hi all and I apologize for typos as I am typing with left hand due to surgery I had this morning. Before I ask my questions, here is some context:
i do Olympic weightlifting and CrossFit type exercise. Been doing this for 10+ years so i get the risks though I’m pretty conservative in what do. Anyways, had impingement and some ROM issues but originally went to see doc because of wrist pain. Wrist was perfectly fine but Here are my findings from mri:
FINDINGS:
There is moderate edema and thickening involving the most proximal fibers of the long head of the biceps tendon. The tendon itself appears intact and maintains a normal course.
The anterior labrum is very poorly visualized. There appears to be thickening of the middle glenohumeral ligament. This likely represents a Buford complex. Labral detail is limited due to the lack of joint fluid.
There are moderate hypertrophic changes involving the acromioclavicular joint. The acromion has a moderate lateral downslope. The acromion itself has a mild anterior downslope/type II shape. This results in moderate compromise to moderately severe compromise/impingement of the subacromial space at the level of the AC joint with some moderate mass effect on the underlying supraspinatus muscle/tendon. Peripherally, the subacromial space is only slightly narrowed/compromised.
There is moderate edema and thickening involving the peripheral fibers of the supraspinatus tendon. There is a partial-thickness tear of the anterior undersurface fibers, approximately 40 percent in severity. Intact fibers appear present. No retraction is evident. The supraspinatus muscle belly appears maintained.
There is minimal edema involving the lateral margin of the humeral head, as well as small cystic changes. Otherwise, normal marrow signal is maintained.
IMPRESSION:
- There is a partial-thickness tear involving the anterior peripheral undersurface fibers of the
supraspinatus tendon, approximately 40 percent in severity.
2. There is moderate to moderately severe compromise/impingement of the subacromial space at
the level of the AC joint with moderate mass effect on the underlying supraspinatus muscle/tendon at the level of the AC joint. This is due to hypertrophy of the AC joint, as well as anterior and lateral downslope of the acromion.
3. There is moderate tendinosis/tendinitis involving the long head of the biceps tendon. The tendon itself appears intact and maintains a normal course
now, decompression surgery with bone spur removal and general clean up was suggested and I decided to do it now as I have a little one and needed my husband to be able to take off a few weeks.
anyhow, before the procedure I talked to doctor and we agreed he’d only do more on my RC if absolutely necessary. However that was in respect to the RC tear not bicep tendon. At no point was the bicep tendon even in discussion. I woke up in an immobilize sling instead of the sling that I had gotten last week from doctor and wasn’t able to speak with doctor after surgery. They just rushed me out to discharge . All the info my husband got was that it was all cleaned up, very inflamed and the bicep tendon repaired. I have no clue what that even means. I tried to call my doctor but he was not available and he hadn‘t dictated his report yet. He will be out for the rest of the year but maybe I will be able to learn more tomorrow.
regardless, I have no clue what to expect as I don’t even know what exactly they did. I’m reading about distal and proximal and assume this is proximal. But was it even necessary? I wasn’t impacted by this as I had occasional impingement issues.
the decompression was suggested as the bone spur was said to make the RC tear worse down the road.
now, I have a 20 month old and a few days in a sling would have been ok, 1-2 months rehab as well but this is completely different it seems like. Am I correct in that assumption? I assume I have to be immobilized for 4 weeks and won’t be able to drive until I’m out of the sling? Or How am I going to lift my kid in his car seat? Can I do a work trip for my job in 4 weeks from now(5 hrs on plane)? Am I supposed to take the arm out of sling once the blocker wears off or before that to move wrist an elbow?
Any idea of what might have been done? Was it necessary? I’m so frustrated.