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Chockstone Forum - Accidents & Injuries

Report Accidents and Injuries

Author
supraspinatus tendon tear

Doc
4-Aug-2011
12:07:36 PM
After putting up with shoulder pain for quite some time i decided osteo and myotherapy were not improving it and headed off to the doctors. I have a tear just over a centemeter wide and thick in the supraspinatus tendon. Has anyone else had this and what was the treatment and recovery like.
widewetandslippery
4-Aug-2011
12:22:39 PM
your f---ed! A tear that wide is there any of it hanging together?

Doc
4-Aug-2011
12:29:36 PM
Yeah still attached but ive had to stop all activity in case the whole thing goes! Bugger it!

Jodestar
4-Aug-2011
12:34:00 PM
On 4/08/2011 widewetandslippery wrote:
>your f---ed! A tear that wide is there any of it hanging together?
I love the positivity and sugar coating!

IdratherbeclimbingM9
4-Aug-2011
12:45:07 PM
On 4/08/2011 Jodestar wrote:
>On 4/08/2011 widewetandslippery wrote:
>>your f---ed! A tear that wide is there any of it hanging together?
>I love the positivity and sugar coating!

... He is equally thoughtful about the encouragement he gives while belaying/spotting!
~> just don't ask him to tell you like it is!
;-)

Hehx3
widewetandslippery
4-Aug-2011
12:56:56 PM
I actually really feel sorry for the bastard.

Doug
4-Aug-2011
1:42:35 PM
Yes, I have had the same injury in both shoulders. Both operated on successfully. Long rehab, but well worth it if you want to be able to climb at all, which I couldn't do before getting them sorted. Make sure you find the best surgeon you can if you go ahead with the op.
dmnz
4-Aug-2011
6:22:06 PM
The shoulder is a very mobile, but not very stable, joint. There is always a tradeoff. The rotator cuff muscles, the supraspinatus being one of them, are very important for shoulder stability. Supraspinatus being the 2nd biggest of the 4 is pretty damn important. Luckily, the superior fibres of subscapularis also do some of the work that supraspinatus does (though not all of it!). Being small and having to deal with such strong forces, I would say you'd be in a lot of pain. And your best bet is probably see a physio who specialises in shoulders and get advice, which will probably be operation and/or rehab depending on the details.

The problem will probably never really go away but you can get it so that you can climb again, which I'm guessing is your real Q.

Where abouts are you? If you can't find anyone, I know at least one physio in the Sydney region who is breaking some new research ground in the shoulder area (no pun intended).

bel
5-Aug-2011
8:15:56 AM
love the info DMNZ has given very accurate. I have spend a long time working with shoulders as a physio and i have had major surgery myself on my left shoulder. The decision for surgery is never a light one and it depends on lots of factors. firstly is the tear full thickness ( wish i could draw a picture for you its not as obvious as it sounds) and where is the tear. if its right up under the acromion than surgery generally is not indicated but if its toward the musculotendon border (where the tendon becomes very defined instead of just being part of the capsule) you are more likely to have success. talk to a good physio, talk a surgeon. some physios think they can cure everything some surgeons think everybody needs surgery. hopefully you can avoid both types of professionals and get a good balanced opinion. good luck

bel
5-Aug-2011
8:18:40 AM
i have seen many people live very happily without an intact supraspinatous. subscapularis, teres minor and infraspinatous if trained properly can often take over the role of the muscle very well

bel
5-Aug-2011
8:20:53 AM
sorry if anyone given you rubber tubing to exercise with before they sort your scapular movement , don't bother with them its like giving someone weights to lift when they have not even learn't to support there own body weight. ill get of my soap box now!!!

Doc
5-Aug-2011
9:37:53 AM
Saw a highly recommended sports doctor yesterday who's specialty is shoulders. The tear appears to be under the tendon near the thicker part of the tendon. Unfortunatly the scan is not the best way to see it but he doesnt think its full thickness. So he did the cortisone injection and im off to find a good physio in an attempt to avoid surgery. fingers crossed! No climbing for me :-(
dmnz
6-Aug-2011
9:33:29 AM
On 5/08/2011 bel wrote:
>i have seen many people live very happily without an intact supraspinatous.
> subscapularis, teres minor and infraspinatous if trained properly can
>often take over the role of the muscle very well

But were they climbers?

And I love the rubber band, weights analogy
Good preventative but useless if your shoulder is useless

Eduardo Slabofvic
6-Aug-2011
12:42:50 PM
On 5/08/2011 Elaine Stevenson wrote:
>@Doc - if you're in Melbourne PM (or email) me and I'll give you the name
>of an excellent physio who is legendary with shoulders.

I would like this name as well, if you would be so kind

bel
8-Aug-2011
8:06:55 AM
when we use my shoulder as a case study for instability while teaching new grads ect my anterior and posterior deltoid fibre's do a great deal of work during shoulder movement. my upper traps and lats do most of my scapular movement and consequently when i lift my arm more than 30 040 degrees away from my body my humerus glides forward about 3 cm!!!! to cut a long story short my stability is crap despite the surgery!!!! having said all this i managed to send kachoong and hidden secrets about 3 years after my surgery ( sadly not even sure id make it too the roof at the moment). so yes the buggered shoulder is quite often able to compensate when it comes to climbing, it's throwing a ballistic action that suffers the most, i cant throw a tennis ball more than about 15m!!!!
AndyRicho
8-Aug-2011
10:08:55 PM
I am just rehabing the same, or a very similar injury. I found out (june 7)that i had "at least 7-8mm high grade tear" when i was getting an ultra sound on my shoulder, there was also impingement and thickening of the bursa and biceps tenosynovitis. A few opinions suggested that i should get surgery ASAP and i was quite bummed about the idea of that. My physio felt that we could get a good result from a non operative approach but also felt that he should get me to see another sports doctor for second opinion. I was happy with that as my physio understands what i do (that it's not walking up a hill with a big back pack) and what i want to get out of it. It would be 6 weeks before i could get to see this doctor so we started on a program of strengthening and stabilizing the shoulder.
Things felt like they we're coming along well, but the big question in the back of my head was "should i get it operated on now, would it be better in the long run or keep going along the way i am as it seemed to be getting better every week."
This is the big question, as it is all just opinions (hopefully well educated ones) but there is no 100% guarantee either way.
After six weeks of extensive exercises i was able to see my sports doctor for another opinion. Besides having a great respect for his opinion it was even better when i first walked in and he said that he had had the exact same surgery for a complete rupture of the supraspinatus, so he know's a bit about it. After assessing strength, stability and mobility of the shoulder he too has suggested non operative and feels confident of a positive outcome and suggested to do some light climbing.
I've done a few sessions at the climbing center and so far so good, the shoulder is feeling good and quite stable, the bicep tendonitis actually feels like the real problem that i still have to keep working quite hard on. It felt that good that i was able to step up the intensity quite a bit, including some moderately hard bouldering and it is feeling almost to good. I could easily get carried away and start climbing way to hard to quickly so i have to keep patient and keep focused on the job of strengthening the shoulder properly and the climbing will come along soon enough.
Obviously every case is different, but in the first week i was told everything from, surgery ASAP and you'll be out for a least 12months (by a non expert but knew a friend who once had a shoulder injury.....), which had me so bummed thinking "i'm f#$%ed", too "let's look at all the options but it might not be that bad"
I've still got a while to go but i'm pumped to think that i'll be back at the crag in not too long.
Anyway, try and find the best advice and help you can get near you. I'm sure it will be a hard decision as to whats best for you to do, but if it's operative or not it will need a fair bit of rehab and a fair bit of motivation. Do all the exercises they get you to do keep psyched cause if it's 3 months or 12 i'm sure you'll back at the crag before you know it.
Good luck

There are 16 messages in this topic.

 

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