As someone who's going to the doctor next week to discuss potential shoulder surgery, this is timely.
I really need to figure out whether it's going to make things better or worse, but unfortunately, that feels like something a doctor can't guarantee one way or the other.
Any anecdotes or other experiences/thoughts are appreciated.
Read the Substack of Howard Luks, he's an orthopedic surgeon who has a lot of experience.
At the least I would heavily consider exhausting conservative treatment first. All but the worst tears can heal on their own, it just takes time and steady effort.
No matter what you choose to do, the adherence to rehab will determine your ultimate outcome.
What? No, tears do not 'heal on their own', that's completely wrong. Famously, labral tears of the shoulder and hip do not heal in the slightest without external surgery- even tiny ones.
That doesn't mean that surgery is always the appropriate treatment (I'm living with a shoulder labral tear that's untreated). But it is not even remotely true that tears heal on their own. Example, I just had an MRI on my tear, and the ortho said it looked exactly the same as the last MRI I had 8 years ago- no better, no worse
Labral tears however are also commonly asymptomatic and occur in a large fraction of athletes and people who train. I don't think surgerizing those is usually indicated.
jader201 · · focus · HN ↗
I really need to figure out whether it's going to make things better or worse, but unfortunately, that feels like something a doctor can't guarantee one way or the other.
Any anecdotes or other experiences/thoughts are appreciated.
zhivota · · focus · HN ↗
At the least I would heavily consider exhausting conservative treatment first. All but the worst tears can heal on their own, it just takes time and steady effort.
No matter what you choose to do, the adherence to rehab will determine your ultimate outcome.
hash872 · · focus · HN ↗
That doesn't mean that surgery is always the appropriate treatment (I'm living with a shoulder labral tear that's untreated). But it is not even remotely true that tears heal on their own. Example, I just had an MRI on my tear, and the ortho said it looked exactly the same as the last MRI I had 8 years ago- no better, no worse
oarfish · · focus · HN ↗