Do rotator cuff injuries heal by itself?

[JEDI]

a few days ago i over-reached behind me to grab something and felt pain in my shoulder. immediately, i could not life my arm above chest level.

i saw my general practioner the next day, and he said it was a rotator cuff injury and gave me a referral to an orthopedic surgeon. the earliest appt is next week.

the general practioner suggested iceing down the shoulder whenever i can, and take advil (which is an anti-inflamatory, unlike tylanol).

3 days after the injury i was just walking (arms usually swing when i walk) and felt something crunching in my shoulder. now i can lift my arm above my head. :Q there's still a little pain, but nothing like 3 days ago. (i havent taken an advil in 30hrs.)

i still plan to see the specialist, but WTF happened? is this normal for a rotator cuff injury?

 

[TanisHalfElven]

i had a thing called rotator cuff tendonitis a while back.
i took about 6 month to fully heal back to it old form.

the doctor recommended a couple of exercises to do at home. i was told not to take advil.

 

[rise]

yeah, it takes a long time. took me almost a year iirc.

 

[FP]

Took me a year and a half after breaking my shoulder and damaging my rotator cuff. Couldn't work out for about 4 months and had to go to 6 months of physical therapy.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Bummer! I hope the surgeon gives you good news.

 

[Auggie]

I'm not sure if the rotator cuff cartilage ever full heals.

About 4 years ago I think I pretty much wasted my rotator cuff. I was holding a balled up paper towel in my hand and decided that instead of walking over and throwing it away, I would try to throw this paper towel the 20 feet across the room and into the garbage can. So I wind up and throw it as hard as possible, and it makes it about halfway across the room. Instantly there was a horrible pain in the upper and outside part of my shoulder, and I couldn't raise my arm out to my side for about a week.

Eventually it got "better" but still to this day, when I throw a baseball, I can only do so for 10 minutes or so before my shoulder starts hurting so much that I can't throw any longer. I wouldn't say that it's affected the strength of my arm, but it definitely has shot any kind of endurance using strong overhand motions involving my right shoulder.

So, I think it matters what you define as "healing by itself" - if you mean you gain your mobilization back and it stops hurting, yes, I think it should heal fine. If you define it being healed as being able to stress and really work out your shoulder, I'm not sure that happens. If you can afford it, I'd go see the orthopedic guy whenever you're able.

 

[TallBill]

My shoulder is borked forever as well. I have some RC strengthening excersises that I just started and I bought a fancy ice/compression wrap which should show up in a few days.

 

[SludgeFactory]

No it doesn't heal well or quickly, blood supply there is poor. It'll most likely nag you for months, and then be ready to flare up on you in the future. Welcome to the club!

Avoid overhead work (I hope you're not a house painter), go see the doctor and then physical therapy. I would not be considering surgery unless you've completely torn something or have big time shoulder instability (i.e. chronically dislocating your shoulder).

 

[imported_DocHolliday]

Originally posted by: Auggie
I'm not sure if the rotator cuff cartilage ever full heals.

About 4 years ago I think I pretty much wasted my rotator cuff. I was holding a balled up paper towel in my hand and decided that instead of walking over and throwing it away, I would try to throw this paper towel the 20 feet across the room and into the garbage can. So I wind up and throw it as hard as possible, and it makes it about halfway across the room. Instantly there was a horrible pain in the upper and outside part of my shoulder, and I couldn't raise my arm out to my side for about a week.

Eventually it got "better" but still to this day, when I throw a baseball, I can only do so for 10 minutes or so before my shoulder starts hurting so much that I can't throw any longer. I wouldn't say that it's affected the strength of my arm, but it definitely has shot any kind of endurance using strong overhand motions involving my right shoulder.

So, I think it matters what you define as "healing by itself" - if you mean you gain your mobilization back and it stops hurting, yes, I think it should heal fine. If you define it being healed as being able to stress and really work out your shoulder, I'm not sure that happens. If you can afford it, I'd go see the orthopedic guy whenever you're able.

And I thought I was the only one who had this sort of problem. My senior year of college I was playing intramural flag football and threw a pass as hard as I could. Basically, my symptoms were the same as the OP and my shoulder still grinds to this day. :thumbsdown:

 

[eits]

yes, they heal themselves... but they heal very improperly and could become permanent.

you're better off seeing a pt or a chiro who specializes in sports injuries. don't see a family care doctor or gp... there's no drug that will fix a bum shoulder.

 

[Q]

Put some dirt on it

 

[bignateyk]

2 years later and mine isn't better...

MRI showed a partial tear and some cartilage around the AC joint. 2 years later (mostly due to posture related things like using a mouse at a computer) I am going back to physical therapy again.

Right now the ball of the shoulder joint isn't centered, so the rotator cuff hits it every time I move the joint. Likewise, my AC joint is degenerating. Shoulder injuries can easily become lifelong conditions.

 

[waggy]

Go to the doctor. he should recommend a shot and physical therapy.

that MIGHT do it. not sure surgery is worht it. i had surgery done 2 years ago and my shoulder is sitll messed up

 

[Uppsala9496]

Surgery is the only way to fix it.
I messed mine up playing baseball after college. It's been 12 years and it is still a mess. I passed on surgery since my baseball career was over.
Tried playing on a company softball team a few years ago and throwing was problematic (hurt like hell and arm would go numb if I threw too hard).

Just do the exercises they give you. Only elect surgery as a last option (personal opinion).

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: bignateyk
2 years later and mine isn't better...

MRI showed a partial tear and some cartilage around the AC joint. 2 years later (mostly due to posture related things like using a mouse at a computer) I am going back to physical therapy again.

Right now the ball of the shoulder joint isn't centered, so the rotator cuff hits it every time I move the joint. Likewise, my AC joint is degenerating. Shoulder injuries can easily become lifelong conditions.

it was rehabbed incorrectly.

 

[Juddog]

I slept on my shoulder wrong somehow and woke up the one day and could barely move my arm. I noticed I could no longer reach around my neck far enough to get to my back; I tried every day to stretch it just a little, and it was painful for about 4 months. Now it's 8 months later, and I can finally move my arm again to where my hand touches my back behind my neck, and there is still a slight twinge of pain. This was for a very minor level of injury no less, so you're probably looking at a couple years for an injury like OP had.

 

[rudder]

Originally posted by: eits
yes, they heal themselves... but they heal very improperly and could become permanent.

you're better off seeing a pt or a chiro who specializes in sports injuries. don't see a family care doctor or gp... there's no drug that will fix a bum shoulder.

No they do not. If it is a partial tear... it can heal. If your rotator cuff is completely torn it will never heal and you will need surgery to correct it.

Went through two rotator cuff surgeries myself and would definitely recommend an orthopaedic surgeon take a look at it.

Steroids can help with the healing process... but if you saw the size of the needle they use! But again if it is a complete tear the steroids will only provide a week or two of reliefl You can also get naproxen over the counter which is better than ibuprofen.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: rudder

Originally posted by: eits
yes, they heal themselves... but they heal very improperly and could become permanent.

you're better off seeing a pt or a chiro who specializes in sports injuries. don't see a family care doctor or gp... there's no drug that will fix a bum shoulder.

No they do not. If it is a partial tear... it can heal. If your rotator cuff is completely torn it will never heal and you will need surgery to correct it.

Went through two rotator cuff surgeries myself and would definitely recommend an orthopaedic surgeon take a look at it.

Steroids can help with the healing process... but if you saw the size of the needle they use! But again if it is a complete tear the steroids will only provide a week or two of reliefl You can also get naproxen over the counter which is better than ibuprofen.

a rotator cuff injury can heal itself... a complete tear of any of the four muscles requires surgery, but a strain or minor tear can heal on its own... but it will heal and leave you with improper shoulder biomechanics, which could lead to bone spurs and pain and less stability.

 

[Nemesis 1]

1982 . I was badly injured. including your injury. Mayo said it would self heal . 2 years later I just couldn't take anymore had the operation . If I don't over use it or lift to high little pain . Way better. Is it back to normal . Not even close . But the agony is livable.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: Nemesis 1
1982 . I was badly injured. including your injury. Mayo said it would self heal . 2 years later I just couldn't take anymore had the operation . If I don't over use it or lift to high little pain . Way better. Is it back to normal . Not even close . But the agony is livable.

... your english teacher = fail.

 

[Nocturnal]

It depends on what is injured. If your RC is injured or has a tear, sometimes PT can fix this. If the labrum is torn, then you're screwed. PT may work for a time being but eventually it will continue to get worse and the pain will always be there. Shoulder injuries suck.

 

[grrl]

Lots of negative reports here, but a lot depends upon what is wrong, getting the right treatment and doing the proper rehab and strengthening. I had my right shoulder tightened and the rotator cuff repaired 8 or 9 years ago. I screwed up the shoulder in a bike crash but already had a problem with "spontaneous atraumatic dislocation" - occasionally my shoulder would just pop out of socket. The surgery took care of both and while it takes time to heal after a year or so I was rock climbing again. I don't have the full range of motion anymore and occasionally there are some popping and crunching sounds, but nothing I notice on a daily basis.

Good luck with everything and just be patient with the healing process whatever the problem turns out to be.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
It depends on what is injured. If your RC is injured or has a tear, sometimes PT can fix this. If the labrum is torn, then you're screwed. PT may work for a time being but eventually it will continue to get worse and the pain will always be there. Shoulder injuries suck.

A labrum tear can be fixed through arthroscopic surgery. It's relatively common in the PT world and the shoulder can become nearly as good as it was before the injury. Therefore, the OP is not screwed if it is a labrum tear.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
It depends on what is injured. If your RC is injured or has a tear, sometimes PT can fix this. If the labrum is torn, then you're screwed. PT may work for a time being but eventually it will continue to get worse and the pain will always be there. Shoulder injuries suck.

A labrum tear can be fixed through arthroscopic surgery. It's relatively common in the PT world and the shoulder can become nearly as good as it was before the injury. Therefore, the OP is not screwed if it is a labrum tear.

true.

the main thing you need to remember is to NOT overdo what you can do when you're rehabing your shoulder. you may feel like you're not doing anything at first and in the middle of your rehab, but the fact of the matter is that you're going to have a lot of easy-ass tasks like spelling the alphabet with your finger and your arm straight in front of you, etc. it's all about category stabilization... you have to clear category 1 in order to get to category 2 and no amount of exercises you do will make it go faster. it mainly depends on your metabolism and physiology.

the hardest thing about rehabing important joints, like shoulders and knees, is that people get impatient and angry when it's not healing as fast as they wish they would and they try to overdo it, which causes damage and delay in healing and improper rehab.

 

[BlackTigers]

I have a rotator cuff injury, although I've delayed getting it diagnosed properly.

Atl east I think it's RC, I can pop my shoulder out of socket by just moving my arm.