Glenoid Labrum Tear - Arthroscopic Surgery

M

Major Disaster

New member
rom my research, this should be a good result for you---if you follow the doc's orders post-op. My problem is that I have a detached labrum on one side and three obvious tears on the r cuff on the other (no arthroscopic, just MRI so possible labrum coldn't be seen). On my first visit to sports medicine dr., she bounced in, assured me that I was NOT crazy, that the excruciating pain, the inability to lift or push pillows, etc...was indeed real, the result of injuries. I returned after another MRI--with dye contrast with a diagnosis of detached labrum-both anterior and superior in the other, left shoulder. This time, in five minutes, this young dr. informed me that there was nothing to be done....that I was too old for surgery..."I only do 20 to 40 years olds"....and gave me a prescription for PT (which I had done previously and religiously for my primary care dr., but which aggravated first the most painful one on the right...then inflamed the left one, so the therapist stopped the movement). When I informed her that for 4 months of being in such pain that sleep became impossible had become intolerable---(and I was trained to ignore pain and just get on with life...even teaching school with migrained headaches)(actually, without being aware of it, tears ran down my face), she wrote a prescription for me to see a dr. who dealt with pain management. I can't find anything on the WEB putting an age limit for fixing tears...I already meditate to manage the pain, sit in hot baths, and trained other people to manage pain. Does anyone know what to do besides being disabled with this pain? I jumped out of airplanes a couple of years ago and am not a pansy...lol...but my life is crippled and I'm not ready to be thrown out like a piece of used toilet paper.
 
Feelbad, the advice about sleeping with the pillows was gold for me!!! I haven't been comfortable in months...did what you advised Jimmy B to do---and lay down for the first time and napped....pillows duct-taped to my arms. I kiss your feet!!!
 
Hi, I just discovered this site and could use some advice or encouragement. I had labral tear surgery on my shoulder a month ago (also had some bone spurs removed). My PT started the same week. I continue to have sharp pain when my elbow is not supported when I lay down. Today, I began to have the same sharp pain in my shoulder and near my arm pit just when sitting or standing or even sneezing. It hurts to the point that I tear up. How would I know if something was wrong? I should add that a couple of days after my surgery, a heavy glass lid slid out of my kitchen cabinet and I relexively reached out to catch it with my bad arm (still in the sling). I did catch it but it hurt. My PT thinks I am progressing normally but this recurring pain is messing with my mind. Any advice? I thing you said in a post that after 1 month you were able to get your arm over your head. I can barely get mine straight out in front of me! Thanks for your help.
 
first of all, marvelina?? as far as i am aware here too, there IS NO age limit with this type of surgery. just how old are you by the way? i was 47 hen i had my rotator repair. it comes down to more of how YOUR overall health is really with ANY actual surgery. i would SERIOUSLY obtain a very badly needed second opionion from a much more experienced ortho. there is simply NO reason you cannot have this repaired to at least bring down that overall pain level and regain full to at least better use of that arm right now. i would push this, really push this with another ortho.

trust me when i say here that not all specialists are created equal, no way no how. this has been my ongoing experience with having to have six seperate surgeries and an aneurysm coiling just becasue it was soo much fun. had many stupid assinine opinions from so called specialists who were honest to god at times plain stupid and lacking even remote basic common sense. i am thinking the idiot ortho you saw likes to have the best possible shot at the best outcomes with ALL patiens here? does not want someone to possibly mess up his "perfect' record by taking any chance on doing a flippin surgery on someone who does not just 'fit" HIS criteria he set for HIMSELF at some point and not any real standard protocal that requires any patient to be within a certain age frame, ya know what i mean? just seek out a better more knowledgable and CARING ortho to do this for you. geez,what an ego. i am sooo glad acvice i gave was able to help someone. those pillows are a true lifesaver when placed just right and then held there too. believe me,when we are suffering, we can really get pretty creative can't we.

HM, did you call your surgeon at the time this happened or does he know at all about this? while everyone kind of heals in there own timeframe and in very individual ways, what you are feeling could be another type of actual injury considering the catching thing you did right at the beginning? believe me,there were times where if that sling had not prevented me from doing it, i would have shot that surgical arm out when something was falling or other things just popped up during the day too. its just that 'natural reflex' in us.

what you are describing just with this pain actually being 'sharp" in nature really does sound like something may have changed either up in the actual surgical area itself or how the nerves are now lying too. i would seriously see your surgeon and even possibly get another MRI done if this stays the same and does not get any better soon? depending upon just how really 'good' your actual PT person really is, they may know what they are doing or they may not. its kind of a crap shoot when it comes to good knowledgable PTs. been there done that one to death myself. i have an excellent one now who i was seeing even before my tendon snapped for alot of other muscle and c spine nightmares i have been dealing with. he is one of those who simply can 'feel" whenever there has been a real problem in any area in me he works on.

any NEW pain that develops during any surgical healing course really just does need to be much more thoroughly checked out. i really would see your actual surgeon for another eval ofthis area and se just what he feels and wants you to do here. while some increase in overall pain IS expected with PT, you should NOT be having "hypersensive pain" like you are that brings you to the verge of tears, ya know what i mean? thats just kind of above and beyond the 'norm' espescially this far out and having started PT so early on post op.

in your particular case, i would pretty much be demanding to see your surgeon if anyone gives you trouble here. this just really NEEDS another eval right now. that type of pain is just NOT the norm. like i mentioned already, just obtaining even a new MRI could possibly show something new that was not present post op or even pre op either. it really would be the best way to truely tell how things just are inside the surgical area right now.

i really am sorry things are not getting better for you. but you DO need that eval from your surgeon just to obtain his impression of this and possibly sending you for that MRI too. something just does not sound 'right' about how this is going or how it presented either. good luck and please keep us posted MH, FB
 
Back
Top