bikeme

What's the worst one? The least complicated one? I personally am at 6 weeks post-op on a rotator cuff and bicep tendon repair. It sucks. I had the surgery end of Sept '16 and can't ride until probably end of Feb. '17. I've heard of torn labrums, separations, dislocations...right now, I'm thinking mine is the worst--and longest rehab, lol.

EDIT: One good thing is that my ortho and PT both mtn bike so they know what I expect coming out of this.

Jtaz6802

I know where you are coming from and let me tell you it could be a lot worse. I have experienced the joy of seven shoulder surgeries with four, one being a total shoulder replacement, in less than a year. Biking is really all I can do besides casual walking and limited hiking. Follow your rehab, listen to your body, do not push it. Complete your therapy. I can sustain rides now on my FUJI Transonic for 50 plus miles, but it was not easy and my recovery was over a year, almost two years to be more precise. But come to find out in the last year or so I have pushed a little to hard and am paying the price. But I can still ride. I can give lots of lessons learned on shoulders.

peterws

My rotator cuff`s bad, so I get sent to physio. Got excercises which made it woese, so I desisted. I was told to continue with the programme, though one o` the excercises was that which I believe caused it in the first place.
I got some weights and just use them sensibly. It`s up to about 80% good now. I was never offered surgery. The specialist guy said it`s not good at my age. At least I never got another cortisone injection . . . .

FlashBazbo

bikeme, just do your rehab, follow doc's orders, be patient, and don't do anything stupid. My torn labrum repair kept me off the bike for 5 months. During that time, I did 1 1/2 to 2 hours of rehab EVERY DAY. Since getting back on the bike, I'm doing a lot more core and upper body strength work than I did before the surgery -- but no more dedicated shoulder rehab. I'm now 10 months post-op and my shoulder is better now than it has been for 40 years. Feels great!

Hang in there.

2 Piece

Well, I fell the end of September, completely tore my rotator cuff, have close to no horizontal (side) and very limited forward movement of my right arm. Due to some nasty complications, I'm still waiting on surgery, and it may be as late as the end of November before I get my rotator cuff surgery, if I get it. Surgeon told me 4 months before I get very limited use of shoulder back and 6 months before Ill be released to light duty, then up to a year for recovery. And this time frame is calculated after the surgery. I have been told that rotator cuff surgery is one of, if not the, worst surgery to recover from.
But, I have been fortunate enough to get a Catrike 559 in the last month and I am having a blast.
Good luck on your recovery.

BKE

Today is 13 months and 1 week since I went in for the same. Rotator tear the approx. size of a quarter, frayed bicep tendon which was snipped and reattached and the Doc also took care of some bone spurs while he was in there. It is one major SOB (those are my Dr.s' words), I suggest doing everything your Dr. prescribes/recommends and do not push it. I thought I had re-injured mine at about month 6 and the thought of having to go through that again about made me cry. Luckily, false alarm.

bikeme

Oh man! That sounds gnarly...gives me some perspective. And people first said to me, "You're lucky you didn't break your collarbone!" Heck, I'd be done and back riding 8 weeks after the crash happened back in June. I hope you get everything resolved and you heal up completely!

bikeme

Sounds just like mine, including the spurs (he called it a subacromial decompression). How is your range of motion/use of your arm? How long before you could ride?

OldTryGuy

You all who have had injuries to your shoulder have had a MUCH harder recovery than myself following a total right shoulder joint replacement. 4 weeks and 2 days ago Dr. John Moor of Sarasota, FL. replaced my right shoulder. https://www.depuysynthes.com/hcp/sho...houlder-System 12 days following surgery I bicycled 103 miles. Last Saturday I rode 102 miles and this Saturday I will be out for 110/120 miles. 4 weeks more and I will be allowed to begin swimming and resistance training in preparation for my 3rd. Ironman Florida.

Follow PT's and Dr.'s recommendations.

3 years of bone on bone + spurs GONE and feeling like A KID.

turkey9186

Six months off the bike! Does that include no stationary bike also? Did they move and reattach the tendon?
Would you do the surgery again?
I need to have it done, but can't afford a year off from work right now.

FullGas

doubt it's the WORST shoulder injury, but I'm working thru a Grade 3 separation (torn AC and CC ligaments) due to a hit/run collision on the bike...

no surgery required, but after 10 weeks, it's still chronically painful and nowhere near being fully functional again.

regained a fair amount of ROM and started PT, but had to curtail it as some of the exercise were simply too painful to perform.

Dr. says might be another 8-10 weeks before things settle down.

bikeme

We hate you! LOL!!!

bikeme

Would I do it again? While it isn't been long enough to say if I have the ROM and quality of life I am desiring, I'd say yes I'd doing again just for the fact that I only could raise my arm to the side halfway and raise it forward only 3/4s pre-surgery. Sleeping was painful and I'd wake up every AM about 4 or 5 thus ruining my REM sleep. I did get back via PT to the point I could ride bikes again, including technical trails on my mtb. I did indeed tear the bicep tendon and it was cut and reattached. I am allowed to ride stationery but because of apathy haven't, lol. I was allowed to do that almost right away depending on comfort getting on and off the trainer. I'm feeling pretty good today and have seen a lot of ROM increase from PT. A lot less static pain too. I'm now able to do limited range tasks with my right arm. I'm typing with both hands and I couldn't do that a week ago. I'm allowed to carry no more than the weight of a soda can or coffee mug as well. High reaching at Week 6 is still a no-no. I was released Monday from wearing the sling 24/7, only wearing it in public as a warning not to bump me. I hope this helps.

turkey9186

Thanks for the information. I was on an active duty TDY order for the AF Reserves. Was out on a group ride, hit a dog and went over the bars. A year later I am back to my real job and the shoulder is still bothering me. I go see my civilian doctor and they find a crushed rotator cuff, 90% torn bicep tendon at the shoulder, and torn ligaments where my collar bone meets the shoulder.
I have a year and a half to retire from the AF. They will not put me back on active duty and fix it. If I claim disability from my civilian job I have to pay a large deductible as well as not being able to participate in even weekend drills for the AF which means no retirement. It is going to be a long year and a half!

Doug64

I had shoulder surgery for 5 torn tendons, including the rotator cuff and a ruptured bicep tendon. I started back on my trainer after 2 weeks. It was 6 weeks before I started rehab, and was allowed to ride on the road at about week 12 while still seeing the PT twice a week. After 43,500 repetitions of various exercises (yup, I kept track of every #*%& one on a spreadsheet), I was cleared to to go on a planned 2000 mile tour we had planned at week 14. My PT said that he usually has to force people to do the exercises, but in my case he was going to put a limit on how many and how much weight It took about a year before my shoulder felt "normal" again. It has been 2 years now, and I'm just getting back to where I feel comfortable bench pressing the weight I did before I completely ruptured the bicep tendon.

Work at it, and do what your Doc and PT tell you to do. It helps to go to a PT that specializes in sports injuries.

I put interrupter brakes on my touring bike to ease some of the pressure on the shoulder instead of riding in my go-to position on the hoods.

wthensler 

I was ambushed by a dog on Sunday and broke several bones in my pelvis. Luckily I did not need surgery, and things will heal on their own in due time. The Head Ortho told me 6-8 weeks before cycling.

When I lamented that I loved to cycle and wished it was my shoulder, he informed me that pelvic injuries heal much quicker than shoulders. Part of the reason is vascularization - the pelvis gets much better blood supply.

Small consolation now as I limp around on crutches and hurt like heck.

on2wheelsks

I had my rotator cuff and bicep repaired on June 17th this year, along with bone spurs removed. I can honestly say I hated when I did it, but am glad I did. The pain before surgery and lack of strength and motion was horrid, post surgery the pain was medium when I first took off the sling, but am almost 100%. Range of motion is maybe 90%. I took a couple of falls last year where I extended my arm and landed with my palm on the ground, but my pain was more due to aging, according to the Doc. That and being a laborer for 50+ years. Thinking about having my left one done next, as it is torn also. Maybe winter of 17-18, if I can wait that long. Bottom line, the surgery and recovery are not as bad as some make it seem. Once out of the sling, I recovered quickly. PT is important!
Pat