Golfer1
junior member
United StatesGreetings to all!
Not sure if I’m posting this in the right place or not, but I thought my experience might be of help to a certain group of shoulder patients. A cycling accident a couple of years ago resulted in massive (complete) tears of both supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons of the rotator cuff in my left shoulder. Then the timing was such that nine weeks elapsed between the time of the accident and the time that I was operated on to have both tendons reattached. The surgery was a failure… Both tendons had totally retracted and atrophied. The Huntsville surgeon told me that my only option to restore shoulder function was a reverse total shoulder replacement.
Long story short, that is NOT necessarily the case! Four months after the failed surgery, I underwent another surgery called a superior capsular reconstruction (SCR). For this I went to the renowned Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Clinic in Birmingham, AL. My OS there had only done eight of this unique surgery, but he told me if I wanted someone who has done more of them I would have to go to Mayo Clinic. I decided to place my trust in him and I’ve never regretted that decision. I now have a fully functional shoulder, with the exception that I am not able to lift much weight at arm’s length due to the mechanics. I am back to distance swimming, golfing etc. AND, I still have the option of a reverse total shoulder replacement in the future should I ever need it.
The option of an SCR, however, is not available to all people who have had failed rotator cuff surgery. If I remember correctly you have to have massive irreparable tears of both supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons, no shoulder arthritis, a functional deltoid muscle and the other two tendons that make up the rotator cuff have to be intact. I was fortunate in that I fit the bill perfectly.
The physical therapy for an SCR progresses at a slower rate than standard rotator cuff surgery with some different protocols. However, it works if you are willing to put in the time!
I could go on and on about this amazing, cutting edge (no pun intended) surgery, but probably the best thing for you to do if you feel you might be a candidate is to research it on the Internet. As the surgery becomes more prevalent, there are more articles and a lot of good YouTube videos explaining the procedure.
It was done arthroscopically with seven small incisions.
if anyone has any questions I would be happy to answer them if I’m able. If you’d like to know the name of my surgeon, I will be happy to help with that as well.
God bless and Merry Christmas all!
Not sure if I’m posting this in the right place or not, but I thought my experience might be of help to a certain group of shoulder patients. A cycling accident a couple of years ago resulted in massive (complete) tears of both supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons of the rotator cuff in my left shoulder. Then the timing was such that nine weeks elapsed between the time of the accident and the time that I was operated on to have both tendons reattached. The surgery was a failure… Both tendons had totally retracted and atrophied. The Huntsville surgeon told me that my only option to restore shoulder function was a reverse total shoulder replacement.
Long story short, that is NOT necessarily the case! Four months after the failed surgery, I underwent another surgery called a superior capsular reconstruction (SCR). For this I went to the renowned Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Clinic in Birmingham, AL. My OS there had only done eight of this unique surgery, but he told me if I wanted someone who has done more of them I would have to go to Mayo Clinic. I decided to place my trust in him and I’ve never regretted that decision. I now have a fully functional shoulder, with the exception that I am not able to lift much weight at arm’s length due to the mechanics. I am back to distance swimming, golfing etc. AND, I still have the option of a reverse total shoulder replacement in the future should I ever need it.
The option of an SCR, however, is not available to all people who have had failed rotator cuff surgery. If I remember correctly you have to have massive irreparable tears of both supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons, no shoulder arthritis, a functional deltoid muscle and the other two tendons that make up the rotator cuff have to be intact. I was fortunate in that I fit the bill perfectly.
The physical therapy for an SCR progresses at a slower rate than standard rotator cuff surgery with some different protocols. However, it works if you are willing to put in the time!
I could go on and on about this amazing, cutting edge (no pun intended) surgery, but probably the best thing for you to do if you feel you might be a candidate is to research it on the Internet. As the surgery becomes more prevalent, there are more articles and a lot of good YouTube videos explaining the procedure.
It was done arthroscopically with seven small incisions.
if anyone has any questions I would be happy to answer them if I’m able. If you’d like to know the name of my surgeon, I will be happy to help with that as well.
God bless and Merry Christmas all!
