What I Learned from My Rotator Cuff Surgery

In a recent blog post, I wrote about my then-upcoming rotator cuff surgery.

Now, the surgery is over and the long and boring recovery has begun.

What lessons has this experience reinforced? Several jump out for sure.

I understand even more what my clients are experiencing, and it has reinvigorated my empathy for people in pain.

This has also made me understand the importance of checking in with people to see how they are doing. Often, they just want to talk about their experience, how they are feeling, and are just bored, so even talking to a lawyer isn’t so bad.

And finally, this has reminded me yet again of how physical therapists are supremely underrated.

The Surgery

October 1st, I had my right supraspinatus tear (the front part of the shoulder) repaired. I volunteered to be part of a study, so there is a graft from a cadaver in there to reinforce the repair. I woke up to find out that, rather than an AC joint impingement, I had “frozen shoulder,” medically known as adhesive capsulitis.

Because I injured it in early March and was diagnosed in April, waiting until October to get it repaired was stupid of me and I knew it. But stupid me insisted on competing in bike time trials all summer, despite being in so much pain I never slept more than an hour at a time. Hence, the frozen shoulder occurred when the pain prevented me from using my shoulder in many movements.

The treatment for this is, of course, more physical therapy.

Post Surgery

I woke up in a sling with my entire right arm numb from the nerve block. I listened to my wife and my doctor and took the pain medication the first couple of days.

Pain meds simply don’t do anything for me. They never have. I don’t get sleepy, I don’t get relaxed, I don’t like them. By day 3, I was off them. My pain didn’t exist. If anything, it was better than pre-surgery already.

By day 2, I was already doing home therapy. Simple movements, essentially using gravity to let my arm out of the sling and hang down, spin around using gravity and my body (not my arm muscles!). Also, ball squeezing and hand lifts off the table with my elbow stable. Next to impossible at first, this improved daily bit by bit. I also was allowed to take walks with my wife and dog. But no bike riding.

I’m big on stretching, so I was pleased to be able to continue with my morning routine, including being able to do the splits using only my left arm.

After a few more days, I started doing some light core work (seated in a chair at first, later even got to one-arm planks), and one-arm squats. By now, I’m even working out on my left side a bit and doing more weight on the squats. By the time you read this, I’ll be riding, albeit indoors.

Did I mention that for the first two weeks I was in a sling 24/7 including sleeping? Or that I had to sleep at an extreme slant? Or that I could not bathe myself at all. My wife, also a saint apparently, had to cover my wounds with saran wrap, bathe me, dry me, and do some things I hadn’t even contemplated, like flossing my teeth. Yes, there are some devices that allow one armed flossing, but I have a significant bridge on my bottom jaw and it requires a threading device. While I can thread it one-handed, I can’t pull it back and forth, meaning that Beth remains the dental hygienist for the moment.

I’m right-hand dominant. Even attaching the dog’s leash to her collar is difficult for me to do with my left hand. I can’t text with my left hand. I need my right hand put on my glasses, brush my teeth, shave, and tie my shoes.

I have had to learn to shave left-handed (I HAD to. I’ve tried a beard a few times and my sensitive skin makes me want to tear my face off by about day 5-10!). Until this week (third week), I had to use a right-handed ergonomic mouse with my left hand. And I learned to type left-handed. All were as disconcerting as driving in the UK, on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road. Weird and uncoordinated!

Physical Therapy

The physical therapy for a rotator cuff is pretty darn boring and tedious. For the first few weeks, about all you can do is have your physical therapist move the arm passively. You are not allowed to (nor could you) move your arm using your muscles. Just being able to tie my own shorts drawstring took quite awhile. I am now able to tie both my own shoes and shorts. But I’m not allowed to drive yet.

Which means that my poor wife had to deal with the dog, the cat, driving me to and from physical therapy, as well as keep the house up, and, oh yeah, perform her demanding job.

Slowly, I’m improving to the point where I now can take my sling off for periods of time and type using two hands (as long as my right arm is supported on the armrest), and I’ve even figured out ways to vacuum, dust, and clean bathrooms one-handed.

I always figured physical therapy was a run-of-the-mill profession until recently. Boy, was I wrong. Did you know PTs have masters degrees? They actually do know a lot about what you are going through and how to fix it. I trust mine completely. They listen and modify things depending on my feedback and goals.

I know I have months and months to go. But yesterday at PT, they let me ride the bike for 6 minutes. I felt fine and my shoulder didn’t bother me. This means by this weekend I’ll be hitting my Peloton! Slow, small steps.

Takeaways

• Shoulder surgery rehab is tedious, boring, and slow.
• You cannot do your own thing or disregard the doctor’s instructions. You have to give things time to heal and let the physical therapists get your range of motion back gradually.
• Losing your independence and ability to perform daily activities without help can open your eyes to empathy for injured people and their caretakers.

Contact Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Stephen Hoffman

As in all cases involving injury, dog bites or injuries, workers’ compensation, medical malpractice, or other injury and potential liability, if you have been hit by a vehicle immediately get medical treatment, report the crash to police and your own insurance company, and contact a lawyer with expertise in your type of case, such as bicycle accidents or pedestrians hit by cars.

If you've been in an accident and have questions, contact Chicago personal injury attorney Stephen L. Hoffman for a free consultation at (773) 944-9737. Stephen has nearly 30 years of legal experience and has collected millions of dollars for his clients. He is listed as a SuperLawyer, has a 10.0 rating on Avvo, and is BBB A+ accredited. He is also an Executive Level Member of the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce.

Stephen handles personal injury claims on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay anything up front, and he only gets paid if you do. Don’t wait another day; contact Stephen now.