Finally got tired of the pain in my shoulder and had an MRI done. Met with the ortho today and he went over the results. At least 3 different tears, bone spurs, and cysts, to go along with alot of other things that I can't pronounce.

I'm 46 and plan on fishing another 50+ years so I'm thinking its probably not going to get better on its own.

Looking out to you guys to see if anyone has had similar diagnosis, did you have surgery, did you follow the rehab, how are you today and was it worth it? Or do you wish you had just decided to tough out the pain?

Thanks.

I have my labrom torn in my left shoulder. I tore it in wrestling at school. I followed my rehab and am fine. Its a 180 degree tear but it only hurts a for a few things. It doesnt hurt for my daily routine or fishing though! So we are good. Id say just strengthen it back up. Try anything before the needle!

try not to use braid. Unless you really need to. I stopped flipping that stuff on Falcon. That stuff will tear your shoulders, arms, elbows and hands apart. Especially if you lean into a decent fish in the brush. Dam it hurts but feels good once you pull that hog out of the brush.

I tore my right rotator cuff back in 2000. Had it repaired this past January. There was only so much that rehab and PT was able to help with and when the pain started keeping me from sleeping, it was time. Plus it got to where I could only fish one day. I'm 48, had the surgery Jan 20th, and was back fishing by mid May. I could have started back sooner but there was no point in rushing. I still work on strengthening and stretching my shoulder and don't expect 100% recovery until this winter but I wouldn't hesitate to do it again and wish I'd done it sooner.

The best part is that I taught myself how to cast left handed while rehab-ing the right Now I'm bi-handed

I tore my rotator cuff pretty bad and had to have surgery. It got to the point that I would wake up at night if I rolled over on it. I'm a non-believer in pain meds, so I tried to live through the pain. If you do have the surgery, don't try and rush back into fishing. I tried to fish a few weeks after surgery and was back in the doctor's office to have it repaired again. So now, it was 1 year to total recovery. Don't think the shoulder will ever be "new" again, but it is not too bad!!!

Had a torn labrom in my shoulder also.

After a couple of years of "living with the pain", I finally went to an orthopedic and got the diagnosis. Had surgery (last Feb was two years) and for the first six months, I was wondering what kind of mistake I had made. Shoulder hurt more than before the surgery. Then ... almost overnight, the pain went away and shoulder is great! Haven't had ANY pain for two years now ... one of the best decisions I ever made.

My recomendation is ... get a good orthopedic surgeon, and follow his advice, whether it be simple rehab or surgery. Life is too short to not be able to enjoy your fishing to the fullest!

Surgery is often the only true fix. It may get better with various treatments but whether its one day or year later it will come back and the older you get the sooner it does.

Well, I have had 4 major shoulder surgeries, just had my last one 5 weeks ago. you cant go by what someone tells you that it was like several years ago because technique and technology has changed dramatically. first thing is if you have a full thickness tear it is not going to get any better without surgery. there is a difference between tears and a full thickness tear. your shoulder is not a very vasular area is why it has difficulty healing. second is you are going to be in a sling 4 to 6 weeks almost 24 7 that includes while you sleep. if you do not follow this you could reinjure your shoulder. after that you get to start rehab. total recovery 9 to 12 months depending on injury and if you smoke and what overall shape your body is in now. and up till my last injury I fished at least twice a week and was benching 405 so afterwards you will be fine. By the way I am 43. It will never be the same but you should be fine just long recovery. ALSO DO YOUR HOME WORK AND GET A VERY GOOD DOCTOR AND CHECK HIM OUT. almost all shoulder suregeries are done with a scope now days. feel free to PM me if you have any questions and good luck.

I'm 57 and shoulder not as bad as you, but I have arthritis in my left shoulder. Doc said when it gets to where I can't live with I'll need a replacement. Good thing is I'm right handed, so I cast, switch hands, and reel with my right. My PB is 7.4 and so far haven't had any problem with holding the rod. When I start cathcin' DDs on a regular basis, I met have to visit that doc again!

Robert, went to the doctor about 7 years ago due to shoulder pain when fishing. Thought it was a torn rotator cuff. Doc said he had some good news and some bad news. He said the good news was that although my rotator cuff showed considerable wear, I didn't need surgery. When I asked for the bad news, he said I have arthritis. He said if it hurts, don't do it. Well I just keep my elbow closer to my body when I cast now. I may look like a sissy, but I'm still fishing. I does hurt though...

What he said. Life is too short to be unnecessarily restricted by something that can be fixed. I too lived with pain from what turned out to be a torn labrum as well, finally got surgery and now can flip/pitch without wincing. Commit yourself to the post-op rehab exercises. They are crucial to a full recovery.

I have had both sholders cut on.R sholder 15 yrs,L sholder 10 yrs.Not a snap,however would recomend having it done.Full recomended rehab both sides and full recovery.good luck

Make sure you're casting with two hands. Use the other hand to pull the butt end and your dominant hand as the fulcrum. It really helps to strengthen the wrist too. The stronger your wrist, the less you'll rely on the shoulder to generate movement.

http://fishstrong.com/rice-digs-for-bulletproof-wrists/

Depending on how bad your shoulder has gotten, you made need surgery to clean it up, but if it's just mild arthriitis and minor wear, you could rehab it.

If you're interested, I can provide you some exercises that might help. Contact me.

I have 2 ruptured disks in my neck with arthritis and also disk degeneration, arthritis and degeneration in my middle back and ruptured disk and arthritis in my lower back at L5. So yes I have pain in my shoulder, arms and hands as well as everywhere else. Can't fish tournaments anymore but try and fish when I can and can relate what you're going through, just hang in there and FISH ON!!!!!

funny you posted this, I just left Texas Back Institute in Rockwall... They said my right shoulder muscle that attaches at my ACL area is very weak.. Going to try therapy, and if that fails the MRI will be next to see if it's torn. My whole back aches from one weakend muscle. The good news is my spinal cord is very clean and no degeneration! woo hoo!