Shoulder pain - Rotator cup?

[Scbang]

OK, this might be a familiar to golfers but I also do Martial art called "Kendo" which is "Way of the sword" representing one of the sword fighting techniques. Anyway, I have a shoulder pain possibly due to some problem with rotator cup. I still play golf everyday and Kendo once a week because those motions do not stop me. But when I try to get my wallet out from the left hip pocket, it hurts me. So I researched my options and did all I can to do physical exercises recommended by various MDs and Physical Therapists on Youtube. It is manageable but not getting any better. So, before I consider shoulder surgery, I ask you experienced people who have gone thru this. what, if any, options have/have not worked? I had what you call "50's shoulder" 20 years ago. As I recall, I had one steroid injection and it fixed it. So if I consider that option, where in the villages should I go?
Any recommendations and sharing of your Good, Bad and Ugly stories would be appreciated.

Cheers!

[blueash]

There IMO is no point in asking if your problem is rotator cuff on the internet. Nor can we help you with what works or doesn't work as that 100% depends on what is actually wrong with you. And you don't know what is wrong, neither do I.

So I would suggest you get a diagnosis of what is actually causing you the pain from a doctor. This website has had many discussions of whom people like for shoulder care. The search function is in the green stripe near the top, 2nd from the right edge.

[Laker14]

if you haven't seen a physical therapist in person, you should. You may need an MD referral depending upon your medical insurance. A physical therapist, in addition to having you do exercises, can help make a diagnosis by moving your shoulder into various positions, against resistance, and seeing what hurts, and evaluating your range of motion.
An MRI may or may not be needed.
In addition to helping diagnose, and giving you exercises depending upon the diagnosis, the PT can also massage and manipulate your shoulder manually.
I have had shoulder issues in the past, and thankfully, PT helped very much. I never had an MRI, and I never needed a cortisone shot. That doesn't mean I never will, and it doesn't mean you won't or don't right now. However, since I prefer non-surgical methods be tried before any cutting, I'd recommend getting yourself to a PT as soon as you can.
Good luck.

[Spalumbos62]

Yes, rotator cuff issues differ per person. And exactly as you stated, doing one motion...no pain, then another rather simple motion can cause extreme pain.
Can I ask, are you a side sleeper? Not having proper neck support and hips aligned can result with pressure on that cuff all night long, possibly waking you from the pain. Cortisone shots help...temporarily...
they mask the pain for a few months, but it returns.... then you have to decide surgery or not. In the mean time, waking with pain during night, 3 advil usually calm it down enough to get back to sleep.

[golfing eagles]

There IMO is no point in asking if your problem is rotator cuff on the internet. Nor can we help you with what works or doesn't work as that 100% depends on what is actually wrong with you. And you don't know what is wrong, neither do I.

So I would suggest you get a diagnosis of what is actually causing you the pain from a doctor. This website has had many discussions of whom people like for shoulder care. The search function is in the green stripe near the top, 2nd from the right edge.

Great answer!

[Babubhat]

Find a correspondent video here. Your neck is likely forward which is common over time. Full explanation in the videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SN-wOhpUZM

The problem was in the neck which was out of alignment. Other Chiropractics treated my symptoms, not the problem. Over time I got back 90 percent of motion. Non invasive, no medication. Amazing results. He treats pro golfers, mma fighters, etc. one of a kind

[Bogie Shooter]

These folks can help. The Orthopaedic Institute
Summerfield - The Orthopaedic Institute (https://www.toi-health.com/summerfield-office/)

[Bjeanj]

An MRI will tell you if something is torn. However, except for golfing eagles, none of us have a medical degree.

I did PT for a year before going to an orthopedic doctor. Come to find out my rotator cuff was torn and no amount of PT was going to fix it.

[Babubhat]

I Highly recommend you call FYSICAL THERAPY AND BALANCE CENTER. Not all things can be fixed by YouTube.

FYZICAL The Villages South
3990 FL-44, Suite 201, Wildwood, FL, 34785
(352) 330-1011 thevillagessouth@fyzical.com

Physical Therapy in The Villages : FYZICAL The Villages South : (https://www.fyzical.com/the-villages-south/)

Insulting. It’s the chiropractor doing the therapy. Read the post closely. Never will use your service,

I have proven results as do many others. The only thing that matters. Had far too many useless stretches and physical therapy. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink

[Two Bills]

OK, this might be a familiar to golfers but I also do Martial art called "Kendo" which is "Way of the sword" representing one of the sword fighting techniques. Anyway, I have a shoulder pain possibly due to some problem with rotator cup. I still play golf everyday and Kendo once a week because those motions do not stop me. But when I try to get my wallet out from the left hip pocket, it hurts me. So I researched my options and did all I can to do physical exercises recommended by various MDs and Physical Therapists on Youtube. It is manageable but not getting any better. So, before I consider shoulder surgery, I ask you experienced people who have gone thru this. what, if any, options have/have not worked? I had what you call "50's shoulder" 20 years ago. As I recall, I had one steroid injection and it fixed it. So if I consider that option, where in the villages should I go?
Any recommendations and sharing of your Good, Bad and Ugly stories would be appreciated.

Cheers!

Try moving wallet to right hip pocket.
If that does not work, I would suggest you see doctor for X-ray and diagnosis.

[Babubhat]

Big skinny wallets has actually helped some

[villagetinker]

I had a fall recently, really screwed up by should, no broken bones, but movement of the associated bones, I went to Fyzical therapy, for around 2 months, back to bowling (with a 10 to 15 pin increase in average), and little or no pain on the shoulder. I still have some clicking in the shoulder, but that is it. I can recommend this company, and Dr. David Kuhns chiropractor to look at your shoulder.
Hope this helps.

[CoachKandSportsguy]

I had a fall recently, really screwed up by should, no broken bones, but movement of the associated bones, I went to Fyzical therapy, for around 2 months, back to bowling (with a 10 to 15 pin increase in average), and little or no pain on the shoulder. I still have some clicking in the shoulder, but that is it. I can recommend this company, and Dr. David Kuhns chiropractor to look at your shoulder.
Hope this helps.


Great to hear you are back to normal! and great to see that it fixed your bowling handicap!

[bakon]

I am currently recovering from surgery. My process has been long. I believe my pain started two years ago but one incident last June pushed it over. I can tell you the CUFF is a group of muscles and no two injuries are the same. I put off surgery or rather the doctors recommended putting off surgery until January. Before the surgery I went through many physical therapy and rounds of shots. Also MRI a few times to see the problem. I had tears, an impingement, and some arthritis. But I will say while in the sling for 6 weeks I had complete strangers tell me their story. Everyday. Every outing. Anywhere I would go. That sling was like a magnet for anyone to approach, tell me what was wrong with them, how painful it was, how to fix mine, and what doctor I should be using. My favorite ones were the people who “had this shoulder done three times and this one twice”. Why would I follow your directions on doctor or care if it took five times to fix two shoulders?
Anyways started the healing physical therapy a few weeks ago. Up to five pound weights! I am 54 and could lift 50 for same exercise back in December, it just hurt the next day. But getting better daily. Sure it hurts. But everyone has different levels of pain. Not saying they don’t feel it but if your injuries in life were greater than mine, you scale of pain is different than mine on scale of 1 to 10.
Only advise- see the doctor first. Physical therapy might be all you need but could be a waste of six months like me. Second piece- don’t listen to anyone, at least completely. Everyone injury is different and interweb doctors have the same training as the guy sitting next to you at the bar. Just have another beer and smile.

[rsmurano]

I had this issue over 25 years ago. I couldn’t reach over my head (tennis serve) or open the passenger car lock but I could waterski everyday. I saw a friends surgery and seeing the drs hammering the screws in your arm during surgery so my dr gave me an ultimatum: stop playing tennis for a year but I could keep waterskiing, and do all the exercises in the rotator cuff book and you won’t need surgery. I did this and never needed surgery and play tennis and pickleball everyday without pain

[MX rider]

An MRI will tell you if something is torn. However, except for golfing eagles, none of us have a medical degree.

I did PT for a year before going to an orthopedic doctor. Come to find out my rotator cuff was torn and no amount of PT was going to fix it.

Agree 100%. I had a torn rotator cuff and labrum about 7 yeras ago, I was 58. It happened when I wrecked riding motocross. Like you I could still do certain things and get by. But some simple things were very painful.
Get an MRI and go from there. I held out as long an I could before having surgery. Finally my Ortho doc told me if I didn't get it done it would get to the point where they couldn't fix it.

A good way to tell if you think it's your rotator cuff is to lift something a bit heavy, like a gallon of paint straight up from your side with your arm staright. It will hurt like hell. Also if it's painful to sleep on that side.

If you do need surgery, it's painful at first. You'll need to sleep in a recliner for a while. Laying down to sleep is very uncomfortable.

Recovery is all in how you do the physical therapy. Do all the exercises at home religiously that they give you.

I worked my ass off doing the pt, 90 days later I was released and back in the gym. Soon after I was back riding my dirt bike.

My shoulder is pain free now and I have 100% movement. Remember, pt, pt, pt.

Good luck!

[Toymeister]

Here is my take. You don't have any medical diagnosis. Get that first. PT is usually the first option, surgery second.

But there is another possible diagnosis: arthritis/old age. If so you could consider oral or topical OTC/scripted NSAIDS or possibly a drug that changes how you perceive pain. These manipulate serotonin and/or norepinephrine something along the lines of tramadol or cymbalta

[TNLAKEPANDA]

Last year I had a torn rotator cuff in both shoulders. I got a shot in the left which as the worst and very painful. Over the summer I was in the pool every day for 30-45 minutes working out with water weights doing various exercises. Today I am totally pain free! So I would suggest that you get a shot and then exercise the shoulders. Yes it will be a bit painful at first but you will be amazed how little by little it will begin to feel better!

[rrtjp]

I have had both of my shoulders repaired. Both bad rotator cuff tears that required surgery. You need to see your doctor who will refer you to a specialist. A useless X-ray will be ordered because insurance companies will require it before they will OK an MRI. If you do have a torn cuff and need surgery I am going to be very honest with you, post surgery is no fun, very painful and you will have a long and somewhat painful rehab (everyone has a different pain threshold). For the first 6 weeks post surgery you will be in a very uncomfortable sling 24/7 the only time you will remove your arm from the sling will be at rehab. Also your doctor will order some type of narcotics to help with your pain. You will need help doing many simple chores like bathing, dressing and even eating. You will be surprised how difficult it is to do things with just one arm. Do a lot of research on surgeons that do this type of surgery. Both of my surgeries where done in Ft Lauderdale by Dr Yoldas, he specializes in sport injuries and has worked on many professional athletes.
Both my shoulders today feel great, the right shoulder as good as new, my left shoulder was torn a little worse than the right so I still have some very mild pain depending on certain motions but does not limit me from doing anything. I hope you find out that it isn’t a tear and something else. Good luck with whatever you find out it is.
Sometimes if it is a small tear your doctor may recommend physical therapy only. Again good luck and if you do need surgery feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
God bless
Ps
The sponge bathes my wife gave me after surgery I may have dragged out a little longer than what was necessary, lol.

[ladygolfer123]

I went to Lake Sumpter Urgent Care where they gave me a shot in my shoulder and made an appt for an MRI which showed a large tear in the large muscle. From there I went to Orthopedic Institute to see Dr. Kim and in my case he recommended therapy which was right there. They set me up with a schedule 3 times a week plus doing exercises at home and I was golfing in five months. That was 5 yrs ago and I am still very satisfied with no surgery and no pain. I was one of the lucky ones!! Excellent Dr. and therapists!!

[MrFlorida]

As a person who has had two surgeries for rotator cuff I can tell you that you need an MRI to be sure of what you really have. Not an internet diagnosis. See your doctor .

[MX rider]

An MRI will tell you if something is torn. However, except for golfing eagles, none of us have a medical degree.

I did PT for a year before going to an orthopedic doctor. Come to find out my rotator cuff was torn and no amount of PT was going to fix it.

I have had both of my shoulders repaired. Both bad rotator cuff tears that required surgery. You need to see your doctor who will refer you to a specialist. A useless X-ray will be ordered because insurance companies will require it before they will OK an MRI. If you do have a torn cuff and need surgery I am going to be very honest with you, post surgery is no fun, very painful and you will have a long and somewhat painful rehab (everyone has a different pain threshold). For the first 6 weeks post surgery you will be in a very uncomfortable sling 24/7 the only time you will remove your arm from the sling will be at rehab. Also your doctor will order some type of narcotics to help with your pain. You will need help doing many simple chores like bathing, dressing and even eating. You will be surprised how difficult it is to do things with just one arm. Do a lot of research on surgeons that do this type of surgery. Both of my surgeries where done in Ft Lauderdale by Dr Yoldas, he specializes in sport injuries and has worked on many professional athletes.
Both my shoulders today feel great, the right shoulder as good as new, my left shoulder was torn a little worse than the right so I still have some very mild pain depending on certain motions but does not limit me from doing anything. I hope you find out that it isn’t a tear and something else. Good luck with whatever you find out it is.
Sometimes if it is a small tear your doctor may recommend physical therapy only. Again good luck and if you do need surgery feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
God bless
Ps
The sponge bathes my wife gave me after surgery I may have dragged out a little longer than what was necessary, lol.

Where there's a will there's a way!
I hate baths! After taking one the first 2 days I decided I was going to find a way to take a shower.

I had 3 incisions, 1 big one and 2 small ones on my shoulder. I would have my wife use medical tape and tape a quart size plastic bag over them. That way it wouldn't get wet. Worked like a charm!

I had a sports ortho doc as well. He didn't believe in giving strong pain meds right off the bat. So he basically gave me very strong Tylenol. I had no desire to take anything stronger like an opioid. Wasn't ideal, but worth a little extra discomfort to me.

As a longtime runner it was killing me not running. So I did cardio on the eliptical at the gym. About 3 weeks of that and I was ready to try running with my sling on. I asked my doc, he said as long as I snugged up my sling it was ok.
I'm sure I looked goofy, but who cares?
I'm a firm believer that cardio helps the healing process.

If you do everthing they tell you to do, your shoulder can be 100%

[Jsan143]

Had shoulder surgery on February 28. 3 tears, 2 shoulder, 1 bicep and a bone spur. I’m in the third week of recovery and from what I understand I’m the exception very little pain, already have most of the motion back. Stop guessing, get it diagnosed! And if you do opt for the surgery lots of ice 24/7 seems to have been the key. Also be ready to be in a sling for 5 weeks. I used Dr. Cook at Advanced Orthopedics Institute. Good luck!

[Scbang]

Last year I had a torn rotator cuff in both shoulders. I got a shot in the left which as the worst and very painful. Over the summer I was in the pool every day for 30-45 minutes working out with water weights doing various exercises. Today I am totally pain free! So I would suggest that you get a shot and then exercise the shoulders. Yes it will be a bit painful at first but you will be amazed how little by little it will begin to feel better! Where did you get the shot?

[jjombrello]

Go to the doctor. I had a pain in my shoulder, not bothered by golf or lifting or exercise. Went to the doctor and was sent for an x-ray. Turned out it was old-fashioned arthritis. I'm 86 and live with it. If it gets really bad, I take a Tylanol.

[Flyers999]

My wife started having right shoulder pain a few months ago. She’s a tennis player who used to play three or four times a week. She rested for two weeks and started wearing Staminapro patches, one every three days while she rested. Now she puts one on before she plays and has reduced her playing to twice a week. Her pain is now under control. She does play golf twice a week; that has never hurt. She uses the 2”x10” patches. You can either wear patches during physical activity or after. She prefers during because she claims it acts like a brace for her arm while swinging.

Earlier this year, I had both tennis and golf elbow from playing those games. I used the 2.75”x 4” patches for a couple months. Pain in both elbows is completely gone(I must admit I used the patches for left knee pain and it didn’t work. I got a cortisone shot for that.)
You’re supposed to keep them on for 24 hours. They are water-proof so you can bath with them on. They are recommended by some professional golfers including Tony Finau and Justin Rose. They work by electrical stimulation (causing a small electrical current to run through your joints). They are expensive so it might help to lighten the thing in your left pocket making it easier to lift. Good luck.

[Mustagotlost]

OK, this might be a familiar to golfers but I also do Martial art called "Kendo" which is "Way of the sword" representing one of the sword fighting techniques. Anyway, I have a shoulder pain possibly due to some problem with rotator cup. I still play golf everyday and Kendo once a week because those motions do not stop me. But when I try to get my wallet out from the left hip pocket, it hurts me. So I researched my options and did all I can to do physical exercises recommended by various MDs and Physical Therapists on Youtube. It is manageable but not getting any better. So, before I consider shoulder surgery, I ask you experienced people who have gone thru this. what, if any, options have/have not worked? I had what you call "50's shoulder" 20 years ago. As I recall, I had one steroid injection and it fixed it. So if I consider that option, where in the villages should I go?
Any recommendations and sharing of your Good, Bad and Ugly stories would be appreciated.

Cheers!

I was getting cortisone shots every 6 months. Arthroscopic surgery repaired a medium tear in the cartilage. Going to have the second shoulder done when we come back from the great white north in the fall. Dr. Locker in Ocala is the best he can answer what can be done.

Good luck

[gator17]

As someone who has had over 24 orthopaedic surgeries (thank you Marine Corps,) let me dispel some myths regarding "useless" physical therapy. Many of you have gone through months of physical therapy only to exclaim "physical therapy never helped me and I had to have surgery anyway." We always hope that physical therapy will "fix" the injury, and many times it does, BUT physical therapy will also build up those muscles surrounding the injury so that when surgery does occur the muscles will support the injured ligament/muscle/tendon. This is turn will make your post-surgical physical therapy easier, and sometimes, faster. That doesn't mean post-surgical therapy won't hurt! Sometimes it's a killer, BUT if you hadn't done the pre-surgery therapy you would be in a world of hurt and an extended recovery time! DO THE THERAPY BEFORE AND AFTER - your body will thank you.

[manaboutown]

I have had rotator cuff surgery on both shoulders. In each case I put it off for years but when the situation reached the point I could not get my bag into or out of the overhead on a plane or put a stack of plates up in the kitchen cabinet I decided I better get it done. Good thing I did. Bone spurs had grown to the point they were sawing through tendons. Other damage was done but that was particularly scary. I was fortunate enough to find an orthopedic surgeon who worked on professional athletes in the LA area. Also had a wonderful physical therapist. If one wants to retain as much range of motion as possible following up with rigorous physical therapy is a must. In my case I had little pain recovering. I find out that ice alone can usually handle it and it did after a few days.

[Tillson1]

Rotator Cuff

[coralway]

put your wallet in your right hip pocket instead.

[Villages Kahuna]

I’ve gone they the whole process and after two MRIs several years apart I know I have a right shoulder rotator cuff completely torn in one place and partially torn in a couple of others. I had constant pain at about the “8” level.

I am avoiding surgery because of the famously long rehab for shoulders. I did get relief as the result of a cortisone shot administered by an ”interventional radiologist”. The technique is the use of ultrasound to locate the exact location best for the injection. It took a week or so for the pain to subside almost completely.

I now exercise regularly and respect what I can and can’t do using the shoulder. I can’t lift my right arm above shoulder height and the strength of the shoulder is definitely compromised. But I can live with those limitations knowing that the torn muscles will never re-heal and pain can be almost eliminated.

My procedure was done at Medical Imaging and Theraputics under the supervision of Dr. Mark Jacobson (352) 261-5502

[DAVES]

OK, this might be a familiar to golfers but I also do Martial art called "Kendo" which is "Way of the sword" representing one of the sword fighting techniques. Anyway, I have a shoulder pain possibly due to some problem with rotator cup. I still play golf everyday and Kendo once a week because those motions do not stop me. But when I try to get my wallet out from the left hip pocket, it hurts me. So I researched my options and did all I can to do physical exercises recommended by various MDs and Physical Therapists on Youtube. It is manageable but not getting any better. So, before I consider shoulder surgery, I ask you experienced people who have gone thru this. what, if any, options have/have not worked? I had what you call "50's shoulder" 20 years ago. As I recall, I had one steroid injection and it fixed it. So if I consider that option, where in the villages should I go?
Any recommendations and sharing of your Good, Bad and Ugly stories would be appreciated.

Cheers!

Are we being had? Only problem with pain is taking your wallet out? Put, it into another pocket so you can pay the bill? A steroid shot does not last 20 years. If the pain was there and it went away your body repaired the problem.

Here in the villages with the average age of 70, most everyone has issues. Parts? At 70 no one even wants your parts. Too much wear and tear on them.

If, serious? Pain management, due to recent, over prescribing of pain control meds,
has become like a bad dream in the United States.

[DAVES]

I had this issue over 25 years ago. I couldn’t reach over my head (tennis serve) or open the passenger car lock but I could waterski everyday. I saw a friends surgery and seeing the drs hammering the screws in your arm during surgery so my dr gave me an ultimatum: stop playing tennis for a year but I could keep waterskiing, and do all the exercises in the rotator cuff book and you won’t need surgery. I did this and never needed surgery and play tennis and pickleball everyday without pain

Surprised they would allow you to see a friends surgery. Many of the tools they use are similar to woodworking tools. I had a skin transplant. The worst part was where the removed the skin for transplant. I was on anesthesia so slept through the whole thing.
Where they removed the skin felt like when you were a kid and fell off your bike skidding on your knees into the next town. The mark looked like someone used a woodworking plane set to deep and were forced to stop and start again. The surgeon said no it is more like a spoke shave. I never knew or asked. It was a teaching hospital. The surgeon was on the list of whos who and had a wing at NYU with his name on it. I never asked. The surgeon made a student, only one there change the bandage while he looked on. My leg looked like a fresh raw steak. I suspect, THAT STUDENT, mis-set the whatever they call a spoke shave and that was the reason they cut off far more than would be needed to cover the surgery created wound.

Perhaps, someone knew you well enough that you would not follow instructions unless they showed you, if you don't we will need to do you soon.

[Atamasco]

OK, this might be a familiar to golfers but I also do Martial art called "Kendo" which is "Way of the sword" representing one of the sword fighting techniques. Anyway, I have a shoulder pain possibly due to some problem with rotator cup. I still play golf everyday and Kendo once a week because those motions do not stop me. But when I try to get my wallet out from the left hip pocket, it hurts me. So I researched my options and did all I can to do physical exercises recommended by various MDs and Physical Therapists on Youtube. It is manageable but not getting any better. So, before I consider shoulder surgery, I ask you experienced people who have gone thru this. what, if any, options have/have not worked? I had what you call "50's shoulder" 20 years ago. As I recall, I had one steroid injection and it fixed it. So if I consider that option, where in the villages should I go?
Any recommendations and sharing of your Good, Bad and Ugly stories would be appreciated.

Cheers! I have used a physiatrist, Dr Amy Clunn, in Lady Lake. She is there one day weekly; in Ocala the rest of the week. 352-732-3110

[Scbang]

I have used a physiatrist, Dr Amy Clunn, in Lady Lake. She is there one day weekly; in Ocala the rest of the week. 352-732-3110
Thanks for the info. Have you done surgery, MRI, cortizone shot, etc.. with her to treat your pain?

[Garywt]

Definitely need to see a doctor. I had shoulder pain after a fall. Thought it was the cuff but doctor suggested a clean up surgery for the shoulder. After the surgery there was no real improvement. After more tests it was determined I had cancer. I have been in treatment for 8 1/2 years and am so grateful that I fell when I did.