I think I might have injured my rotator cuff. Anyone here had a bad injury before, what did you do to heal it and how long did it take? How did you go about putting on and taking off a shirt? I can't do this and probably won't be able to do this for a while. Doctors here are useless and just a waste of money.

Last night I fell off motorbike while riding it and landed on my shoulder. Ended up with road rash but my shoulder was so painful with pain radiating down my arm for about an hour after the fall. All throughout the night and this morning, if I move my shoulder a tiny bit in the wrong direction, there is immediate very strong pain, which is in the front part of the shoulder.

Today I went to one of the private hospitals in Pattaya and was told no orthopedic doctors are there now and I could see a general doctor and get my wounds cleaned and Xray. Nurses did a good job cleaning it but I had to ask how often I need to change the dressing and for how long, which is once a day and for 7 days. Doctor just looked at my wounds, asked me to lift my arm and if I wanted an Xray. I said I think I may have injured my rotator cuff and he said MRI is the only thing to see this, which they don't have. Doctor said Xray showed no broken bones. That was basically all the doctor said and did, which was nothing. All up, about a 2,500 baht hospital bill.

It can settle down, I've left an injury, 3 months seems the norm, as nothing broken. Put shirts on a different way, find a way that hurts the least, maybe avoid tee shirts and vests for a while, instead switch to button shirts for a while

4 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

I think I might have injured my rotator cuff. Anyone here had a bad injury before, what did you do to heal it and how long did it take? How did you go about putting on and taking off a shirt? I can't do this and probably won't be able to do this for a while. Doctors here are useless and just a waste of money.

Last night I fell off motorbike while riding it and landed on my shoulder. Ended up with road rash but my shoulder was so painful with pain radiating down my arm for about an hour after the fall. All throughout the night and this morning, if I move my shoulder a tiny bit in the wrong direction, there is immediate very strong pain, which is in the front part of the shoulder.

Today I went to one of the private hospitals in Pattaya and was told no orthopedic doctors are there now and I could see a general doctor and get my wounds cleaned and Xray. Nurses did a good job cleaning it but I had to ask how often I need to change the dressing and for how long, which is once a day and for 7 days. Doctor just looked at my wounds, asked me to lift my arm and if I wanted an Xray. I said I think I may have injured my rotator cuff and he said MRI is the only thing to see this, which they don't have. Doctor said Xray showed no broken bones. That was basically all the doctor said and did, which was nothing. All up, about a 2,500 baht hospital bill.

Since you went and got x-rayed, they eliminated bone spurs. Best to try a sports doctor first as it might not need surgery. All depends on the injury. If you actually heard the pop when you fell, the surgeon might be a better choice. Then they'll evaluate you by range of motion exercises and pain level.

I have torn rotator cuffs from lifting too heavy too long, and was put in a short rehab which worked back then, along with anti-inflammatories. Now they're still in need of another evaluation.

There's no way to tell unless you see a specialist. A normal shoulder bruise will heal. You can get a shoulder ultrasound or MRI to see if there's a tear. Ice in a pack wrap every few hours will help with any swelling, plus Ibuprofen for pain. If your arm on that side has any real weakness, it might be a tear. Slow overhead movements with a clicking feel might also be a tear. Bruised might hurt but you can move the arm.

It happened to me back in the early 90's. I was in the Cook Islands and took a corner too fast on a rented motorbike and landed on my shoulder. Couldn't lift my arm at all. There were no hospital facilities to speak of, so I just toughed it out. Exercising gently in the sea every day helped me recover some range of motion. I had significant pain for about a month, but eventually had a full recovery. Now I drive a car.

Paul Laew