I've been away for a while due to limited time off and crazy things happening downtown with all the car jackings and thefts. I'm going to have a bunch of time off to catch up though due to another shoulder surgery this Friday. Seems the 2nd surgery did not work too well and the repair needs to be redone. So, here I go with number three on this shoulder.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had rotator cuff surgery that didn't take. Did the repair work the second time around? Since I've already had the labrum, bicep and rotator cuff repaired twice, I'm concerned that perhaps the damage is too great and I may not fully recover, or that I may be severely limited in what I can do as I get close to retirement.

Update....No surgery as of yet. Decided at the last minute to get another opinion. Doctor looked over the scans and didn't agree with the full tear assessment. There is a severe partial tear, but he doesn't feel that I have to do the surgery right now. It's probable that I may have to eventually get it done, but it's not an emergency situation. So I have two excellent surgeons with one saying surgery and another not now. I've decided on getting a 3rd opinion, since I want to be sure.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Klusk2,

Best of luck and hope this time it's fixed for good.

Mine was mostly labrum cartilage repair with minor repair to rotators and biceps attachment. That was ten years ago and still holding up well. Done by Chadwick Prodromos in Chicago.

My Rotator cuff surgery lasted about 10 years, now its torn again. My other shoulder also has a tear.
Both my knees are bone on bone and need replacement. I put that off for a couple years due to Covid BS. In the mean time I had a DR screw up my Cataract surgery, had to go to the Cleveland Clinic to get it fixed as good as possible.
Now I read on here about a member having infections in his knee replacements and the horrors of dealing with that problem.
I will be taking a long, hard, look at any medical procedures in the future.I doubt I will have shoulder surgery again because I fear a worse shoulder after surgery than before.
I have lost a huge amount of faith in the medical profession.

I assume the same guy is doing your shoulder. The best shoulder guys limit themselves to just shoulders. They get very proficient at it. The best results are with those who do the PT faithfully and do not overdo it. I assume it is a workers comp matter.

You want a fellowship trained high volume guy with a well established PT program.

Your best bet may be a reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. Essentially bypasses the bad cuff. After a couple repairs I wouldn’t be optimistic that you will do well after another

Good luck and a swift recovery!