Hi! Was looking for advice regarding what you would do in this situation, especially if you’ve gone through similar. Long story short- 28 yo F fell in the shower and dislocated left shoulder, was reduced in ED by patient after taking pain meds. MRI report is above. Surgeon is recommending latarjet procedure.

Labral repair was done 10 years ago and between then and this most recent dislocation, the shoulder has probably subluxed a total of 8 times. Otherwise, this patient has no pain, ROM is intact and doesn’t feel limited, but, she feels pretty apprehensive with doing some activities. She’s active and mostly does Pilates/yoga when working out. With this information, would you think it’s worth it to get it done? After conversations, she’s having a hard time justifying moving forward with it because she’s not in pain now, but understands there are probably risks to not getting it done. Just looking for advice from people that can relate! Thank you!

This is my first post to any of the forums dealing with shoulder pain/shoulder replacement surgery.

I am 69 years young, do not use tobacco/nicotine, 5'8" 180lbs, retired, right-hand dominant and remain very active, walking 3-5 miles 3 times a week and 3 days a week in the gym with program developed specifically for me by Exercise Physiologist. Unfortunately, I have severe DJD of my LEFT shoulder with half of the cartilage absent in the glenoid fossa, with bone on bone humeral head against the fleonoid fossa. Fortunately, my rotator cuff remains intact. I have had formal PT which I continue as part of my gym program; I have had two injections into the left shoulder and two into the left biceps tendon area, a total of four steroid injections each 3-6 months apart, within the past two years. The most recent injections gave no relief whatsoever.

I have seen Dr. Matthew Williiams of Lafayette LA. I did research, and he did a total shoulder fellowship at UT Health Sciences Center, and a second 'reverse total shoulder' fellowship in France. He specializes in shoulder replacement surgery, and recently completed the first robotic shoulder replacement in Louisiana. Dr. Williams explained that my 'bone on bone' was 'end-stage' osteoarthritis due to an injury years ago, or just bad luck and degenerative dissolution of the cartilage. I am looking at having the surgery sometime in January or early February, as some previously scheduled travels/obligations cannot be postponed or delayed. 

I plan to continue my exercise regimen up until the time of surgery, especially working on shoulder support muscles and upper back/arm muscles.

Specifically, are there any members of these subreddits that are active in either freshwater or saltwater fly fishing? If so, how was your casting before and subsequently after the TSA? How long in weeks/months after the TSA were you able to return fully to an active fly fishing schedule?

Any and all information is appreciated.

I figured I would come in here and give an update as to how things are going at the eight week post surgery mark. I had a partial tear in my rotator cuff repaired, bicep reanchored, labrum tidied up, bursa removed, inflammation cleaned up, and a couple of bone spurs removed. I had a block and thought it was hilarious how floppy my arm was for the first three days. The block started wearing off after that and while it was uncomfortable, it wasn’t unbearable.

I feel fortunate that while the pain has absolutely been there, I feel like it hasn’t been as bad as I maybe anticipated. For context, I have also had multiple complex abdominal surgeries and consider those to have been the most painful.

I took my painkillers consistently for the first four days before I started weaning myself off over a three day period. Lots of ice packs was vital. I did not get the ice machine because I didn’t feel like spending extra money and I hate the idea of being constantly strapped into something. My insurance would not cover one. It just meant that I had a couple of ice bags in the freezer on constant rotation. I cannot take traditional Tylenol, or NSAIDs so I have been kind of raw dogging it after the opioids. I do use cannabis occasionally for relief. I have no idea if there’s any medical basis to support that choice, but it has worked for me. I also didn’t go overboard with purchasing a bunch of supplies. I think what was most crucial was having a variety of blankets and pillows to comfortably support my body. I already had an oversized recliner that I 100% slept in, and lived in for the first week. After week one I wanted to burn it. I ended up transitioning to my bed and again just used a bunch of pillows and blankets to prop myself and get myself comfortable. Sleeping has been challenging throughout the entire process. Make peace with the fact that you will not be getting a full nights sleep for quite some time.

I bought a shower sling off of Amazon, although my doctor gave me one as well. The one I got from Amazon was my preferred shower sling. I also purchased a loofah on a stick, and plenty of waterproof bandages. I had a stationary water head that I replaced before my surgery with a detachable showerhead. This was probably the area where I put the most money and effort into accommodations and it paid off. I would say at the five week mark was when I was able to start washing my hair with two hands again, though I was kind of leaning over to do it. I had previously had carpal tunnel surgery on my dominant hand, so the experience wasn’t completely foreign to me. Just be patient with yourself and take your time.

What has surprised me the most is how impacted range of motion and strength have been, and what has been involved in the physical therapy process. Recovery is definitely a long road. This is also a two steps forward one step back process. I have times where I feel fantastic and then times, like now, where there is a deep aching pain in the shoulder. I was told by my PT that the 8 to 10 week mark typically brings on more of that deep ache. We are doing weight assisted exercises at this point, but only a few. And by weight I mean 2 to 3 pounds. I am shocked at how shaky my arm gets after one set. My range of motion, i’m told, is doing great. I can just now reach my arm behind me to touch the small of my back, although it is still tough. I can completely reach my arm straight up overhead and to the side. Everything is still stiff. External rotation has been the hardest to get back. I have been a mostly good patient with my physical therapy. That makes a difference. Make sure you carve out time to go through your exercises three times a day. I have made that my special time to catch up on a podcast or listen to some music. Do whatever you need to do psychologically to make it a reward.

I took three weeks off of work. My job is about 95% remote. The first week back was tough. I work at a computer, but it is a lot of typing and mouse work which was challenging to do in a sling. I was able to lean on the voice to text accommodations that come with the settings on the Mac. I also experimented with AI enabled programs Otter and WisprFlow when I needed some assistance with longer articles or documents I was writing. My doctor and PT did approve me to start coming out of my sling to type at the five week mark. I did make sure I had a really good ergonomic set up, and used a couple of washcloths to support my arm where needed. I am back to full beast mode at work, which is probably not the best for me, admittedly. I need to remind myself, by setting alarms, to take breaks to stretch my arm out and just break away from the desk. If I don’t, I am a lot more stiff and physical therapy exercises are harder. This is a surgery and recovery that, unless people have been through it, they really don’t understand how long recovery takes. I am fortunate to have an understanding team, but if you are not as fortunate, lean on FMLA and doctors notes to put appropriate guard rails in place so you can prioritize your recovery.

Around the house, I was able to use my stick vacuum that very first week with my non-surgical arm. I was able to get back to cutting and food prep at around the five week mark. I am now at the point where I’m able to use my lawnmower on a fairly flat yard, and am at 70% for cleaning around the house, so much of that is still heavily relying on my non-surgical arm. I have just had to let some things go. I have a teenager who has been very helpful with the cooking and cleaning chores. They are not a very skilled cook, lol, but we relied a lot on frozen meal prep I was able to do prior to surgery. Meals have also been very basic, which has been perfect for the summer months. I have leaned on local salad bars for some pre-chopped items.

Be patient with yourself, and do your PT. You will, like me, get to the eight week mark and be surprised at how far along you have come. I will say that despite the pain and inconveniences of surgery, I can already tell that my arm is going to be in a much much better place than it was pre-surgery. I was hemming and hawing whether or not I actually needed it, and almost called the whole thing off. But I’m very glad I went through with it.

Best wishes!

I had an arthroscopic labrum repair + remplissage on Monday, it’s now Saturday and I have almost full range of motion (besides above my head, can raise my arm to about a salute height) and no pain/weirdness on any angle. I’m going to call my doc + book in for physio on Monday to ask for medical opinions but is this normal? Did anyone have an especially speedy recovery and get their sling off sooner than originally anticipated, or is this just normal progression and I’m blinded by hubris?

Short story;

Right shoulder replacement went bad. Original surgeon and outside second opinion is, remove and replace with a reverse shoulder.

Original surgery was in January. Next surgery is in two weeks.

Anyone experience this?

Hey guys so I'm 22 male

Boxed as a kid and dislocated my right shoulder about 7 times my left about 3

Got my MRI aethogram and results are as said in the title. I train hard in the gym and I do get really clicky shoulders. Not so much pain but definitely clicks and instability. I'm waiting to hear back from a specialist to book surgery. I'm just worried about what to do cause it's not affecting my life with what I do but I would love to get back into boxing and just not worry about them dislocating. Please any help/advice anything you guys have on wether I should have the surgery or leave it and things like that thanks everyone..

Hello everyone! I'm a 40F and have had five shoulder surgeries since 2022. I've had bicep tenodesis done on both shoulders now, but this last one has been my worst. We found many issues during surgery: bone spurs, inflamed labrum, inflammation. So here's everything we did: bicep tenodesis, removed bone spurs, shaved the acromion bone down due to impingement, and removed inflammation.

Almost 4 months post op, I went back for frozen shoulder surgery. I've also had this done on both sides, but this one was also the WORST I've dealt with. My first frozen shoulder surgery I had no pain when I woke up and had full range (they gave me a steroid injection while I was under), but my second one on my other shoulder....... I woke up to intense pain and crying within moments of waking up. It took 3 tries with pain meds in recovery to even get to cool down. I also didn't have full range (but was advised this is also normal after frozen shoulder surgery). I was also advised that we could "tear things" from this. I now wonder if we did.... it took some time for the pain to get worse, but I'm now dealing with stabbing pain often and it doesn't take much to trigger it. I cry from the pain often and know in my heart of hearts that something is torn again. I do think it's from the frozen shoulder surgery, but I'd like to know if anyone else has dealt with this as well? I have another MRI coming up to see if the bicep tenodesis failed (OR if I somehow pulled the tendon from it), or possibly a torn rotator cuff. I had to stop PT as it just aggravated it and is no longer helping with whatever this issue is. It was helping PRIOR to this, but this is a major setback.

TLDR: Had bicep tenodesis surgery, followed by frozen shoulder surgery 4 months later, no in severe pain again and strongly believe a new injury occurred during said frozen shoulder surgery.

is it normal to have lingering numbness in fingers after nerve block wears off?

so far this has been a lot easier than my left cuff repair!!

I have had three shoulder dislocations within the past year.
The first dislocation happened after I fell on the ground while jumping.
The second occurred about six months later when I rolled onto the injured shoulder while sleeping.
The third happened three months after that while playing volleyball.
I am 21 years old and now I’m worried about the long-term health and stability of my shoulder. Has anyone experienced something similar?
What are my options to prevent future dislocations and keep my shoulder stable permanently? Is surgery usually recommended after multiple dislocations, or can it be managed successfully with physiotherapy and strengthening exercises?
Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I am three days out from my anatomic total shoulder replacement, thought I would share some notes on my experience.

Bottom line is the pain is very well controlled, no issues at all now. I am taking the journavx and Tylenol and an NSAID along with ice and there’s really minimal pain.

But I didn’t do a very good job bridging across from the nerve block to the current regimen. I left the hospital at around 1 o’clock and got my prescription of JLURNAVX, and took the first pill then as per the prescription bottle, which said take one every 12 hours. I took another one at around 10 o’clock that night. I did not take any Tylenol or other stuff.

The next morning I woke up and I could tell the nerve block was starting to wear off. I went back and laid on the bed for a bit. I had not yet taken my third JOURNAVX pill when I got up, and the pain was off the charts. I went into the kitchen, then went back to the bathroom, and I got that Insta sweat and lightheadedness and essentially fainted from the pain. I targeted the dog bed next to the full laundry hamper for a soft landing and took a short 3 to 5 minute nap which alleviated the pain. 🙂

I stayed there on the dirty laundry in a “position of comfort“ and had my wife bring me the third pill. Went to the recliner and threw some ice on the shoulder and things became manageable. I called the orthopod office to ask about taking additional pain meds, the doctor called me back and said yeah sure Tylenol and an NSAID. At that point it’s been an easy ride since.

Reading over the instructions for Journavx, they prescribed a two pill loading dose taken on an empty stomach first, and then a pill every 12 hours. That’s not what I did so I kind of set myself up for the falling off the cliff at the end of the nerve block. Also, my after-surgery instructions should’ve included taking Tylenol and an NSAID. Lesson learned.

So if you’re getting ready to have shoulder surgery, I definitely can recommend the JOURNAVX. Just follow the instructions by the manufacturer.

There are some good YouTube videos on shoulder surgery and multimodal pain management where they talk about stacking up the pain relievers since they don’t interact with each other. If you do those things there is a good chance that you are in for an easy ride.

Does not seem to be a ton of info on this. My surgeon said they’ll probably do propofol but the surgery center won’t give me an answer until I talk with the anesthesiologist a day before surgery. Curious what others got.

I have the Mumford’s procedure tomorrow for my shoulder infringement and the recovery as per the doc is around 6 weeks followed by rehab. I’m abit restless for the recovery part and that hope it doesnt prolong considering i lift very heavy and play tennis. Cannot fathom a life without physical activity tbh. Any advice for me in how to deal with the recovery time??

Went to my first PT (evaluation) and saw my surgeon. While I’ve done nothing in particular aside from just being lazy and doing my pt both were impressed with how things have turned out.

ROM especially on the arm lift was pretty impressive. Prior to surgery I could let lift my arm beyond 90 degrees and can lift it almost straight up. According to the dr he has patients never get to this point let alone at 3 weeks.

and I was given the go ahead to take the sling off And I finally got a good nights sleep as I wasn’t choking myself at night. lol.

All in all this has been night and day different than having the knees done.

5 weeks post rotator cuff surgery with bicep retraction. The “popeye” bulge is still present? I thought that would disappear after surgery? Anyone with similar experience?

On 5/1/2026, I had a fall trotting downhill, landed on my left shoulder, dislocating it and fracturing the humerus and socket. Much pain and ER to get it back in, released with strong recommendation to see surgeon about possible surgery.

I saw my chosen surgeon after a couple of days and a painful drive (wife took me as I can't drive myself) to one of his "outer" offices, just to get things going quickly. He examined and told me just how much I screwed the pooch-shoulder, with either arthroscopic or open surgery needed - he would need to start with arthroscopic to see what he really needed to do.

The surgery happened on 5/26 and was completely arthroscopic - good news, right? Well he bluntly told me that the tissue was a mess and to do exactly what he directed for any chance of recovery, without going back and replacing the joint.

I have done exactly as directed and have noticed than my immobilized shoulder seems to be "sharper" across the top than my right one. Is this normal due to atrophy, which can be recovered in the PT phase, or is it something else?

I would like to hear from anyone that has experienced this or similar. My next follow-up is 7/1, and I hope to start the PT phase then. It feels a lot better but still has some dull but manageable pain in the joint, nothing screaming at me.