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Shoulder Surgery


tom_hargreaves
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Alright guys, i've been having terrible problems with my shoulder joint lately, which I thought was related to a dislocation I had a few years ago.

Seems my joint isn't big enough to hold the arm properly and i'm getting a lot of movement causing my muscles and tendons to get trapped by the bone sometimes. This causes them to swell and get trapped more. Which hurts like crazy.

I've been to the physio who isn't optimistic she'll be able to fix the problem and that i'll need shoulder tightening surgery. I don't mind this, just so long as it sorts me out.

Has anyone had this before? I don't know the medical term for it and what it entails. Can anyone shed some light on this and has it helped them?

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I have a shoulder that dislocates. It is a real PITA!

I used to be able to put it back in myself which hurt like hell but it was quicker than waiting for an ambulance.

However, the last couple of times it has happened its been a hospital job and I get knocked out and they sort it (apart from the last time when I was in Poland on my stag weekend when I had to bite on a bit of wood while 3 blokes wrestled with me - steady TDK it was all above board and we had our clothes on!!)

I have been to see consultants about having the same op and in the end decided against it as it is a big op and the recovery time is long and they told me I would never have full movement back in my arm.

It needs careful consideration Tom.

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Right, I didn't realise it had such compromises. I thought it was a simple keyhole surgery job and they just tied down the joint slightly depending on how bad the problem is? I suppose it depends on the severity of it.

Mine doesn't just dislocate willy nilly without much force. It's just the pain I get in the muscles from the bone trapping them that needs to stop. But the physio mentioned that if this continues I could get a build up of scar tissue on the muscles which will cause more problems apparently. Whether it's the exact same surgery or whether it differs depending on how bad it is i'll have to find out.

But thanks for the feedback, it's obviously something I really need to think about.

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From what you're describing Tom, it's exactly the problem I've got that I'm going for surgery on Friday to have corrected. Originally, the physio thought it might have been a rotator cuff tear, but the consultant confirmed otehrwise.

IIRC, you do a load of weights, which, given the amount you said earlier in the month you've put on in the last couple of months, it doesn't surprise me you've got a problem! Your shoulder gets used for every upper body exercise in the gym and if you're pushing it hard (which you must have been) and you've got a problem, it'll get bad quite quickly.

The op is called a sub-acromial decompression, all done via keyhole surgery - your physio has probably mentioned the AC (acromioclavicular) joint. It's designed to remove some of the bone which will be rubbing on the tendons in your shoulder joint, causing them to swell, which in turn pushes up on the AC joint, causing pain, because the joint is being pushed and pulled in all kinds of directions it's not normally used to.

Fortunately I've got medical insurance through work, so I saw the consultant on 7th Jan, got x-rays on the day, ultrasound a week later, saw him again on 16th Jan and I'm booked in this week.

I've got to have six weeks without "properly" using my shoulder, which, given that I do circuits three times a week, as well as run, cycle and do spin, is going to drive me completely mental!

Go and see your doctor and get a referral to a consultant. Also ask your physio which shoulder specialist in your area they would recommend.

You'll eventually get told you could have a choice of an op (it's feckin painful as well, just so you know - just because it's keyhole doesn't mean it won't hurt!) or a steroid injection, which will reduce the swelling in your shoulder joint. I've opted for the op, because, IMO, the injection (which can last for up to 2 years) isn't going to fix the problem - it's just going to stop it hurting.

Best of luck mate - let us know how you get on +++

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Yeh, I have no problem with taking time off work for recovery and what not. I work in the family business so it won't be an issue fortunately. And like you i'm covered by private medical insurance so I could have it done quite quickly.

I've been off the weights and that lot for about 5 weeks now, because I thought i'd just strained a muscle so was trying to rest it. Since i've been getting more shoulder pain so I knew it wasn't that. No physical exercise is making me wither away, i'm shrinking by the minute!

I mentioned to the physio why it is that i've started getting it only in the last 4 months and not earlier and she said it would be because of my muscle growth - The muscles being bigger is making them easier to be caught by the bone.

I think the surgery you're mentioning is more what I need, rather than shoulder tightening which seems to come with some major complications.

Thanks for that Mook, what are the chances of us having the same thing? Good to hear from someone who's got what I have and what you're doing about it. The sterioid injection was mentioned, but I wrote this off on the same basis you did - It won't fix the problem. My GP is a useless bag of shite, so i'm still waiting to hear from the hospital.

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Talk to your medical insurance company and get them to recommend a consultant. You need to get it sorted PDQ!

Apparently the problem is quite common. The neighbour of a friend has just had the same thing done, but she's been given a bollocking by the consultant for using her arm and shoulder too much! She's now back in a sling after 4 weeks, which I sures as sh*t don't want to happen.

I reckon I should be able to start doing spin after 3 weeks, because you can rest your bodyweight on one arm when you're doing uphill work - I'll just have to see.

I'll let you know next week how much the op hurts on a scale of 1 to 10 :P

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Excellent - at least you've got an appointment quickly +++

X-rays and ultrasound will probably be on the cards. It's bloody weird having ultrasound on your shoulder - it's the same kit they use for checking out babies before they're born.

I'm glad to say I'm having a boy... :P

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I bring sad news of Mooks operation, unfortunately there was a mix up at the hospital and Mook received gender re-assignment surgery by mistake, It's taking him a while to get over the shock, but I'm sure he'll be fine once he gets down the hand bag shop.

Duisberg - hows your new shoulder?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Sorry Tom, completely forgot to update this :rolleyes:

Went in at 7am for the op (nothing to eat from midnight) and the op was at 1pm, so I as bloody starving.

Excellent care where I was (Nuffield Bournemouth). The consultant came in and explained what was happening and the anaesthetist explained what he was going to do. I've had two generals before, so I'm not bothered by them.

He also explained that once I was under, he would be injecting me in my neck :eek: which would kill off all the nerve senses in my shoulder and arm for 24-48 hours.

In terms of pain after the op, I couldn't move my arm because of the neck injection, so it was fine. I'd say the pain scale was about 3 out of 10 straight after the op and for about 12 hours afterwards.

Once the feelings started to come back in my arm, the pain went up to a constant 4/10 for about 2 days after. The only way I can describe it is like someone having a 2" knife lodged right in the middle of your shoulder. If I moved it the wrong way (too quick or too far), the score spiked to 8/10, so yes, it feckin hurt, but it only lasted for about 5 minutes each time I did it, so I quickly learned to be a bit mroe careful!

The op involves cutting a small hole straight through the middle of each of your deltoids (anterior, lateral and posterior). I'm not sure which one they used for the main part of the op, but I reckon it was the front one - that's given me the most grief in terms of post-operative pain. Single stitch in each hole after the op. Stitches were taken out two weeks after the op.

I've been to physio twice a week since the op and it's all been about slowly getting the movement back into the shoulder. There's been a few 8/10 pain moments at the physio, but, having originally been told I would need six weeks of physio, I was discharged from physio last week after just three weeks.

I also saw the consultant last week and he said that I'd made a much quicker recovery than he was expecting. He's put this down to following the post-operative instructions properly and the fact that I was stupidly fit before I had the op (I increased circuits and spin from three to four times a week, plus ran four times a week rather than three for a month before and was even there the night before the op!)

I'm now three and a half weeks after the op and, apart from the odd twinge (to be expected) I've got full range of motion in my shoulder joint. It'll be another three weeks or so before I can start lifting any weights and I managed to push it too far at the weekend when I was working on my car, but hey, you can't stop everything... ;)

:beer:

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Thanks for that Mook, it's very informative. I haven't been on the forum properly for the last week or so because of work. And I had to push back my consut because of that reason also.

I'm going to see the surgeon this afternoon. So i'll take with me what you've been saying and see if he can link the problems.

Thanks again, i'll let you know what he thinks.

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Went to see the Surgeon, who was brilliant. Had some X-Rays and i'm going back for the MRI scan on the 16th. I'm on private healthcare so things are happening pretty rapidly.

The Subacromial decompression was mentioned as a solution to fix it, as he says this is the only option. I could have the op done within the next 3 weeks but i'm going on holiday at the beginning of April, so i've taken the decision for it to be delayed until after I get back.

Can't wait to get it sorted though, the pains are really difficult to live with. I had a period of about 10 days last week when I had no pain, but it's been constant for the last few days.

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