Interpretation: There is a focally retracted full thickness 1.2 x 1.2 cm tear of the supraspinatus tendon at its anterior attachment site on the humerus. Anyone seeking specific orthopaedic advice or assistance should consult his or her orthopaedic surgeon, or locate one in your area through the AAOS Find an Orthopaedist program on this website. Superior subluxation of the humeral head. The supraspinatus tendon is the tendon that is most commonly torn when people suffer a rotator cuff tear. Symptomatic full thickness rotator cuff tears can be managed surgically. In general terms of the types of MRI findings you have described, a combination of these types of pathology could require surgery; particularly if symptoms persisted after trying non-surgical interventions. I don't want to experience what you've gone through, but I'm currently deployed and am not getting treated. However, to date, I am not aware of any rigorous large-scale clinical trials that have demonstrated effectiveness (or otherwise) in humans. Does a full thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon need surgery? While I cannot comment on your specific case, I am not sure ART (Active Release Techniques) then PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) or Prolotherapy is the approach that is best supported by contemporary scientific evidence for the treatment of supraspinatus tendon tears (or any other rotator cuff tear tendon tear). coracoacromial ligament. Generally speaking, MRIs definitely help the surgeon to make a diagnosis and give them an idea of whether surgery will help. That is one of the reasons why surgeons will take a detailed history and conduct a physical examination to gather clinically relevant information. I do so appreciate the advice and direction you have given to myself and others through this posting. but unfortunately, the results were extremely minor. All material on this website is protected by copyright. Unfortunately I can't give you specific advice over the internet. I don't know what exactly to do, or what my REALISTIC problem could be. The radiomics model of no tears or tears achieved a high overall accuracy of 93.6%, sensitivity of 91.6%, and specificity of 95.2% for supraspinatus tendon tears. infraspinatus tendon had full-thickness tear . Since then, my pain has gotten to the point where its starting to take effect of my day to day life. Do not complete these exercises if they cause an increase in pain; instead, seek specific advice from an appropriately qualified professional such as a physical therapist or physician. I saw doctor initially who said physiotherapy will help it. (See Fig. Just be aware that even in the best cases, the recovery time following surgery requires months (not weeks) so if you go ahead with the surgery don't be discouraged if you still have some pain in the first weeks after the surgery. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I have been seeing an orthopedic doctor for the past 18 months. (MRI), demonstrating a full-thickness supraspinatus tear. Some general information that may be useful to know is that some people who have similar pathology to that which you have described end up having surgery while other do not. Visited many doctors and was always told it was nothing, the pain got unbearable and I saw yet another dr who was completely caught off guard my the loud pop my shoulder makes. Purpose: The objective of this study is to report on the complete arthroscopic repair of full-thickness tears of the supraspinatus.Type of Study: Prospective cohort study. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Always been natural. It will be your Godsend. The pain is mostly in neck and shoulder blade and collar. @anonymous: Hi Donna, I am sorry to hear about this trouble you are having with your shoulder. Then follow up by asking him about any risks associated with the surgery in your particular case (your surgeon should know your particular circumstances in detail and be able to provide you with specific advice about options available to you). Surgical repairs can be compromised when post-operative instructions are not followed, so if you have surgery make sure you know exactly what you should and should not do! In general, seeing your orthopedic specialist would be an important step, these types of injuries are not likely to allow you to recover to your normal level of work functioning anytime soon without some kind of treatment. Usually getting a second opinion is not a bad option if you are not confident that the first opinion is going to lead to the best outcome for you, but I expect that may well be impossible while you are still on deployment? An exercise or physical therapy program is necessary to regain strength and improve function in the shoulder. I don't lay on the side of the hurt arm as I don't think it will be good for it. If not what is this indictative of. Also now taking Tylenol 500 with5 hydrocodone. I checked into my local VA hospital and initiated my disability claim. Good luck! What little I have done has given me improvement. Without seeing the scan or conducting a physical examination, I can only offer some general comments in response. List of pain and limited mobility for about a week. While I can't give you specific advice over the internet, it sounds like you are doing a great job following the recommednations of your doctors. I just had an MRI I have a tiny, focal intratendon tear of the supraspinatus fibers at the humeral insertion measuring 2mm with minor impingement changes are noted in the greater tuberosity of the humerus. That way you can make an informed decision in consultation with advice from your doctor. Let us know how you go! If your surgeon does recommend surgery, be sure to ask about the likely recovery times and how long your arm movements will be restricted for. A full-thickness tear, which usually means the tendon is torn from its insertion on the humerus (the most common injury), is repaired directly to bone. is likely to be required if you want less shoulder pain. There are other things your physical therapist may be able to help you with to give you some relief in the short term. You are also right that many people often don't understand that you are not 'putting on an act'. If pain is being caused, then there may be a problem with technique or a lower intensity may be required. It's very good of you to reply so promptly and clearly though. I see this is true of SSGtomn who has left a comment already. Good luck with your next round of surgery or therapies! Am I destined for surgery in order to regain even 50% of what I've loss or should I try another round of prolotherapy? I wish you a speedy and full recovery. I am sorry I am unable to provide any specific advice over the internet without conducting a physical examination etc. Remaining tendons of the rotator cuff are normal in signal and morphology. Sleeping on my right side became impossible. The results are: full thickness cuff tear 2.3 cm AP involving supra spinets and a portion of infra spinets at distal critical zone and enthesis. The type of repair performed is based on the findings at surgery. They usually present as a sharp pain at the outside or front of the shoulder, particularly with arm elevation (raising the arm to the side or front). If you want any further clarification just post any follow up question. ROM hurts so I'm not sure. This will help you figure out what you are deciding between. Poorly defined large full-thickness tear of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendon measuring at least 2 cm in anteroposterior dimension. Although the presence of a small tear visible on an MRI does not always mean that is the problem causing your shoulder pain. Good luck! have got bursal thickening as well and mild thickening of. I'm not sure whether the doctor you mentioned is a family physician / general practitioner or an orthopedic consultant / surgeon. Here I am 5 days post op. There is fluid distending the long head of the biceps tendon sheath, representing tenosynovitis. They can then make a diagnosis and begin treatment. 3. Productive acromioclavicular joint changes are associated with an anterolaterally down sloping type II acromial configuration. I maybe take a few Advil a week with no loss of function at all. If you give PT a go, make sure you follow their instructions and specific techniques for the exercises they give you (most likely to strengthen your rotator cuff). She did an MRI and said it was tendonosis, and suggested PT. The tendon that seems to be most commonly affected is the supraspinatus, although it could also easily be either infraspinatus, long head of biceps, subscapularis or teres minor tendons. Had mild discomfort in shoulder for a few weeks in August. The supraspinatus muscle is a relatively small muscle, but very it's important one. Methods: Sixty-five consecutive shoulders with a chronic full-thickness supraspinatus tear were repaired arthroscopically in sixty-five patients with use of a tension-band suture technique. These include: pain that gets worse at night. Overall, it will often take 6 months or more before the shoulder is completely back to normal. It is not very common that two orthopedic specialists would have very different opinions on what is wrong with your shoulder (although does happen from time to time). For most of my life I trained with bodybuilding-style workouts 4 or 5 days per week. Because of the return of the recent pain, a another MRI was ordered and the Radiologist wrote: "1. I would make sure your surgeon knows you are planning on falling pregnant within the next 12 months. Very much appreciated. Some general information you may find useful is that generally not a lot of people seem to have a full recovery following a SLAP lesion without surgery. I'm still processing in my head what I heard in a VM left 10hrs ago, because I finally found out the findings from my shoulder MRI/Arthogram completed about 6 weeks ago. Second, I am sorry to hear about your fall and subsequent shoulder pain. Knee Surgery . Did a previous year of PT to strengthen rotator cuff muscles with increase to full range of motion. Sometimes the success rate of a second surgery is not as high as the success rate of the first surgery but still much higher than any other alternative. 2. mild labral degeneration. Similarly, some benefit from conservative approaches (physical therapy / injections etc. I decided to go to the local army medical hospital. Questions: 1. It's been very frustrating dealing with the chronic pain and reduction of normal activities in an attempt to adapt to my "new normal". They may be perfectly justified in their opinion, but if their opinion is based on one or two other specific cases that they know of (or perhaps their own bad experience), it would be a shame to miss out on receiving some potential benefit because a well meaning friend or family is not as well informed on the topic as they may think. You have a full thickness rotator cuff tear. Good luck! Good luck with it either way. The soft tissues in their neck that were affected by the initial trauma may actually have healed, but they may still be feeling discomfort. Communication between health professionals (such as PTs and surgeons) may not be as good as it could be. Good luck! Although I probably wouldn't be forthcoming with the name of the first surgeon or advice given unless the surgeon actually asked about this directly. Good luck! Full-thickness tears of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons at their attachment site with retraction of torn fibers up to the lateral aspects of the acromial process. From the description of your MRI report it sounds like your shoulder must have been quite painful and inflamed at the time (perhaps it still is)! Good luck! there is minimal AC arthrosis. Acromioclavicular joint degenerative changes, which means nothing to me. @anonymous: Hi Hans, Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story. I had rotator cuff surgery in May for a Small(2mm) tear In the supraspinatus tendon. However, other parts of the rotator cuff may also be involved in the injury. Now, my Ortho doc #2 who recommended i do the MRI also reccomends a surgery to fix the tear. I was referred to a surgeon who stated that they could not repair the rotator cuff due to the size of the tear from a surgical standpoint. I have noticed these types of shoulder pathology often occur among people who work (or have worked) in jobs that are physically demanding on the shoulders (or have a recreation / sporting background that may have contributed to shoulder girdle degeneration). Unless the shoulder is actually dislocated at the time of the x-ray, or there is a noticeable bone abnormality (chipped or broken bone, bone spur that is visible on x-ray etc. Arthroscopic repair of full-thickness tears of the supraspinatus: does the tendon really heal? If you do opt for surgery. I guarantee you will not be the last person to read this page wondering about a difference in doctor opinion or trying to figure out whether they have a supraspinatus tendon tear or adhesive capsulitis (or surgery versus no surgery). If in doubt call your surgeons office. With a focus on the surgical treatment of reparable full-thickness rotator cuff tears, this article aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge on the treatment of rotator cuff disorders and to highlight which new aspects are relevant. I have always found the anatomy of the shoulder to be very interesting. Any thoughts? I'll go check out some of your lenses now. Supraspinatus tear can be caused by lifting something too heavy, falling on your arm, or dislocating your shoulder. The tendons may tear from their attachment either after an injury such as a fall or from long-term wear and tear. Went to an orthopedic surgeon who said I had frozen shoulder and injected the capsule with cortisone and told me to return in 3 months. A full-thickness tear is when the wear in the tendon goes all the way through the tendon. Hopefully your doctor can give you specific advice in this regard. I received today my results of a CT Scan from my right shoulder, which I had an accident like 5 months ago. Can a supraspinatus tendon tear heal itself? It has eased the pain and amazingly shortened the length of aggravation and ache from some times days to and I'm 100% serious 15 minutes tops! I am sorry, I can't give you specific advice over the internet about whether you will need surgery or not. Come September of 2010 I chose not to re-enlist and returned home. If you have concerns, you could ask the surgeon when you next see him whether he thinks your symptoms are from the tendon tear and rotator cuff dysfunction or whiplash? 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full thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon surgery