no jumping). The doctor and physical therapist have both said no bikes for some time but that is to be expected.

Dave, all I can say is that I am glad I didn't try and ride not knowing what was wrong in there. It would have been a mistake.

 

[CR_Dave]

OK, raced yesterday. I ran 3 classes (Vet C, 250C and +25). Figured I would give it one last hurrah before going to the ortho. Shoudl felt fine with all the adrenaline (and Ibruprofin). The whoops did not give me any trouble. On one lap, my left arm (the good one) slipped off. I held on with the bad one and kept the throttle on. I figured if I slowed, I was going down. I made it the whole way through (a bit wobbly). After that heat, the shoulder was pretty sore. In another race, a guy cut in front of me in the air off a jump and I clipped his back wheel with my front and went down on the shoulder.

Today it is no worse than before. A few new bumps and bruises. There is a little more pain and less motion. I go to the docs on the 6th of March.

Thanks for the replies.

PS - sleeping is a pain, can't figure out a comfortable position.

 

[G92Joe]

CR Dave,
Sleeping with a shoulder injury is a problem - here's what I do, after my PT's recommendation - I sleep on the couch, so the back of the couch supports the my side with the bad shoulder, kind of like a 30 degree angle with the bad side up. For some reason, the shoulder pain always acts up during the night. Take motrin before bed, then again in the middle of the night when the pain wakes you up. It works for me, with minimal lost sleep.
My PT says some people sleep in a recliner chair for a similar effect. Good luck.

 

[CR_Dave]

you are right about the couch approach. I sleep in the bed, but put a big pillow on the injured side. It seems to help.

 

[ps2112]

Dave
You should try and get an EVS shoulder brace. I have a grade 3 shoulder separation and it works great. I would think it would work well for any shoulder malady.

 

[G92Joe]

I tried an EVS brace and returned it. It didn't feel coomfortable at all, especially where it wrapped aroound my bicep - too irritating & distracting to wear for me.

 

[ktmracer]

i busted up my shoulder a while back during a race. at the time of the crash i just thought that i had brusied it, but when the race was over i could barely move it. the shoulder felt better after a few weeks so i began riding again. well, a couple of rides later the shoulder/arm acts like it wants to pop out of the joint (sublux sp?) it just continued to feel looser and looser. finally i decided to go get some x-rays. turns out that i have partially torn my cuff (the medical term is postierior instability) and have some bone chips just floating around from the initial crash,. well I am about 3 months into pt trying to repair the shoulder and strengthen all of the surrounding muscle to aid stability. please, if you hurt your shoulder (or anything else for that matter) ATLEAST GO GET SOME XRAYS/MRI OR TALK TO A DOCTOR. it is much easier to fix the first time you injure it.

 

[GETMETOCA]

Originally posted by CR_Dave
THe bike stopped cold and I went head/shoulder first into the ground. Wow, I never hit so hard. After shaking off the stars, my shoulder was hurting. I could not raise the upper part of my arm.

Sounds like what happened to me Saturday.  Each day I get a little more range of motion from the left shoulder, but I'm still limited.  I didn't think about the rotator cuff, but I bet it could be.  Funny how the little things become impossible to do.  Driving home from the enduro, I wondered how I would get my bike out of the back of the truck since someone had to load it.  Good thing I found a very low dip in the drive and had a step stool to make the step off the tailgate.

James, I totally know what you mean about not being able to roll up your window or paying at the drivethrough window with the wrong arm.  You should just consider yourself lucky you dont have to hook a bra or put your hair up in a scrunchie. ;)

 

[GETMETOCA]

Originally posted by G92Joe
CR Dave,
Sleeping with a shoulder injury is a problem - here's what I do, after my PT's recommendation - I sleep on the couch, so the back of the couch supports the my side with the bad shoulder, kind of like a 30 degree angle with the bad side up. For some reason, the shoulder pain always acts up during the night. Take motrin before bed, then again in the middle of the night when the pain wakes you up. It works for me, with minimal lost sleep.
My PT says some people sleep in a recliner chair for a similar effect. Good luck.

It is such a hassle to get the right positioning.  I put a big pillow under by left shoulder/arm to keep it slightly elevated similarly to what you just said.  I have some leftover anti-inflammatory pills from a knee injury in October so I take one of those plus two 500 mg Tylenol's and that seems to do the trick.  If I can just get to sleep, I don't wake up til the alarm goes off :thumb:

 

 

[James]

Originally posted by GETMETOCA
You should just consider yourself lucky you dont have to hook a bra or put your hair up in a scrunchie. ;)

Now there's a comment that will get ya thinkin ;)

I went to hand a waiter my credit card across the table last night and could barely do it...not to mention the pain. This crashing stuff stinks!!! All you DRNers take care of your injuries....aftermarket parts are hard to come by.

 

[portish]

i had a rotator cuff injury a couple of years back. i tried to ignore it i kept surfing and riding and it just got worse more from the surfing i think. after the initial 6 mnths of pain. i found some info on the net which demonstrated gentle streches for the shoulder using your good arm. the emphasis was on gentle. it got better real quick i was resting it in between streches and not using it for anything major. do a search on the net under rotator cuff or rough shoulder. your ability to still ride might mean that it is just strained or slightly torn and not a major tear. this injury dragged out way to long untill i got the right info. my orthopedic sugeon was useless. he xrayed it and said, yeah youve got a rotator cuff tear no surfing or riding for 3 months, no rehab even after i asked him. i busted my other shoulder a year later-broken collar bone and scapula (orif) and that healed heaps quicker than the rotator cuff injury. now im racing, surfing, swimming with no problems. good luck.

 

[Smit-Dog]

I tore my rotator cuff 4 years ago downhill skiing. It was the weirdest injury I've ever had.

For the first 3-4 weeks after I tore it, it was sore, but I had full range of motion and fair strength. I thought I could just brush it off. Then I went skiing out west, and although I didn't fall on it, I did tweak it a few times going through some bumps.

About 1 week after getting back from out west, and about 5 weeks after originally injuring it, I had the most excruciating pain in my shoulder. Could not lift it above chest level. Could not get a glass out of the cupboard. Zero strength and range of motion. It was like I was suddendly crippled.

Went to the doc, lots of x-rays. He said partial tear, and gave me some anti-inflamatory pills, and a sheet on physical therapy exercises. The exercises were necessary to get the range back, and breakdown the scar tissue that had formed. It was extremely painful, and took about 6 months to get back 100%. I still don't have the same range of motion I had before tearing it.

See a doc, and see if phyiscal therapy will get you back on track. Good luck!

 

[GETMETOCA]

Guys

What are the symptoms for a fully torn vs partial tear to the rotator cuff? Thanks.

 

[portish]

i dont know about a major tear, but with mine i could still lift my arm above my head, but it was painful. i guess with a major tear you wouldn't physically be able to lift it over your head. i did however have loss of strength. i wouldn't recommend quartisone injections as this although reducing the pain can weaken the tendon in the long run.

 

[James]

http://my.webmd.com/search/search_r...uff&filter=mywebmd_all_filter&go.x=17&go.y=13

here is a bunch of info on rotator cuff injuries. From what I remember, the more severe the tear, the greater loss of movement in the arm to the point where it can hang useless at your side.

 

[DJ Morrison]

SPAM REMOVED

 

[GETMETOCA]

I finally went to the Ortho, in this case the doc happened to be riding in the same enduro as me when I had my crash - LOL! My shoulder injury is a partially torn muscle attached to the rotator cuff. Apparently, there are like 4 muscles that attach and mine is one of them? I gotta do more reading up on this stuff, thanks again for the links guys.

Physical Therapy should do the trick, he said 8-12 weeks. He said I didn't even have to stop riding, but right now I can't imagine riding and trying to hold onto the bars through some whoops, It hurts to lift my 9 lb. cat with this arm. So I think I'll wait on that....

The excercise he asked me to do two times a day at home are KILLER PAINFUL!!! He said I needed to do them until I had tears streaming down my face and could not do any more....ouch...

 

[DEA]

Can you post or send the excerise routine.
Similar problem
Thanks
DEA

 

[GETMETOCA]

DEA - keeping in mind that my injury involves a partial tear to one of four muscles that attach to the RC, my excercise revolves around this. I dont remember the name of which muscle it was, but I'll get more info from my PT next week! Anyhow, here is the excercise:

Standing, feet slightly apart with arms by your sides, rotate thumbs outward as much as possible. In a controlled fashion, elevate both arms upward to shoulder level. Repeat as many as you can do.

I was able to do 10 today!! WOo hoo! I've only been able to do 4-6 at most. If this does not feel painful, then chances are you have injured a different part of your RC/shoulder. For instance, I can lift my injured side almost painlessly as long as I am not rotating my thumbs outward. This apparently forces the use of the specific muscle that I've injured. The doctor says I need to rebuild the strenghth in this muscle before the pain will subside.

Best Wishes :thumb: