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Thread: Full thickness supraspinatus tear

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2018
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    Default Full thickness supraspinatus tear

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    Hi to everyone,
    I was diagnosed with a full thickness supraspinatus tear in my left shoulder.
    It happened while I was trying to do something at home to exercise a little...some bb curl.
    I was curling the bar loaded with 60kg.,my all time Pr, when, suddenly and without any pain, I felt a clear snap in my front delt.
    The following day I had some pain, especially at night, at rest.
    Now, after some weeks, I have full range of motion and very little pain.
    My doc says I need surgery so my question is: do I really?
    I mean, obviously there is a damage in my tendon but, as he say, the erst of my rotatory cuff is ok and that's why I don't have a limited ROM.
    So should I do surgery? My concern is because I have a little cleaning enterprise and I move my arms (especially above my head) all day, all weelk. I'm doing it now without problem.
    My doubt is that, if I don't repair the tendon it will get worse...even if making some research on the net it seems that it's not always so sure.
    Any help and comment is appreciated guys.
    Stay strong.

    P.s. I learned the lesson: a 54 y.o. trained man should not do heavy Bb curl.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Wichita Falls, Texas
    Posts
    2,414

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    Quote Originally Posted by David Masini View Post
    Hi to everyone,
    I was diagnosed with a full thickness supraspinatus tear in my left shoulder.
    It happened while I was trying to do something at home to exercise a little...some bb curl.
    I was curling the bar loaded with 60kg.,my all time Pr, when, suddenly and without any pain, I felt a clear snap in my front delt.
    The following day I had some pain, especially at night, at rest.
    Now, after some weeks, I have full range of motion and very little pain.
    My doc says I need surgery so my question is: do I really?
    I mean, obviously there is a damage in my tendon but, as he say, the erst of my rotatory cuff is ok and that's why I don't have a limited ROM.
    So should I do surgery? My concern is because I have a little cleaning enterprise and I move my arms (especially above my head) all day, all weelk. I'm doing it now without problem.
    My doubt is that, if I don't repair the tendon it will get worse...even if making some research on the net it seems that it's not always so sure.
    Any help and comment is appreciated guys.
    Stay strong.

    P.s. I learned the lesson: a 54 y.o. trained man should not do heavy Bb curl.
    Well, this is awkward. The supraspinatus insertion is right on the very top of the lateral deltoid and not in the anterior deltoid. Was this what caused the snap? Who knows? In all honesty, it doesn't really matter. As a 54 year old dude who has been training for some time, you were going to have at least a partial tear of your supraspinatus whether you wanted one or not. The prevalence of rotator cuff tears in people over 50 is frightening.

    I can't answer the question about surgery, but I may offer this: 18 months after undergoing a supraspinatus repair, the odds are that it will be torn. If I had full ROM, no pain, no issues performing the things that were important to me.....I don't know if I'd take a surgery to fix something that I didn't really even know was wrong.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2018
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    Quote Originally Posted by Will Morris View Post
    Well, this is awkward. The supraspinatus insertion is right on the very top of the lateral deltoid and not in the anterior deltoid. Was this what caused the snap? Who knows? In all honesty, it doesn't really matter. As a 54 year old dude who has been training for some time, you were going to have at least a partial tear of your supraspinatus whether you wanted one or not. The prevalence of rotator cuff tears in people over 50 is frightening.

    I can't answer the question about surgery, but I may offer this: 18 months after undergoing a supraspinatus repair, the odds are that it will be torn. If I had full ROM, no pain, no issues performing the things that were important to me.....I don't know if I'd take a surgery to fix something that I didn't really even know was wrong.
    Hallo Will,
    thank you for your reply. I am, as a matter of fact, almost pain free. I decided that surgery is not my choice at least now. Gyms are still closed here but I hope that I will be able to train as I used to, that's my only concern 'cause I can move my arm quite well (side and overhead, a little disconfort with the external rotation) but I don't know if I'll be able to train well (especially the pressing movements). I tried with a light overhead press (45 kg.) and that seems not to bother me at all.

    We'll see. I only hope that time won't get this shit worse.
    Thanks again.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2018
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    Hi,
    this is especially for Mark and any other SS coach but I'd like to hear also everybody's ideas.
    So, in my country it seems that it will be possible to open gyms in June. After this long (8 months ) lay off I don't know how to start training again even because I don't know how to train the upper body since what happened to my shoulder. Can I do a bb overhead press? I mean, can I train it? Or is it better not to train heavy my shoulders? In this case (since surgery is not my choice) how will my training look like? I never suffered such an injury so I'm afraid to make it worse with my regular training made of squats, deads, chins, press and some little lighter stuff (machines, DBs). Thanks.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Wichita Falls, Texas
    Posts
    2,414

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    Quote Originally Posted by David Masini View Post
    Hi,
    this is especially for Mark and any other SS coach but I'd like to hear also everybody's ideas.
    So, in my country it seems that it will be possible to open gyms in June. After this long (8 months ) lay off I don't know how to start training again even because I don't know how to train the upper body since what happened to my shoulder. Can I do a bb overhead press? I mean, can I train it? Or is it better not to train heavy my shoulders? In this case (since surgery is not my choice) how will my training look like? I never suffered such an injury so I'm afraid to make it worse with my regular training made of squats, deads, chins, press and some little lighter stuff (machines, DBs). Thanks.
    I mean, the muscle is already torn all the way through. You aren't going to tear it any more than it already is, and, at 54 years old, it was probably on it's way to being torn anyways (full thickness supraspinatus tears are frighteningly common in people over 50 years old) and they are nearly universal by the age of 60-70. The supraspinatus not being intact will have a relatively minor effect size on your ability to train with the barbell.

  6. #6
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    Oct 2018
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    Hi and thanks for your reply.
    So, as soon as it will be possible I will return to my old training.
    My concern was that maybe if i train heavy the situation would get worse, but, as you say, the tendon is already torn so..
    I can move my arm pretty well and even the night pain's gone.
    I will return to my old weights so slowly that I will be able to adapt to the intensity anyway I guess.
    Thanks a lot for your help.

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