A Torn Rotator Cuff - Nearly Had to Give Up Golf



Posted: Thursday, November 05, 2009

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As I am a slightly older dad with young kids I try fairly hard to try to stay active and in shape so that I can keep up with the kids as they grow older. I also enjoy a game of golf, a good walk ruined as they say. I'm not a great player as I am never able to play as frequently as I would like but I do like a round every now and again, so was really annoyed when I developed a shoulder problem that stopped me playing.

It wasn't actually as simple as that. The shoulder injury turned out to be nothing less than a torn rotator cuff which really stopped me from doing any form of activity. It was painful when I walked or ran, even though I am right handed, any sudden movement could cause serious pain in my left shoulder. If I forgot and made a sudden movement I could end up crying with pain. I know exactly how I did it. I was being my usual impatient self and trying to lift some furniture on my own rather than waiting for help, felt something go in my shoulder and that was that. Shoulder messed up| The next morning I woke up with shoulder pain and it got progessively worse with each passing day.

Reaching above my shoulder, reaching out for anything was impossible. I couldn't reach behind me. Sleeping was impossible because I couldn't get comfortable and doing anything with the kids was impossible. Golf was out of the question. So I took myself off to the doctors who sent me to a specialist. He diagnosed my torn rotator cuffand confirmed it with an MRI scan. The shoulder is a basic ball and socket joint. Unlike the hip, the socket is made up predominantly of cartilage and not bone like in the hip, and doesn't grip the bone of the arm. Instead, a group of four muscles hold the joint together. These make up the rotator cuff. What I had done was tear one of these muscles which had caused. Because all the muscles fit snuggly together any inflammation can cause an impingement or pinching.

I had torn the supraspinatus. I had manged to tear a tendon that runs under my collar bone or clavicle and the end of my shoulder blade or scapula. Because it was inflammed, every time that I moved in a certain wayit got pinched or impingedpinched and became even more aggravated. I was recommended for surgery to shave off part of my collar bone to release the trapped tendon and let it to heal without any more damage. It all sounded very easy but I was a bit nervous.

Being in the UK we are used to waiting for surgery so I used the time to do some research on the subject while waiting for my surgery date. Having read up on my injury extensively I finally discovered that the majority of rotator cuff problems are fixed with physical therapy .Even a torn rotator cuff can be cured in this way, as long as it is only a partial tear. You need to rest the joint at first to let the inflammation to calm down, treating it with anti-inflammatory drugs and using ice packs. Once the inflammation and pain have calmed down you can start gentle exercises aimed at strengthening the rotator cuff muscles

In just six weeks my shoulder was pain free and the movement had returned to near normal. A few more weeks saw me return to what feels like one hundred percent fitness. I have put off the surgery and may well be cancelling it altogether if I remain pain free.

In the meantime I am back playing golf, still losing but hey, I do have an excuse.  After all I did have a torn rotator cuff
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