I have had cronic shoulder problems for years (redundent?). If I put in a curtain rod, the next day I can not lift a cup of coffee. My personal DO told me to consider having them scoped. The ortho guy will "clean out" the path of the tendons so they will not be "impended"?).

1) Has anyone out there had this done?

2) If I take care of it in March, when can I REALLY expect to be swinging a golf club?

3) What will this do to my game? (I am a high handicapper that hooks on occasion and I am in love with my 3 iron - 225 w/ a nice draw.)

1. Had my right shoulder scoped about 20 years ago, so i am sure the technology is much better. The problem recently came back when i collided with someone in a softball game, and just finished rehab, but didn't do my exercises at home, so I still can't throw a ball. I would guess (only a guess) that if you have it scoped in March and do your rehab, you could play golf by May, but a lot depends if you have a full tear or a partial tear, and if i recall right, there are three rotator muscles, and the recovery will vary depending on which of the three is the problem. Mine was in the back of my shoulder. As far as the effect on your game...none, because the sun will still be shining, the beer will still taste cold, you'll still be away from all of life's crap for 4-5 hours, and you'll still make 1 or 2 good golf shots per round that will keep you coming back for more!

I know I have bad rotator cuffs. I dont' know what, if anything, is torn. Does something have to be torn?

No - you could just have a serious impingement - if that's the case, they usually try to treat first with Physical therapy and anti-inflammatory meds (like celebrex), but the problem is they can't alsways see a tear on MRI (which happened to me, but again, that was a long time ago). I think that even an impingement can be helped with scope, but if that is what it is, they will try PT and Meds first.

I would discourage you from making your decision based on anecdotal evidence. Everyone is different. Recovery will be different for each person depending on age, health, discipline in doing rehab, etc.... I would ask the ortho. You might go on a reliable medical website and check to see what the averages are, but the best be is to schedule an appointment with the ortho to have him check you out and give you a prognosis.

Remember an athlete by the name of Bo Jackson? Not every professional baseballer could have had hip replacement surgery and continued to play professional baseball. Again, everyone is different, but your doctor can give you his opinion based on years of doing this sort of thing. If he can't, get another doctor.

I meet w/ the ortho next month. I have been down the PT and meds road. I have had shoulder problems for over 20 years. I used to think it was just bursitis (sp?). If I arm wrestled or waterskied I paid for it dearly. I could curl nearly as much as I could bench (read:can not bench much).

I am just over 6' and just under 200 lbs and 41 years old. When the mood strikes me I can run a slow 5 miles without any problem. I am willing to work on my shoulders if the shoulders would work for me instead of against me.

If it is impendged and it can be repaired I am all over it. A life of anti-inflamitory drugs sounds anti-climatctic

I had my knee scoped in 1983. They removed a piece of loose cartilege and I was downhill skiing two days later. Got to like that - but I am not young anymore.

Omega, my wife had arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff about six years ago. She hasn't swung a golf club since then. Of course, she didn't golf before the surgery either, so maybe that's not a very good example.

One of the guys in my regular group had spurs removed from his right shoulder and he was back with us full time 5 or 6 weeks later. He's a 62 year old single digit and by full time I mean 27 on Saturday and 18 on Sunday.

I had a similar problem for about 10 years and finally fixed it 6 years ago. I played racquet ball and golf, and got to where I could not move the shoulder without trememdous pain. I had surgery on the shoulder and the doctor removed about 1/4 inch of bone off the end of the acromia. It was pinching the bursar. The incision was about 3 inches long, and I recovered 100% within about 3 weeks without P/T. I still slice the ball, but have no pain in doing so. But that's my story. Yours may differ.

I am now facing hip surgery in the next two years to do a total replacement. Not looking forward to it, but it will relieve the daily pain I live with. That's a 6 month recovery period I am avoiding.

I have got the MRI scheduled for tomorrow AM. I am trying to get the surgery set up ASAP. The sooner they cut, the sooner I can start PT, the sooner I can swing a club! Who knows, maybe I will not overswing and find out what it is like to play from the fairway! (My long-iron draw can be ugly in the short-irons. WAY too much left side.)

Playing from the long grass did not seem to present a problem for Tiger over the weekend.

Omega:

I had my shoulder scoped about 8 years ago. First week of rehab was pretty rough. I actually increased my range of motion in the joint. I work out on a regular basis with free weights. Since the surgery, I no longer can do uni-lateral exercises such as barbell flat bench press, barbell incline press, barbell shoulder press, etc....I only do exercises that give me independant movement (bi-lateral) in each arm. By locking my shoulders in the same range of motion due to the straight bar, your shoulders did not have free independant motion. Flat bench is murder on your shoulders.

As for your golf game, I do not know. Do not hurry the rehab and listen to your surgeon and your physical therapist. When you hit the gym and do any upper body work, make sure you get your shoulders warmed up. Plus, the scars are kind of cool!

Also, for those of you who lift weights, be careful. If you are a novice and do not know how to do exercises correctly, ask for help. Most people in the gym do not mind showing you some pointers. I never asked. Started at age 14 and as a result of never learning the correct way to lift, I now have a bad shoulder and a knee that barely has any cartilage left in it. I turn 30 in a few months with the possibility of having the knee replaced by the time I am 35. Due to the pain my blood stream is 99% Celebrex.

Omega, if you want to keep lifting after the operation, I suggest you find a gym that has the Hammer Strength brand weight machines. They are the bi-lateral type that Anon describes. Granted, I didn't have the degree of shoulder problems you have - - but those machines sure did relieve the shoulder soreness and pain that was aggravating me from long-term free-weight training.

Thanks Anon! I am scheduled to be cut on the 25th. They are just doing the left shoulder at this point. Being right handed, the left shoulder movement that will come into play most in my golf swing will be the followthough. The catch will be as the left arm moves away from the side.

Am I actually going to lose mobility w/ this procedure?

Omega - I can pretty much guarantee that if you "need" this surgery, that you will eventually have better mobility, especially since after rehab, the impingement should be cleared!

Omega, I've never had shoulder surgery and I haven't stayed in a Holiday Inn in quite a few years, but there could be a bright side that you're missing.

While you're "on the mend", you still may be able to putt and chip. If it's comfortable to putt and chip you can work on those parts of your game until you can swing comfortably. While we've never met and I've never seen you play, I've never known anyone whose short game wouldn't benefit from some TLC. You may be able to shave a couple of strokes off of your handicap, and at the very least chipping and putting are better than not playing at all.

Good luck and best wishes for a quick recovery.

When I extended my arm to pay for parking the other day, I nearly screamed at the poor parking lot attendent. As it was, the face I made scared her.

The extension of the arm, the turn up of the palm, the face.

Thanks. I do like to hit the long irons. The money is made with the short game. If I can put & chip, I can probably get in on a best-shot. Let someone else take my drive & approach.

Anybody tried "Ultracet"? The doctor's office said it would not make me drousy. That was not quite true. One is like three glasses of wine on an empty stomach. Two is like a bottle. There was a time last week when I was in no condition to make loans. I guess it will take 40 days to figure out what kind of damage I did.

Any ideas for dealing w/ pain at work. (I know - get out of compliance.) I know this keyboard can not be a good thing.

Cut 3/25, Second visit to PT this morning - all is well. The only sounds comming from my shoulder during excercises are from the "good" shoulder. Range of motion is nearly 100%. Strength will take some time. I will be swinging a club in a couple of weeks and have every intention of playing in May. No tearing to reapair. I am glad I did not wait longer. This is not too bad at all.

Good for you, Omega. I'm glad to know it's going well.