Shoulder bone spur removal?

MRI showed I have 2 partial tears in my rotator cuff and 2 bone spurs. One is pointing up and the Ortho isn't concerned. One is pointing down. Ortho suggested surgery to remove it. Without removal he said it would poke a hole in that rotator cuff muscle. 

Anyone been through this? Thoughts? Ortho said 6 weeks until full recovery. 

(Planning on more PT for the two tears.)

You could ask a different orthopedist for a second opinion.

I had surgery 12/4. MRI showed partial tear of supraspinatus but doc thought full tear. When he got in there, it was a full tear and I had a bone spur that he shaved down. I would think pretty quick recovery if just the bone spur removal. With all that I had done (plus bicep tenodesis) I was back climbing at the 4 month mark

i've had 2 surgeries last year... one bicep tendom rupture on the Left arm(September) and a bone spur removal on the right(December)... both had 1 full month of PT, then gym without any weights, just movement and some bands and then, on the third month, weighted exercises.. counting the whole ordeal, Last week was the first time i climbed since september..now, onto the surgery itself..

just to compare both of them, and since they are both common types surgeries in climbers i would say that the biceps repair was painless although your fear of riping it again will limit and haunt you for a long time.. i still don't have courage to do pull ups.. and the inside of my forearm is numb since then..i hope it comes back to normal within a year of the surgery, but its no big deal.. arm is great, and its visually perfect.. of course im not as strong as i was before, but im coming back and have no problem at all...just need some time to build some muscle again..

Now...onto the bone spur removal...

I also hade a partial tear, but nothing that big, and i had this problem maybe since 2014.. the pain comes and goes.. I used to feel a lot of pain and restriction for maybe 2 months, and then 6-12 months without anything. but last year it started to limit my climbing in some types of moves in a way that it was impossible to overcome the pain to complete said movement.. so i decided to undergo the surgery, since i was already doing PT for the Biceps, i thought that well, i will just take some rest and why not do both and end this once and for all??

the post surgery was really painful, way more than the bicep repair... it HURTS, and still do..i was going into this thinking and having the experience with the bicep, but 6 weeks was in no way enough for me to do anything at the gym without feeling an excruciating pain... I mean, they cut a piece of your own bone, and maybe they hjave to reinsert your tendom, so, its a delicate surgery.

And there's the fact that i might have the same problem on the left shoulder, but im done with surgeries for now..

so.. summaryzing..

thoughts??? For me..it was worth it, but.. theres a very high chance that will take you way more than 6 weeks to get back in the game(5.10 and up). it still hurts wheneaver i raise my arm or if i'm sleeping with my arm under my pillow... but im getting a lot of improvement lately, and i've been putting more weight on the gym.. so it will get better..eventually.

maybe you dont need the surgery, and i had a ortho friend was against the surgery, but i think that it was better at the end.. im still young, strong, and i can overcome  it. but i really think that any ld man doing this might never raise his arm again.. that shit is really painfull..

and of course that you might try doing a lot of PT, and dont undergo surgery..and live with some weeks of pain every year, but i prefer solve the problem and be 100% for the future

ps: Im a Phisician myself, and i dont want, by no means discourage you from doing it.. you just need to adjust your expectations. but... it will solve your problems

Jennifer Mwrote:

I had surgery 12/4. MRI showed partial tear of supraspinatus but doc thought full tear. When he got in there, it was a full tear and I had a bone spur that he shaved down. I would think pretty quick recovery if just the bone spur removal. With all that I had done (plus bicep tenodesis) I was back climbing at the 4 month mark

HA! mine was 12/6. same thing with the 4 month mark..

I see this post is a bit old, but I related to it because I also had two bone spurs and partial tears in my rotator cuff. The one "pointing down" was the most dangerous, and my orthopedic doctor explained that the risk of a complete tear was serious if left untreated.

I chose to see a specialist in Bethel, PA - Dr. Michael Bercik, who explained all the risks and benefits to me. He also provided access to recovery protocols and monitored my progress after the procedure.

the one pointing down - is that referred to as a "goat's beard" bone spur? i have that in my left shoulder, but my dr (at the time) didn't seem too worried about it.

I had the pointing up type. Hurt all the time. Hemming and hawing about doctors. Was in a desperate chimney situation on Half Down NW face. Needed to turn around to face the other way. Mild panic setting in due to no gear for a ways and pondering a ping pong fall down the maw. In a last ditch I reached straight up over my head to get my shoulders turned and I heard and felt a crack in my injured shoulder. I thought oh no Iv'e really messed it up now and I am way up on this massive wall. Turns out the crack  sound was the spur breaking off. It never hurt again after that. I did manage the move and didn't fall off. Not the recommended method of spur removal but it worked. Could feel it floating around in there for several years after. Once in a while it would impinge a nerve but just as fast I could move my shoulder around and it would go away. I think eventually it dissolved completely. Hope this helps. :-]