WalkedUp Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 I injured my right shoulder in October. I carried on shooting all season despite the injury, with a prescription of sloe gin to ease the pain. Glad it was my right shoulder as that does a lot less work when swinging a gun. However as it still hasn’t healed at all and as I can’t move my arm much or swim I went to the GP yesterday. It was diagnosed as a rotator cuff tear, so I’ve been given a referral for physio and course of steroid injections into the shoulder. However the timescales for healing she suggested were 6 months up to a year, and it may not work. Is it worth going privately for a scan or is that a waste of cash to be told the same? Basically I want a quick fix, with minimal trips back to the hospital to avoid losing so much work time (self employed). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgsontour Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 I've had a few injuries along the way and have managed to avoid yours, however, these type of injuries all need a balance between rest and physio, which I can tell you for sure messes with day to day life and the mind. A wise old doctor once told me, medicine and medical technology has advanced leaps and bounds for decades but no-one told mother nature and she still takes the same amount of time to heal the body as she did in the stone age. Personally you have a fair diagnosis and prognosis so I would work with that for the moment, there are loads of self help videos on youtube and plenty of decent books written by professionals on your injury so forget the private scan and invest in a quality self help book, it avoids trips, appointments and frustration. Remember you have one patient to deal with, doctors have hundreds so use common sense, when it hurts do less when it's good do more. Get yourself a solid base dosage or paracetamol and you will be surprised how effective it is if taken regularly ( use sloe gin for the acute pain ) Hot water bottles are soothing and nice. Maybe you have a sports massage professional near you that will have dealt with many tears/ruptures if they are experienced. Good luck sir Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobbyathome Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 I have just had the same injury but also a separated collarbone from the shoulder from a motorcycle accident the doctors have told me the same timescale without the injections they said plenty of physio to be honest when you have had a few physio goes you can do them yourself all the time so no need to take time off work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derbyduck Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 I've had the same problem and after a scan was referred to physio , the exercise do help and I was doing well till I tripped and landed on my forearm shoving my should back again, the physio gave me the once over and said carry on with the exercise it takes time , good luck . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob85 Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 When they say rotator cuff tear they need to be more specific, your rotator cuff is not a separate thing in itself, its a collection of 4 muscles.... Infraspinatus, Subscapularis, Supraspinatus and the Teres Minor. They need to explain which muscle the main issue is with so you can try to isolate it and help it heal. Does take a while to work with it though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow Bear Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 (edited) Sadly I do not think there is a "quick fix". I tried to ignore mine but it got progressively worse as you have discovered. Limited physio and injections made a difference for a few years and the physio and jabs became more regular , but the enforced reduction in extreme use caused by lockdown 1 improved it so that day to day activities were no problem. The mistake I made was to shoot a 50 bird clay day in December 20 and was back to square one only worse. In March 21 I finally got to see a specialist and the prognosis was not good, 18 month wait and only a 30% chance of full recovery after a further 12 months. At that point I called it quits with the shotgun and within a couple of months no major problems as long as I avoid certain activities. As an addition The specialists have said is to avoid activities like swimming, tennis and golf which all increase rotation. Edited March 3, 2022 by Yellow Bear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 I haven't had a shoulder injury that serious but I did have a bad frozen shoulder a while back , it got to the stage where I dropped my gun while taking a overhead shot and it felt like an electric shock had gone down my arm , at the time it was easy to see a doctor and he made the appointment to go to the hospital for a scan , at the hospital they told me it would take roughly six months to reach it's peak , six months staying in that condition and roughly six months to get better with the help of phisio treatment , after several visits to the hospital where I had to pull weights up and down from a pulley it finally got better, apart from many other aches and pains from other areas of the body ( age related ) my shoulder was never no more of a problem . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raw and wriggley Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 1 hour ago, nobbyathome said: I have just had the same injury but also a separated collarbone from the shoulder from a motorcycle accident the doctors have told me the same timescale without the injections they said plenty of physio to be honest when you have had a few physio goes you can do them yourself all the time so no need to take time off work Same as this had a grade 4 dislocation had an operation and three months off work.sooner you get a physio looking at it the better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow white Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 I have dislocated both my shoulders over the last 4 years and the only thing that helps me is a pulley rig I made with two handles and I use that once a day to relieve the pain as tablets don’t work it’s something I have to live with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lampwick Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 I’ve been living with mine for years! it’s a flipping pain at times, especially in the middle of the night when I can’t get comfortable. Had the jabs and physio but still mange to upset it again and back to the start!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raja Clavata Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 6 hours ago, Rob85 said: When they say rotator cuff tear they need to be more specific, your rotator cuff is not a separate thing in itself, its a collection of 4 muscles.... Infraspinatus, Subscapularis, Supraspinatus and the Teres Minor. They need to explain which muscle the main issue is with so you can try to isolate it and help it heal. Does take a while to work with it though Good post. I had impingement of the supraspinatus that the injections didn't touch, was due to have key hole surgery to address but managed to shatter the clavicle on the other shoulder just before the op. That put pay to the hundreds of push-ups I was previously doing per week which contributed to the RC and I've not really had problems with it since. To the OP - I'd definitely look at going private. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.T Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 I had a similar problem with my rotator cuff, fortunately I had BUPA with my job and had a scan, same diagnosis as the GP gave, so if you have to pay for the scan I wouldn’t bother. The exercises do work but it isn’t a quick recovery ( well not for me) 6 - 9 months Good luck hop you have a quick recovery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minky Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 (edited) I'm surptised at the total lack of sensible medical intervention for the problems that you guys have. I've been through all of this. I was given the physio... waste of time and doing more damage.....cortisone injections... gave relief for about 3 months before next shot, BUT again it is doing more damage. The doctor was more than happy to keep injecting me. Eventually a Belgian woman doctor physio saw me and went mad at the treatment that I had received. She sent me for an MRi scan which showed the damage to the tendon and I was sent for a repair operation to stitch the tendon and refix it to the bone. She said that if the type of treatment that I had received were to carry on the operation would have been a lot more dificult and it would have been like trying to refix a lump of tattered rag. This sort of treatment is disgraceful. . like giving someone a pair of ear defenders when they've got a flat tyre. Take no notice and kèep driving.!!! I ended up having a two hour operation under General anaesthetic. About six weeks out of action.... not able to operate arm at all. I would have been able to drive but I couldn't even get my arm to move to operate the gear stick. After nine weeks I was shooting clays again. Before the operation I could only lift my arm to horizontal. After the op and about 9 months I could lift arm to above head to the sky and regained muscle power. there is no way to get round a proper repair and healing time inconvienient though it might be. Ignoring the injury or getting quack medical treatment will only make the injury worse qnd make lo g term injury happen. By doing physio and camoflaging the problem wisith cortisone is just prolonging the injury a d making it a lot worse with a longer period out of action. I know how difficult this could be in regard to the self employed and with prices of everything on the rise it isn't easy but ignoring this is only going to get worse with even more time out. Edited March 3, 2022 by Minky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted March 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 Thanks for all the replies, interesting reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricko Posted March 4, 2022 Report Share Posted March 4, 2022 Happened to me a number of years ago, never really healed properly. This coupled with tendonitis and early onset arthritis all in my righ shoulder means that I don't shhot as much these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minky Posted March 4, 2022 Report Share Posted March 4, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, Ricko said: Happened to me a number of years ago, never really healed properly. This coupled with tendonitis and early onset arthritis all in my righ shoulder means that I don't shhot as much these days. As I wrote. Physio and cortisone injections is akin to giving someone a pair of ear defenders when their car has a flat tyre. All you end up with is not a simple puncture repair but a tyre like a tattered rag and a wheel that is bent and buckled. Some doctors palm you off because it comes out of their budget. What do you get out of this.? ............ Quote from previous .....never really healed properly. This coupled with tendonitis and early onset arthritis all in my righ shoulder means that I don't shhot as much these days. Edited March 4, 2022 by Minky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team tractor Posted March 4, 2022 Report Share Posted March 4, 2022 I came off my bike 4 months ago and mines just not right . My chiropractor says it’s ligaments in the rota cuff area but it’s getting me down as he’s told me not to weight train at all. I did my right rota cuff 10 years ago when I rolled my van . That healed within months tho. maybe it’s because I’m older . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted March 5, 2022 Report Share Posted March 5, 2022 9 hours ago, team tractor said: I came off my bike 4 months ago and mines just not right . My chiropractor says it’s ligaments in the rota cuff area but it’s getting me down as he’s told me not to weight train at all. I did my right rota cuff 10 years ago when I rolled my van . That healed within months tho. maybe it’s because I’m older . You have certainly had your share of medical mishaps TT , would it be easier to say what you haven't had rather than what you have had , I am sure it would be a lot quicker Hope you are on the mend and can now go a fair while without any more visits to A and E Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team tractor Posted March 5, 2022 Report Share Posted March 5, 2022 1 hour ago, marsh man said: You have certainly had your share of medical mishaps TT , would it be easier to say what you haven't had rather than what you have had , I am sure it would be a lot quicker Hope you are on the mend and can now go a fair while without any more visits to A and E I’m still riding gently . I snapped my crank arm riding down some steps recently tho. life’s funny 😆 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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