28 minutes ago, DD86 said:

Yes, agreed. I have BAD and GI doctors here have no clue. I communicated with Gemini and came out with some amazing insights.

Good, many don't understand how good Gemini is on medical issues, their loss

That happened to me.

I came off my bike and both tore my rotator cuff, and fractured the head of my humerus. From your description of the injury, it's perfectly possible that exactly this may have happened to you, too.

Either way, there is little they can do if it's this. I was given an X-ray consolation prize, and a prescription for Tramadol (note: I would AVOID taking this medication at all costs, most especially if you are meant to know where you are and/or your own name).

That said, they did also put my arm in a sling, which helped limit accidental movements (and subsequent poison darts of pain). It was nothing sophisticated; a long-ish rag tied under my elbow, and over the other side of my neck. A suitable tea-towel will do.

Also: Never try to put on stockings with this injury.

Hope useful -

Rookie.

Do you not have insurance? This is exactly what it’s for. You need to see the right doctor and get this checked out. If you are self insured then spend the money wisely, but don’t play with Dr Google. Every case is different and you may be a lucky one and only need physical therapy but you need to find out. I have great doctors and they know what to do or consult with other specialists if it’s a tricky situation. I think you may have had a bad experience here at some point. Your health is worth paying for and 2,500 baht is nothing. Just to walk into a Doctors office or in other countries costs more than that. In any case, just be comfortable with your decision and the possible consequences. It’s your body, do as you wish.

Why are you coming to a news forum for medical advice? Did you also hit your head and lose all common sense? Why have you not gone to a doctor? Don't believe in them? It's cheap enough. I went for a rotator cuff problem and was seen as soon as I walked into the hospital. They showed me the x rays and pinpointed the problem. Impingement syndrome from bone spur and supraspinitus tendon injury. Is that too much work for you? By the time you read this you could be seen, prescribed meds if need be, and well on your way before you even posted.

After a workplace injury I was stuffed around by the company doctor who said I couldn't expect improvement because of my age. 50 at the time. He did cortisone injections which were extremely painful and of no help. Only Xrays but no MRI. Luckily my boss agreed to a second opinion. I went to a top sports surgeon and after an MRI I was operated on the next week. Being that the injury is recent I'd take Voltaren for the inflammation and see if it settles down. Don't wait too long as the muscles in you shoulder and arm will start to weaken making recovery harder if it is a rotator cuff tear. Most private hospitals in Thailand have their doctors resumes on their websites it's easy to see where they have done their training.

It's always a good thing to, at a minimum, get an MRI.

However, rotator cuff injury can be tricky. I had a surfer friend who had severe shoulder problems from decades of hanging 5. Well, I took him to the surgeon and picked him up later that same day. The operation went well the docs said his shoulder was way worse than what they expected, he really tore the hell out of it after years of abuse. He had a very high pain tolerance and he ran out of pain meds after 3 or 4 days he was in a lot of pain that weekend it was brutal!

Firstly, read posts by @Sheryl

AFAIK, she is the only person in this thread who is a medical professional.

Having said that, the following is my experience - not to be considered as medical advice, merely hoping it helps you.

So in 2022 I fell off a ladder and suffered a SHOULDER IMPINGEMENT injury. So painful that I needed 2 hands to pick up a mug of coffee!

I'm in UK and got my treatment via the NHS which included an Ultrasound which revealed "Restriction of movement both shoulders. rotator cuff tear"

followed by some Physiotherapy.

The Physio recommended me an exercise program - I cannot attach that, (forum doesn't accept DOC or PDF attachments) but if you want a copy message me.

I also bought a hot bag which helped a lot.

On a subsequent trip to Thailand, a friend recommended Perskindol spray (pic attached) available in pharmacies - very effective IME

I also found swimming the crawl very difficult so used breast stroke.

The following year, able to crawl but occasional "clicks" from shoulder.

It takes a while and has left me with Shoulder Osteoarthrtis. There's no cure for that (except surgery in extreme cases) but keeping moving is essential.

Best of luck to you.

Edited July 30Jul 30 by VBF

On 7/28/2026 at 3:54 PM, Rookie123 said:

That happened to me.

I came off my bike and both tore my rotator cuff, and fractured the head of my humerus. From your description of the injury, it's perfectly possible that exactly this may have happened to you, too.

Either way, there is little they can do if it's this. I was given an X-ray consolation prize, and a prescription for Tramadol (note: I would AVOID taking this medication at all costs, most especially if you are meant to know where you are and/or your own name).

That said, they did also put my arm in a sling, which helped limit accidental movements (and subsequent poison darts of pain). It was nothing sophisticated; a long-ish rag tied under my elbow, and over the other side of my neck. A suitable tea-towel will do.

Also: Never try to put on stockings with this injury.

Hope useful -

Rookie.

How long did it take for you to lift your arm up above your shoulder height and how long to fully recover?

How bad was your rotator cuff tear? Was it a partial tear or a full tear and what part of the rotator cuff did you tear?

On 7/29/2026 at 10:10 AM, golli said:

Don't wait too long as the muscles in you shoulder and arm will start to weaken making recovery harder if it is a rotator cuff tear. Most private hospitals in Thailand have their doctors resumes on their websites it's easy to see where they have done their training.

It's been nearly 5 days now and I can lift my arm straight up above my shoulders since yesterday (day 4) basically with very minimal pain, depending on the angle I lift my arm straight up. I've been doing light shoulder mobility exercises every day and icing the shoulder often every day. I basically have most of the range of motion available, except trying to put my arm behind my back, which causes pain, so I'm not doing this.

Edited July 30Jul 30 by bbi1

11 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

It's been nearly 5 days now and I can lift my arm straight up above my shoulders since yesterday (day 4) basically with very minimal pain, depending on the angle I lift my arm straight up. I've been doing light shoulder mobility exercises every day and icing the shoulder often every day. I basically have most of the range of motion available, except trying to put my arm behind my back, which causes pain, so I'm not doing this.

You're doing great! Keep it up, but don't 'push it'. Let nature do its work. 👍

I've long reckoned that this was the exercise that fixed my shoulder. It started with little circles, but gradually increased as the days went by.

Edited July 30Jul 30 by Moonlover
Add video

32 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

You're doing great! Keep it up, but don't 'push it'. Let nature do its work. 👍

I've long reckoned that this was the exercise that fixed my shoulder. It started with little circles, but gradually increased as the days went by.

Thanks, I gave it a go already and I am able to do it. I'll add that YouTube exercise to my daily routine.

In Pattaya I had a good orthopedic consultation (knees) with Dr. Thep at his clinic on Sukhumvit, opposite the Caltex just past N. Pattaya Rd. UCLA trained, great English, didn't push expensive treatments. https://doctortheportho.com/

When I was T-boned on my motorbike at low speed, same as you, severe shoulder pain, couldn't lift arm above midsection. Saw an Orthopedist, had X-ray. No dislocation or damage, just stretched tendons and probably small muscle tears. He prescribed gentle arm lifting exercises but never pushing into pain. It was 6 to 8 months before I had normal shoulder mobility and even then, reach for something just the wrong way and get a jolt of pain. It was pretty much a year before I felt totally normal.

Go see Sergei @ https://www.facebook.com/motionwellnesspattaya?

They are located in Centre Congo on Pattaya Tai. Extremely knowledgeable, good prices and fixed me for a few things now.

24 minutes ago, dddave said:

In Pattaya I had a good orthopedic consultation (knees) with Dr. Thep at his clinic on Sukhumvit, opposite the Caltex just past N. Pattaya Rd. UCLA trained, great English, didn't push expensive treatments. https://doctortheportho.com/

When I was T-boned on my motorbike at low speed, same as you, severe shoulder pain, couldn't lift arm above midsection. Saw an Orthopedist, had X-ray. No dislocation or damage, just stretched tendons and probably small muscle tears. He prescribed gentle arm lifting exercises but never pushing into pain. It was 6 to 8 months before I had normal shoulder mobility and even then, reach for something just the wrong way and get a jolt of pain. It was pretty much a year before I felt totally normal.

Thanks. How long did after the accident until you were able to lift your arm up straight reaching high above your shoulders, even with a slight pain?

21 minutes ago, sungod said:

Go see Sergei @

?

They are located in Centre Congo on Pattaya Tai. Extremely knowledgeable, good prices and fixed me for a few things now.

Not quite sure what happened there, just google motion wellness Pattaya and look for their facebook page

1 hour ago, bbi1 said:

It was a long time before I regained full reach. I remember adjusting the shower head in my shower was painful for many months. I would guess about 6 to 8 months for 90% mobility, up to a year before my shoulder was normal.

Over the years, friends with similar injuries all remarked that their shoulders healed slowly, as mine did. A few who had corrective surgery ended-up taking even longer to heal.

Once healed, I have never experienced any negative effects though at my age, now in my 80's, I don't stress it very much.