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I participated in an Indoor Meet last December and actually pole-vaulted for the first time in 22 years. Sometime during the meet, I managed to tear my right rotator cuff. I went to the doctor in March when it became clear that I had more than just a strain and he shot my shoulder with cortisone.

It is now June and I can still feel the tenderness in my shoulder.

Does anyone know how long it takes for a rotator cuff to heal?

It depends on how bad it is. I'm about the same age as you and I did my shoulder a little over a year ago. I was able to start vault drills about 6 months later and I started full vaulting after about 7. I'm lucky in that I can Vault and do Pullovers and Rollouts. I doubt I will ever be able to do any pressing movements again. I can do Narrow Grip Pullups, but only as negatives.

One thing that's pretty stupid and embarrassing for me is when I run sprints I have to hold my pec and make an effort not to move that arm. The natural arm movement of sprints really kills it.

I'm sure this injury will be very individual for you. You will have to figure out what you can do, what you can't do and what kind of exercises and therapy help it get better. Probably keeping it as warm as possible will speed things along. I wish you the best of luck in your recovery.

Was it a full tear, with the ligament completely separated from the bone, or a partial tear, with the ligament torn, but still attached? I had a full tear, and it took about a year after the surgery to fully regain strength. I had a very good surgeon. However, to put his task in perspective to me, he said before the operation that he was repairing the shoulder, not giving me a new one. Step one is for the inflammation caused by the surgery to disappear and the sutures to set. Step two is to regain flexibility and range of motion. Step three is to regain strength. The body's healing process has to run this course, even if you begin the therapy immediately after the operation, as I did. The older you are, the longer it takes no matter how disciplined you are in your therapy regimen. I was 50 when I tore my rotator cuff.

polecat wrote:Was it a full tear, with the ligament completely separated from the bone, or a partial tear, with the ligament torn, but still attached?

According to the doctor, it was a partial tear. He based that on the x-rays and on the mobility tests he had me do. I would move my right arm in a certain way and would tell him when the pain became unbearable.

I haven't done any weightlifting since then and have been careful not to put a strain on my right shoulder when doing any tasks at home or at work. Some days it feels good and then other days it throbs. I think that may be because I sometimes sleep on it wrong.

I'm hoping that I can recover enough to continue doing my other favorite sport: swimming.

As uncomfortable as it may be, try to sleep on your back... it's the most natural way to sleep, and it will minimize the chance of injury while asleep.

My doctor told me that x-rays are not adequate for assessing the damage to ligaments, tendons and tissues and that an MRI is a much better diagnostic tool. I don't know what your insurance will support, but I am glad I had the MRI to reveal just what next steps were needed.

Also, my doctor said that the healing process would not begin until the ligament was reconnected to the bone.