Thanks Physiobob - I'll suggest this to my physio. I might even see if he knows about this forum - it seems like a good resource for physio's looking for a place to share & bounce off ideas.

You're right about the ER photo while I was under genreal anaesthetic - when he showed me this and said he achieved 70 deg I felt it was quite disingenuous, which is partly why changed surgeons soon after.

The only other thing I find odd about my situation is that the physio & surgeon both seem to expect me to feel a "tightness" at the front of the shoulder when at the end of my external rotation, but I feel almost nothing when mobilising except a pain down the front of my bicep (almost to my elbow). If I (or the physio) push it quite hard this pain becomes very sharp. The pain doesn't seem to remain afterwards. I'm told this is referred pain, but could it be something else?