Has anyone had this procedure for an impingement that has progressed to damage the long head bicep tendon such that during the planned decompression the surgeon also performed a tenodesis?

For me the surgery involved subacromial decompression and complete ACJ resection, subacromial bursectomy, subscapularis repair and long head bicep tenodesis (secured with a small titanium button/screw I think).

The physio protocol I was given was for a rotator cuff repair, but I'm seeing very mixed recovery times in the different minor rotator cuff repair physio notes from 3 weeks to 6 weeks of restricted movement during the healing process. I was encouraged to come out of my sling at 3 weeks to begin using my arm, and at 6-8 weeks I could start driving and do gentle breast stroke. The hospital seemed to want me off tramadol/codeine within a few days, so the expectation seemed to be I shouldn't be in that much pain.

At nearly 6 weeks post op I'm up and down with pain and still on codeine regularly, I'm using the sling only when excessively painful or exhausting to get around without it, and although my physio routine is very light it causes a lot of stretching pain and obstruction (e.g. raising arm straight forward toward head using other arm it blocks about 90-100 deg and is painful). The exercises imply I should be able to lie flat with my arms straight by my ears on the floor.

To imagine lifting my arm to a steering wheel to drive now or within the next couple of weeks seems impossible. And swimming breakstroke also not possible, because I cannot raise my arm at unaided at all. When the arm is straight I can reach forward about half a foot from my waist, but the arm will not raise any further. I can bicep curl slowly without weight usually without pain, but it doesn't take long before activities cause pain in the bicep, and then upper and forearm, and even down to fingers.

I occasionally get intense pulsing pain deep within the shoulder for apparently no reason, but especially after physio and an unexpected jolt (which is to be expected).

Is this all normal? Is there a more realistic protocol for combination shoulder surgery?

I appreciate this is a waiting game, but I got the impression I should be a bit further on by now.

Similar Threads: