Surgery or not?

[Kilo Medic]

After an MRI recently, I have been offered surgery to repair two tendon tears...a mild Subscapularis tendon tear and a moderate Supraspinatus muscle and tendon tear, both from an acute injury.  While the doc tells me that they will not heal on their own, I can continue to go to PT and get more occassional injections of cortisone and lidocane.  I could also receive surgical repair, which they tell me will take me out of any physical activity for six months or more, and I still may not completely regain overhead lifting strength/loss of pain.  Anyone with experience with these injuries?  What did you do, and how did post surgical recovery/use turn out?

[nasht5]

After an MRI recently, I have been offered surgery to repair two tendon tears...a mild Subscapularis tendon tear and a moderate Supraspinatus muscle and tendon tear, both from an acute injury.  While the doc tells me that they will not heal on their own, I can continue to go to PT and get more occassional injections of cortisone and lidocane.  I could also receive surgical repair, which they tell me will take me out of any physical activity for six months or more, and I still may not completely regain overhead lifting strength/loss of pain.  Anyone with experience with these injuries?  What did you do, and how did post surgical recovery/use turn out?

Get the surgery. what you may or not regain is really determined by how hard you work in PT, so I suggest you be the poster boy for PT.

[Kilo Medic]

Being out for six months is a HUGE deal with the current time in my career.  They have done some iontophoresis treatments with little effect, but say that these may also help?  I really want to avoid being "out of action" for that long if anything else will help.

[Montague]

Being out for six months is a HUGE deal with the current time in my career.  They have done some iontophoresis treatments with little effect, but say that these may also help?  I really want to avoid being "out of action" for that long if anything else will help.

I always found ionto/dexamethasone to be pretty useless, even for minor things.

[jpm101]

Those mild to moderate tears tend to develop into major or complete rips. If not getting them repaired, than this time next year you may be hard press to even be doing  simple light PT. Injections will only cover up, for a brief while, a injury that only compounds the problem and gets worse.

Had major spinal surgery (L4-L5)  my senior year in college. Was on a football scholarship, and in a game when the injury happened. Lucky, in a way, that on the campus there was a top medical center. The athlete program handled the costed, including physical therapy and other benefits. Took almost a year before even approaching a normal weight workout, let alone walking or running. My back still has it moments, from time to time.

Can only suggest that Kilo schedule that much needed  surgery. The sooner the better to get it over with. It can become a mental drain and burden, as well as a physical one, if doing nothing about it. Good luck.