I am interested in hearing any stories or advice from people who have undergone supraspinatus tear repair. I recently suffered a 1 cm "clean tear" during an incident when I was tumbled by a rogue wave down a lava wall. The good news is I survived with no neck or head injuries, only abrasions and - the bad news - a messed up shoulder, which will require surgical repair "sooner rather than later".
I know the recovery from this is slow but can be successful. So while I am very sad I will miss several months of swimming, I am optimistic about getting back to it this summer.
Any tips? what questions should I ask the surgeon?
Thanks, Karen
If I understood his explanation, the outcome of the study was that it is better not to do much physical therapy during the first 12 weeks post-op.
Anna Lea Matysek
I actually did a bit of research on this prior to surgery. What my brief meta-analysis found is that there isn't really a consensus on which is better: PT ASAP or PT later. A few studies found that patients who started PT ASAP generally felt better / returned to normal functioning life sooner, but it did not affect the long-term outcomes. That said, my doc wanted me to start PT within a week after surgery (which I did).
If I understood his explanation, the outcome of the study was that it is better not to do much physical therapy during the first 12 weeks post-op.
Anna Lea Matysek
I actually did a bit of research on this prior to surgery. What my brief meta-analysis found is that there isn't really a consensus on which is better: PT ASAP or PT later. A few studies found that patients who started PT ASAP generally felt better / returned to normal functioning life sooner, but it did not affect the long-term outcomes. That said, my doc wanted me to start PT within a week after surgery (which I did).
