Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story. If you do opt for surgery. An exercise or physical therapy program is necessary to regain strength and improve function in the shoulder. infraspinatus tendon had full-thickness tear . Three kids will no doubt also be keeping you busy and missing out sleep because of your shoulder pain doesn't sound like much fun. Your doctor should be able to explain your options and potential expected outcomes. These injections usually include an anti-inflammatory that can last for a couple months delivered directly to the problem area(s) and a local anesthetic that will work for the first few days until the anti-inflammatory starts to give relief. is likely to be required if you want less shoulder pain. I'm unable to say whether this has occurred in your case, however, the reason why this springs to mind is that I cannot recall ever seeing a true case of adhesive capsulitis (sometimes called frozen shoulder) that resolved in 6 weeks? I know that since it has been years since seeing a dr about it that I should make an appointment, but what is your opinion of my situation? I all of a sudden lost all my strength in my right arm and dropped the box. It was then I found out how messed up my shoulder actually is 1. Anyone seeking specific orthopaedic advice or assistance should consult his or her orthopaedic surgeon, or locate one in your area through the AAOS Find an Orthopaedist program on this website. The tear may be a partial or full thickness tear. I don't know what exactly to do, or what my REALISTIC problem could be. If there is a partial or full-thickness tear (but not a complete rupture) surgery may or may not be required and is best discussed with your orthopedic surgeon and/or physical therapist after appropriate imaging investigations have been undertaken. I am now off again to another specialist as the 2nd opinion specialist said there was not much he could do to improve the situation! If they repair the tendon surgically, this will probably involve wearing a sling and not using that shoulder actively for at least 4-6 weeks and then quite slow gradual progression for the weeks / months after that. Good luck with it! Decided to see ortho who ordered an MRi last week. Re-attaching the tendon to the bone as you have described is a substantial surgery, the first months of recovery after this type of surgery are very important to ensure that the tendon does not detach / rupture and optimal recovery can occur. I will congratulate you on actually doing your exercises! Exercise is important for many reasons (not the least of which are physical and mental health benefits). Methods: Between 1995 and 1999, 139 full arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs were performed; 37 were repairs of full-thickness supraspinatus tears. Then follow up by asking him about any risks associated with the surgery in your particular case (your surgeon should know your particular circumstances in detail and be able to provide you with specific advice about options available to you). make sure you do it some place where anesthesiawill do an interscalene block for post op pain relief. They do reveal most substantial soft tissue injuries, but they are only as useful as the person interpreting them is skilled. A supraspinatus tear is a tear or rupture of the tendon of the supraspinatus muscle, which is located at the back of the shoulder. I have continued to have problems with my arm and initially was told that I had a partial tear of my rotator cuff. The reverse shoulder surgery is extremely involved so I am getting a second opinion. In physio just weeks after the onset of injury, I was unable to lift a 1lb weight with the injured arm bent near armpit while lying on my back. Don't even think you won't need help, because you'll need help with even the most basic daily tasks. In 9 of the 24 the tear was smaller. I just received my MRI report which states : supraspinatus tendon is thickened and immediate in signal, with a small 3mm (transverse) x 3mm (AP) full thickness footplate tear. Arthroscopy 1994;10(5):518-523. But shoulder exercises from now until I die. I am sure lots of people would like to hear how it turns out for you. I'm not really sure how the whole army doctor situation works while you are on deployment, but I think if you have ongoing symptoms then it is worth making sure the appropriate people know. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. So my tear went from a near full thickness tear to a full thickness tear. Sometimes in cases like this your surgeon may want to try an injection. Sleeping on my right side became impossible. Good luck with it. I got a recent MRI which showed a full width/ thickness supraspinatus tendon tear. I see this is true of SSGtomn who has left a comment already. Thanks. I. report .This happen 9 weeks ago , my shoulder is still sores I am going for phisio, messages and still no progess,does that mean I will need surgery,or will it heel by it self. there is a small full thickness insertional tear identified relating to the posterior supraspinatus. If your tendon were to completely rupture while you were pregnant, this may be very problematic. Good luck with it and I hope you are feeling pain free sooner rather than later. If not then, your surgeon will be able to give the likely benefits, risks and recovery time following surgery. You should not feel pain in the shoulder during the movement. @anonymous: Hi Vicki, I'm glad the information was useful to you. Some things to consider when you are discussing your options with a surgeon is the length of recovery time following surgery (likely to be months), consider time to return to work (also consider whether it it possible for you to return to light duties at work). Good luck! Supraspinatus is the most commonly injured rotator cuff tendon. There are other things your physical therapist may be able to help you with to give you some relief in the short term. )full thickness tear of supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons both have retracted past glenoid process 2.) Most of the time, it is accompanied by another rotator cuff muscle tear. When the supraspinatus tendon is torn but not completely ruptured, usually a period of conservative management with a physical therapy program will be trialed rather than rushing into surgery. I had subacromial decompression February 2010 a year after a motor vehicle injury (I am currently a 34 year old female). Good luck! Family is important, and I would not encourage people to discard their advice or offend their family and friends, but definitely weigh up advice on its merit. If in doubt call your surgeons office. >5cm), depth (partial or full thickness), degree of fatty infiltration (Goutallier. When I went in, he told me that after looking at my MRI, he did not think that anything was necessary, and instead wanted me to go back into physical therapy and continue to get steroid injection treatments. I started adding exercise back in to my life a couple of months ago and what had been intermittent pain has once again become fairly continual. The four muscles supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis and teres minor originate from the scapula (shoulder blade). The supraspinatus is one of the four muscles that make up the rotator cuff group of muscles. or should you just ask for their opinion with no outside information> Thanks Judy. Thanks to my hubby for finding this site. They can then make a diagnosis and begin treatment. There is compromise of the subacromial space with impression on the underlying torn supraspinatus. The process of recovery is different depending on a number of factors including the cause, severity and location of the tear, the biomechanics of the affected shoulder, the age of the individual just to name a few. The anterior band of the supraspinatus (most common tear location) is an agonist to external rotation. Either way, don't be afraid to ask your surgeon lots of questions (likelihood of success in your case, what will happen after surgery, recovery time-frames etc.). Unless the shoulder is actually dislocated at the time of the x-ray, or there is a noticeable bone abnormality (chipped or broken bone, bone spur that is visible on x-ray etc. I have continued to have problems with my arm and initially was told that I had a partial tear of my rotator cuff. Sorry for the delay in response. 1 Supraspinatus Rupture causes microscopic tear, major tear and dislocation from its attachment to humerus and scapula. This likely represents extension of an existing tear. Glenohumeral joint effusion and finding may signify capsulosynovitis or perhaps capsular strain. As I said been dealing with this for about nine months and in that time have run the gamut of treatment. So in other words, tendinosis is the condition and one of the rotator cuff tendons is probably the structure that was affected. What does he mean by my tendon is failing? massive cuff tears. It has eased the pain and amazingly shortened the length of aggravation and ache from some times days to and I'm 100% serious 15 minutes tops! Like Helpful Hug REPLY First, sorry for the delay in response. I was an elite athlete most of my life and have accepted that I will no longer be able to return to my sport 100%. You don't need to lean over as far as demonstrated in this video. For most people, it is usually preferable to lean on a bench or table rather than the seat of a chair. I can reach behind my back ok. If the ball is popping out of the joint (dislocating), then that is a major concern (but this usually doesn't occur without trauma)! In the interim, physio, chiro, massage, taping were part of my pain management and ROM for all pain sites relating to MVA. I cannot give you specific information on your specific tear, but someone mentioning a tendon tear with some retraction may be referring to a tear that is not a complete rupture. There are many sub-types of SLAP tears and varying severity. Advertisement. I am 67 years old and am an artist and my left arm which is the one in question is my dominate arm. Supraspinatus tear can be caused by lifting something too heavy, falling on your arm, or dislocating your shoulder. Drugs, supplements, and natural remedies may have dangerous side effects. 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