I’m getting a shoulder MRI (with dye) next Thursday. Went to an Ortho yesterday and he says it’s concerning enough to perform one. My symptoms are pretty mild and I don’t believe I tore anything. Or is it one of those injuries where you don’t know until you go in to look at it and you are asymptomatic with just mild irritation with overhead use. Pushups and pull-ups give me sharp pain around the head of the deltoid, the pain doesn’t appear to be at the cuff, but almost at the inside, so it is probably the labrum.

If you’ve had a labral tear, what were your actual symptoms. It kills me to have to wait til Thursday to do this. I am nervous that I may have torn something.

Even with the slightest tear, I read that surgery is not required that is what I read. And that is what I hope.

9/3/2010 12:54:43 PM

lol, this is awfully coincidental as I'm having surgery next Wednesday to repair a labrum tear in my left shoulder.

To reply to your post: I've had minor pain in my shoulder over the years, mostly when lifting something overhead repeatedly. I started hitting the gym again pretty hard towards the end of last year and noticed that there were some exercises I could bare do (or not at all) without pain in my left shoulder. If lifting something overhead or lifting something heavy while my arm is fully extended to the side I would feel a sharp pain in my shoulder. I tried to avoid exercises that brought this pain on, but it started to hurt more and more in other exercises and I guess I aggrivated it enough sometimes that it would hurt as a dull pain after doing stuff like driving a car for a few hours. The dull pain just generally hurt all over my shoulder. Whenever I felt a sharp pain it was at the edge of my shoulder, just about on my arm where the bicep meets the shoulder muscle. It didn't bother me when I went skiing last winter but after the season ended I went to an orthopaedist to figure it out.

After Xrays showed nothing and a cortisone shot didn't work (was thought to be an inflammed rotator cuff initially) I had an MRI done (with the dye) and the diagnosis was torn labrum cartilage. I visisted two surgeons (got a 2nd opinion) and both told me the only way to fix it (and get the pain to go away) is to have surgery. They said it wasn't necessary and I did not need surgery but if I wanted proper shoulder function and no pain it's a must. I'm not sure what you mean by "surgery is not required" but if you want everything fixed you need it. The cartilage will not heal on it's own.

I have good insurance and I've had orthopaedic surgery before so I decided to get it taken care of. I'm not getting any younger, and the younger you are the easier it is to recover from these things. So I enjoyed my summer and scheduled surgery for September 8th. It's a very easy surgery and only takes an hour. Not very invasive (2-3 small incisions) at all being arthroscopic. The bitch of it is afterwards keeping your arm in a sling for 4-6 weeks.

If you plan on being physically active for your whole life I can't think of any reason not to get the procedure done. If you don't have good insurance, sit on it till you do.

[Edited on September 3, 2010 at 1:55 PM. Reason : e]

9/3/2010 1:53:27 PM

A guy I used to lift weights with tore his labrum, had surgery, was out for a couple of months recovering, and then got back to working out with weights. He was obviously weak at first, but now he is about 1.5X stonger than he ever was. That pain, even subtle, was holding him back and it is amazing now to see how much stronger he is.

9/3/2010 2:42:20 PM

I have a labral tear in both my shoulders. The right one I had surgery on three years ago and, funny enough, I just saw the orthopedic surgeon today about scheduling surgery on my left shoulder for december.

My shoulders dislocated easily & the range of motion I had was much greater than an ordinary person. For my right shoulder I could no longer throw a baseball without separating & it felt loose.

The surgery itself was a breeze, done in two hours and then you're home chilling out on a Vicodin buzz. It took about 1.5 months for me to raise my arm above my shoulder & in four months I was rock climbing again.

9/3/2010 2:51:54 PM

Sounds like I need to move up my MRI ASAP. I can’t wait.

I have pain when arm is fully extended even with a 5lbs dumbbell during lateral and front raises to the shoulder, not above. When reaching for something, my shoulder feels unstable, almost have to pause for a moment until it felt stable before a full reach. I think that’s what the term “catching” of the shoulder means?

I can do overhead squats with dull pain as long as my shoulders remain up and no repeated up and down motions overhead.

The overall dull pain is also at the head of my shoulder. With overhead activity or presses( pushup and pull-ups) the pain starts near the biceps and radiates to the head of my shoulder.

Being out for 2 months sounds awful. But if that’s what it takes…I’m also pretty young, so it may not even take 2 months.


But sounds like it's minor non-invasive procedure so Im not that concerned.

9/3/2010 3:22:59 PM

Quote :

"I have pain when arm is fully extended even with a 5lbs dumbbell during lateral and front raises to the shoulder"

Yeah that would hurt for me as well. The pain thing is odd. I can do chin-ups and pull-ups with no pain at all. Pulling up is fine, but pushing up hurts. Go figure.

The schedule I was told was 4-6 weeks arm in a sling, with PT starting after 3 weeks or so. Something like 4-5 months until I'm able to do something as physically active as skiing. The hardest part is the beginning, b/c you shouldn't drive at all as long as you're in the sling. A month of not being able to drive is a real PITA. And think about how hard it'll be to dress yourself without being able to lift one arm over your head (hello exclusive use of button down shirts...)

[Edited on September 3, 2010 at 3:53 PM. Reason : k]

9/3/2010 3:52:35 PM

It's my left shoulder! I'm right handed! Good thing huh?

Man, I don't know if I should be angry or happy or relieved.

Fitness is part of my lifestyle, I realize injuries come with the territory now matter how careful you are.

I irritated mine was well from repeated overhead use.

9/3/2010 4:05:00 PM

It is well worth it, nothing sucks like worrying about whether your shoulder will stay in place or having pain prevent you from doing what you want. I have my surgery during off season kinda between when I can climb & the skiing isn't so great. It is a little down time but I could run shortly after the surgery. Weight lifting might take a bit longer ; /

9/3/2010 4:59:35 PM

So this injury can be pretty deceiving then? All along I thought it was a deltoid or biceps tendon strain. I didn’t do any lifting for 3.5 weeks and it never went away, so I thought, this doesn’t seem right, a Grade 1 strain shouldn’t take this long.

9/3/2010 5:10:51 PM

I had a bancart/bankart (spelling?) tear in my shoulder after playing rugby, not a complete tear, just some 'tearing'. Someones knee caught my shoulder perfectly and just popped it out (dislocation).

I was in a sling for 2-3 weeks. It was functional after the injury but really hurt like a @$#* when I raised it above shoulder height. Had some random shooting pains for about 2 weeks afterwards, was rather nasty stuff. It took about 3 months until I could go back in the gym and lift hard; though it was likely 4 months before I could lift without it bothering me.

Its totally functional now in an up/down sense, but, my good arm can reach behind my back and scratch my shoulder blades, something my bad one cant do, or come close to.

Your description of the pain sounds right, mine hurt right at the joint, felt pretty deep inside. I forgot the doctor I saw, but it was over at Wake (is that right? I moved out of the area about 2 years ago).

9/3/2010 7:16:38 PM

What does bicep soreness have anything to do with the labrum! So weird. Can anyone explain this? I know they're all connected, but there's gotta be a more eloquent explaination.

9/3/2010 11:01:18 PM

It beats the hell out of me. But I've been to see two surgeons and they both agree it's a labrum tear, even though the pain almost seems like it's on my arm and not my shoulder.

9/4/2010 12:50:22 AM

I'm a girl. How am I going to clasp my bra!

9/4/2010 5:09:29 PM

Ask a neighbor.
No lie.
Sometimes they work out.

(Back in May, I sliced the hell out of my hand. Ran to the only neighbors who where home at the time, for a ride to get some stitches. When I went back to grab my insurance card, I also grabbed a bra. This neighbor OFFERED to help me put it on, explaining that she'd had three shoulder surgeries, and was the only female in her family. She sympathized completely )

9/4/2010 6:27:44 PM

^^where do you live? Perhaps I can help

9/6/2010 9:40:32 PM

My boyfriend helps me with mine, usually it's only taking it off though. One day I will probably have to get this surgery.

9/6/2010 10:01:33 PM

^huh? You tear is so bad that you can't take off your bra without some help?

9/6/2010 10:04:05 PM

Sometimes, usually after working all day in a restaurant, I can't reach behind my back. I believe that some of the pain comes from my muscles trying to stabilize my shoulder. I usually try to avoid reaching up and I wouldn't dream of doing a pull up. >_< Mine will sublux pretty easily and that's after doing a few months of PT. I haven't had an MRI or anything, but it doesn't look good.


[Edited on September 6, 2010 at 10:10 PM. Reason : moar]

9/6/2010 10:07:17 PM

Unless you have crap insurance why can't you get this done..like ASAP?

(or at least get the MRI?)

9/6/2010 10:17:23 PM

because I currently have short-term insurance and they don't give a shit about my shoulder problems. Luckily, I'm tuff

I've grown accustom to my limitations. My shoulder only hurts like hell now because I got too excited when we scored during the football game.

9/6/2010 10:20:50 PM

At the least then you should get an MRI to determine what's wrong. I doubt you want to deal with the long term repercussions of a fucked up shoulder when you're 50 if you could have fixed it now.

9/6/2010 10:23:38 PM

yeah, I'll get it looked at as soon as I have real insurance again.

9/6/2010 10:25:15 PM

I tore mine about 10 years ago along with a dislocated shoulder and some other damage. I waited about 8 years before I got it repaired(I popped my shoulder back into place as soon as it happened). Its been about 2 years since surgery. I've gone through 2 PTs and a few follow ups with the orthopedic but something is still messed up. I'm going to get a second opinion in the next few weeks to see whats going on.

9/6/2010 10:52:05 PM

Still waiting for result
Must be a busy day at the office.

9/10/2010 4:38:30 PM

Sorry to hear that, hopefully you'll get results on Monday.

I had my surgery 3 days ago and my tear turned out to be worse than the MRI revealed. The tear was over 180 degrees and required 5 bone anchor screws. I also had some minor damage to the ball cartilage that will hopefully be fixed by some micro-fractures. I'll probably be in this sling 5 weeks or so. Doc said probably 4-5 months to regain full ROM

Interestingly I was not fully unconscious during surgery. I was heavily sedated and had a nerve block, but not general anesthesia. Regardless, I didn't remember a thing.

9/10/2010 11:34:23 PM

Sounds awful! How's your pain right now? And adjusting to normal routines?

9/11/2010 12:23:45 AM

After the nerve block wore off it was pretty severe. However 2 percocets every 4 hours took care of that. A few days later I'm down to 1 every 4 hrs.

As far as routine stuff, it's a real pain to put clothes on. For shirts I'm wearing sleeveless gym shirts and button-down shirts. Taking showers you need to keep the shoulder mostly dry. I'm eating food that requires only one hand. Reading a book or typing on the computer is tough (I'm posting this from my iPhone).

Otherwise, no real physical activity or work for weeks.

9/11/2010 12:18:44 PM

Quote :

"Taking showers you need to keep the shoulder mostly dry. "

After my knee surgery (ACL reconstruction) in order to do that we wrapped it up in a garbage bag and taped it to my skin to seal it around the wrappings. Harder to do with a shoulder obviously, but its a thought.

9/11/2010 7:38:09 PM

After my ACL I wrapped my knee in saran wrap. That worked pretty well. GL doing that on the shoulder though

9/11/2010 8:33:01 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LshMf02FXaM

That has to be like a really bad case thogh...look at it, it's swimming!!!

Just preparing myself for the bad news that all....

9/11/2010 8:43:53 PM

my doctor said when i go in to see him Wednesday he'll show me video footage from my surgery

9/11/2010 10:15:53 PM

I have a labral tear in my hip that i've ignored for like a year... sometimes it hurts like a bitch, but unfortunately the surgery is really freaking complicated, and rarely done... i wish it was my shoulder instead

9/12/2010 4:41:08 PM

GOOD NEWS. No labral tear.

MRI showed a partial thickness supraspinatus tear on the bursal side. The supraspinatus is one of the cuff muscles I believe. Ortho says 1 month of PT and if that doesn’t work will try cortisone shot.

9/15/2010 10:35:35 AM

Congrats, I'm happy for you that it's something minor!

Though I must say if it was me I'd just get the shot. Of course I don't know how you feel about big needles.

9/17/2010 12:25:11 AM

Congrats!...for now

bmel had the exact same treatment, being a month or two of PT and then she got a cortisone shot followed by more therapy. She likely needs surgery to fix it, but she's also managed to dislocate it a bunch and it dislocates easily.

Definitely sounds like your shoulder issue isn't that bad, so hopefully it works itself out

[Edited on September 17, 2010 at 2:05 AM. Reason : no pun intended]

9/17/2010 2:04:38 AM

TKE- How do you wipe?

9/18/2010 1:22:57 AM

I know very little about shoulder anatomy, but what could be the cause of shoulder pain long term, specifically when I lay down in the wrong position - on my side with outstretched arm, similar to this:



I wonder if I hurt it playing disc golf or something, but in the wrong position it can have pretty sharp pain. Any ideas?

[Edited on September 18, 2010 at 2:09 AM. Reason : sry for lame pic, best i could find quickly]

9/18/2010 2:09:30 AM

Yeah, I had a labral tear in addition to a whole bunch of other stuff wrong with mine (ligament damage, pass through tear, impact fracture) when I finally had it repaired a couple of years ago. Fortunately I had been out of commission so many times from multiple shoulder injuries that wiping, brushing my teeth, eating, etc. were easy enough left handed. The nerve block and sedation are definitely weird, I had mine the same way... last thing I remember is the Doc moving my arm around and him saying something to the nurse about, "yup, that's really unstable look how easily it subluxes." A few hours later I'm back home trying to sleep in my recliner with my mom stuffing opiates down my throat every few hours.

I was out of work for a full 12 weeks, didn't really regain full ROM or strength until a few months after that. The main thing I stress to anybody I know who has joint damage or surgery is to do everything they tell you to do with PT at home. It makes a HUGE difference.

9/18/2010 9:20:26 AM

I tore my labrum in my right shoulder when I was a sophomore in high school (10 years ago) and never had it repaired. I can still tell it's not totally full strength, but it doesn't really bother me anymore when I'm lifting weights, playing sports, etc. I think I got pretty lucky.

9/18/2010 12:59:18 PM

I think I messed up my shoulder 2 weeks back during a beach trip ... went skimboarding ... for the first time (dont recommend it if you are 6foot4 like me) ... needless to say, the first time I tried to ride my feet went out from under me, and I fell with great quickness sort of on my right side ...

When lifting my arm from beside me(pointed down), with arm straight, to a point where it is pointed up, I get a sharp pain as it gets almost straight. Also hurts when I try to scratch using either method (over the shoulder and under the shoulder).

Not sure what I did, but its definitely messed up.

9/18/2010 1:41:20 PM

Rotator cuff.

9/18/2010 1:43:43 PM

^^^Honestly, you should really bite the bullet and get it repaired...or at the least get an MRI and have it evaluated. My doctor told me I probably injured my shoulder back when I was in high school and it didn't start bothering me till I got older (29/30). I can promise you that it will hurt when you get older. If you need surgery, do it when you're young; it's so much easier.

^^I had that exact pain with my shoulder.

^I was originally diagnosed as having an inflamed rotator cuff.

Quote :

"TKE- How do you wipe?"

Hmm? Do you use two hands to wipe?

Some arthroscopic photos for your enjoyment:

initial tear


sutures sewn


[Edited on September 18, 2010 at 5:39 PM. Reason : tada!]

9/18/2010 5:35:07 PM

DAMN.

Well I am hoping this clicking behind my left shoulder stops. I'm on Mobic for mild bursitis as well.

Shoulder pathology is fucking complicated, so many muscles involved.

9/19/2010 1:40:44 AM