Rotator cuff recovery

[razorsharptokill]

50% torn, bone spurs removed. Hunt in Aug. Sept. feasible?

[Gil Verwey]

I tore my bow arm cuff. If it is your drawing arm shoulder I couldn't say. My bow arm shoulder would have been OK.

Good luck
Gil

[Sam McMichael]

With a torn cuff, don't mess around with it. Go to the doctor and do what he tells you - to the letter.

[Terry Johnston]

I just had a torn labrum repaired 3 weeks ago plus bone spurs. I think the recovery time is somewhat similar. I am shooting for October. If you have not had this done yet or just had it done I think Aug/Sept might be a bit optimistic. Every tear and every one is somewhat different. Just be sure and follow docs advise, dont want to re-injure it...

[smokin joe]

I am recovering now from re-injury after decompression surgery, a partial tear and impingement -- and I can tell it is going to be a slow process. I sure don't want to do anything that causes another injury.    

So far I have received two gleno-humeral steroid injections and one a/c joint steroid injection. I am also doing basic stretching under the supervision of a physical therapist.

I will probably get another a/c joint injection at the next doctor visit, and start shooting a very light bow gain in a few weeks or so.

This is the second time I have had rotator cuff surgery/recovery and it is a little tougher than when I was younger.      

 I'll be following this thread to see if I can learn anything new that will help.

[Sherwood Poacher]

Had right shoulder surgery last October and am just getting around to shooting. Had a 10% tear and besides repairing that the doctor "cleaned out" the bursitis and arthritis. It was sore and WEAK for many months. Went to physical therapy for 2 months and continued the exercises after that, I  still do them....doctor suggested that I should.

[razorsharptokill]

ugh....
thanks guys. Surgery was Friday. Block wore off in the middle of the night. I went to the ER and got two shots. I have never been in that much pain! EVER!

[K.S.TRAPPER]

I had a lot worse and a lot more done on my pulling shoulder, had to rebuild and reattach just about everything and all was torn to peices at the end of May 08. Did all my PT and everything I was told, your right hurts like you know what!!!!

Started back on light weight bows by October and hunting by November, had a great season. Don't push it atleast I'm glad I didn't never want to go back through it again. I've seen a lot of guys on here over the years push it and need it done again, yuck!

Good luck! First couple weeks are the worst but it gets better till PT but it's got to be done. You make it      

Tracy

[Sam McMichael]

I was lucky. The labrum was torn a little but not the rotator cuff. No pain medicine was needed after the day of the surgery. I was shooting my 40# bow at three weeks and my 53# hunting bow at five weeks. All that was done was smoothing out some rough surfaces and some bone chips. Yours is much, much more involved, so it is good to hear that you are looking for a slow and well planned recovery and rehab. Good luck.

[George Vernon]

Jim,
Had a lot of work done on my bow arm shoulder the first of this year-80% torn, bone spurs, tendon reattachment .  This week I was able to pull a light weight bow all the way to my 'normal' draw length for the first time.  Could not do it three times in a row.  Dr predicted getting back to 'normal' in July.  I think he's right.  Dr also says string arm recovery would be faster since drawing the bow uses a lot of back muscle.

Trust the advice of your surgeon.  He/she has done it many times.

[Doc Nock]

seems to me that it depends on the injury, the surgeon and the patient.

Back many moons, I had a tear in the top of the draw shoulder rotator from an impingement..I KNEW when I tore it as the arm went numb, then weak and lots of aching,  that guy at that time cut... he didn't believe in Arthoscopic but got in there to do the repair.

That was Aug 27th many years back.  By end of October, following everything they said I was to do, I was shooting a hunting weight bow!

No problems since.

Moved South in late 2014 and did a lot of work... somewhere in there, I did "something" and now it aches like crazy. MRI showed the repair is fine but the whole rotator muscle is pulling away from the bone.        

Getting older sucks!  Surgery scheduled mid June, but Im older and no clue if hunt this year or not!

[Roy from Pa]

My surgery was February 3rd and I have 2 more months before I can shoot. "Do Not rush things and do exactly as the doctor and pt tell you."

[Burly]

I had my bow arm ( left shoulder) done in April 2012. I tore it up really bad , torn rotator cuff, torn labrum and detached biceps tendon with clean out of other junk floating around. It was the worst surgery To recover from I had every had. I didn't get to bow hunt that year but I did recover to about 80% of what I was before. Don't push it, you don't want to go thru it again.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

I do agree with Doc, every person and everbodys healing time will be different based on many factors. None of us want to discourage you in anyway just take your time.

Just a little setback and will make that next trad kill just a little extra special when it happens            

Tracy

Good luck with your recovery. I cringe at the thought every time I read a thread where someone is going thru this type of thing.

Bisch

[razorsharptokill]

I didn't get to bowhunt at all last fall due to being overseas. If I cant draw a bow then here will be some handgun hunting in my future. Thanks for the encouragement guys.

[jhg]

Originally posted by Doc Nock:
seems to me that it depends on the injury, the surgeon and the patient....

Agreed. I tore mine from a shock load onto the top of the shoulder.
I went from being able to do 20 one arm push ups to barely lifting a spoon. I had about a year into the recovery before all was good.
 And I was 24 years old.
 I did not need surgery, but they said I'd never be the same. Youth and determination brought it back (and smart rehab starting with ultra sound)

Joshua

[razorsharptokill]

I switched to ibuprofen from the Percocet and so far it isn't unbearable. I can't stand the way the strong stuff makes me itch all over!

[J-dog]

These shoulder injury threads make me cringe! I have torn up my shoulders growing up but knock on wood no bow hunting limitations so I have no advice for you really but!

Just do as your told by your doc! That advice goes with everything! Lol

Best of luck, wish you a speedy recover and a good season!

[Burnsie]

Had to have mine done twice,  when the surgeon got in there the 2nd time it was a lot worse than he thought.  Tendon was shredded, had to implant several anchors in the bone and stretch remaining good tissue up to where it needed to be attached.  I had arm and shoulder totally immobilized for 6-8 weeks before doing anything. Surgeon was concerned that I would tear tendon away from where he had it anchored. Told me to follow instructions closely and not over do it, because if I tore it away from the anchors he wouldn't really have much to work with to try again. I was a good patient and did what I was told, was back to full weight bows in about 6 months.  And yes that was crazy pain, when I woke up from surgery I would have given anyone nearby a $1000 to put me out of my misery, and I consider myself to have a pretty high threshold for pain, or a least I thought I did.  They ramped me up so much on morphine to control the pain I ended up with my respiration tanking and that became a whole other issue.  But, after a couple sleepless nights in the recliner I was able to get off the pain killers and managed with just ibuprofen.