I want to get a shoulder surgery [Distal Clavicle Resection]

I fell on my shoulder back in the beginning of 2010 while snowboarding and it basically killed my dream of rock climbing :[

I went to a few doctors and all the X-rays kept coming back negative until i got an MRI and the doctor said I have a Shoulder Impingement which is a Traumatic Osteolysis Distal Clavicle and I can get a Distal Clavicle Resection if I wanted.

He told me that after the surgery I would be back to where I was prior to the injury almost right away. I might have caught his wording wrongly but how I understood it is that after the surgery it would be like I never injured my shoulder. He also said that I would NOT be doing no damage if I decided not to get the surgery and if I wanted to get it in 10 years that would also be an option.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

I have been reading this thread forum.bodybuilding.com/show… where people got (I assume) the same surgery but they call it weightlifter's shoulder and nobody ever mentions shoulder impingement. Also the people in this thread say they have a lot of pain post surgery and it takes them many months to feel normal again.

Is my doctor describing the same surgery that a lot of weightlifters seem to get?

As for me I am 21 years old and I have full range of motion in my right shoulder and almost no pain. But there is discomfort, like it just doesn't feel like my other shoulder. It feels like it's just hanging there and when I compare my shoulder in the mirror it looks droopy and not symmetrical (hangs lower) with my other shoulder.

Does anyone have any tips, advice, insight, information, personal experience they can share? I want to know if I will heal 100% after this surgery and if my shoulder will be raised up after the surgery? Why does it hang and look lower than the other one?

Thanks a lot!

I can not tell you what to do, ultimately it will be your choice.
With out seeing the x-rays and MRI I cant tell you what the proper form of action is about how best to heal up you shoulder.
But what I can tell is
two years ago I took a whipper on a 5.11+ and did about the same thing you did falling snowboarding. I saw a orthopedist and he told me just about the same as you described.
I let my shoulder heal a month or two and I climbed on it for a year, BUT the damage was bad enough that the joint was limited to about 5.10bs any more than than the joint kept separating out of the socket.
I decided to have the surgery done. There is a couple of months healing so not to re injure the surgical points and some PT to regain the lost strength and flexibility. And with in three months post surgery I was Ice climbing WI3/4 and I'm climbing 5.8s no problem (mostly slowly testing what I can/cant do just yet) and getting stronger every day. I am not sure if the shoulder will be as strong as PRE injury but its defiantly way stronger than POST injury. I'm 5 months post surgery and Im glad I had it done, I can see my self climb high tens by the end of this summer for sure and possibly back to my old level by next season.

I dislocated my shoulder for the first time in 2001 and maybe 12-15 times since (mostly from non-climbing activities, but a couple times while climbing). The first time I went to the ER and had it put back in place(6 hours with it out of place) but have since learned to put it back in place myself.

Two years ago I asked my doctor what he thought of surgery. His advice was to get the surgery when my lifestyle no longer involves intense use of the shoulder (i.e. climbing, mountaineering, etc). He said the likelihood of re-injuring, and thus destroying the surgery, would be quite high.

Climbing has strengthened my shoulder to the point that it rarely dislocates anymore, maybe once a year. I think that's manageable. This is my experience only...I can't tell you what to do.

Good luck...
Nathan

Nathan,
You are going down the same path I went down for a lot of years. I first popped mine out in 99. I was very active and did daily PT during those years as well so slacking on strengthening was not my issue. Do some research on hill sachs lesion. That is what happens when you keep popping out the shoulder, even once a year. It is the socket wearing itself down. The damage is permanent and very difficult to fix. I wish I had gone in to get my shoulder fixed much sooner. Instead of tightening a few ligaments or your labrum, etc you are looking at an Ortho doing a much more serious surgery with bone reconstrution, screws, etc. I had two Orthos tell me the same thing yours told you. It was horrible advice in my opinion. If you want to see a link to the surgery I just went through because I waited I will send it to you. I was told I should never do overhead sports again even with the surgery. I do not know about you but that really sucks to hear at 31 years of age.

Viktor wrote:I fell on my shoulder back in the beginning of 2010 while snowboarding and it basically killed my dream of rock climbing :[ I went to a few doctors and all the X-rays kept coming back negative until i got an MRI and the doctor said I have a Shoulder Impingement which is a Traumatic Osteolysis Distal Clavicle and I can get a Distal Clavicle Resection if I wanted. He told me that after the surgery I would be back to where I was prior to the injury almost right away. I might have caught his wording wrongly but how I understood it is that after the surgery it would be like I never injured my shoulder. He also said that I would NOT be doing no damage if I decided not to get the surgery and if I wanted to get it in 10 years that would also be an option. Does anyone have any experience with this? I have been reading this thread forum.bodybuilding.com/show… where people got (I assume) the same surgery but they call it weightlifter's shoulder and nobody ever mentions shoulder impingement. Also the people in this thread say they have a lot of pain post surgery and it takes them many months to feel normal again. Is my doctor describing the same surgery that a lot of weightlifters seem to get? As for me I am 21 years old and I have full range of motion in my right shoulder and almost no pain. But there is discomfort, like it just doesn't feel like my other shoulder. It feels like it's just hanging there and when I compare my shoulder in the mirror it looks droopy and not symmetrical (hangs lower) with my other shoulder. Does anyone have any tips, advice, insight, information, personal experience they can share? I want to know if I will heal 100% after this surgery and if my shoulder will be raised up after the surgery? Why does it hang and look lower than the other one? Thanks a lot!

I had the surgery on both shoulders. Did the pt that the dr reccomended after the ops and my shoulders are great. No problem at all. I had the surgeries on thurs/fri and was back at work on monday. Didnt need the sling, I was carefull and followed the dr and pt's instructions, I think the PT lasted about 6 weeks. After that I was good to go

Bumping up to see if anyone has anything to say.

Going to see my surgeon this Thursday and was wondering if this is a common surgery for a hand surgeon to preform? Should I make sure he has done it many times before or is it a straight-forward surgery?

It's been a long time since I injured but it still feels "out-of-place" and I want to go right into it and get it over with and hopefully get a clean start on life.

Viktor wrote:I fell on my shoulder

Viktor wrote: Going to see my surgeon this Thursday and was wondering if this is a common surgery for a hand surgeon to preform?

I thought it was a shoulder problem? Now it's a hand problem? Or is it a hand surgeon branching out to shoulder repair? Either way, I'm sure he's an orthopedic surgeon, which is what you need, huh?

His profile says "Specialties: Orthopaedic, Hand Surgery"

He was the guy who found the impingement after I had the MRI done.

Should I be looking for someone who specializes directly in the shoulder?

Viktor,

A second opinion can't hurt. See another orthopedist and ask him what he thinks. Sure, it'll probably cost you a few more bucks, but could be well worth it.

Viktor, an ortho who specializes in hand/wrist usually operates only on hand and wrist.

You want to see a GENERAL ortho for shoulder surgery.

Maybe this guy does it all, but it seems unlikely. One way or another, he should be able to refer you to a good general ortho who can handle your shoulder.

Thanks for the responses. I am going to cancel my appointment for now and schedule one with my family doctor to see what he thinks and if he can recommend someone who does good shoulder work.

Actually here is his profile on the other website.

Specialties: Dr. Sherman practices general orthopaedics with special interest in hand and upper extremity surgery; joint replacement of the shoulder, elbow, wrist and fingers; arthritis surgery; sports medicine; arthroscopy of shoulder, knee, hip and ankle; and fracture care.

I think I am still going to go see him and talk to him about it. I guess I'll ask him how often he preforms this particular operation. Sounds like he does a little of everything..

I believe a "Hand" fellowship, which is extra training after an Orthopedic residency, involves extra surgical training in the entire upper extremity. You can ask your doc if he did a Hand fellowship and if it encompasses the entire arm, or try google.

I'm on the verge of getting shoulder surgery to have bone spurs removed. I've been in and out of PT for 8 months, had a cortisone shot, and it still hurts. Has anyone had this done? I'm hesitant to commit to the surgery.

I definitely wouldn't let a wrist surgeon repair my shoulder. I know several people who have had bad surgical results, so I'm not going to let anyone but the best shoulder specialist I can find cut me open. If the doctor does anything wrong, there's no going back, which is why I'm afraid of surgery in general.

I understand; the guy I'm going to see it says practices general orthopaedics with special interest in hand and upper extremity surgery; which would include the shoulder. But I am still going to make sure he has done the procedure before. I've had a few months of PT too, but it looks like once you get the problem, it doesn't just go away on it's own.

If he does somehow do something wrong; which I don't really want to think about. There are always ways to fix the problem, however your chances of making a full recovery are probably less the 2nd time.