I have had tears repaired on both -1st one was able to do it with scope. My shoulder was frozen, painful and much reduced mobility prior to surgery. After almost no pain from day 1, except at physical therapy and exercising but after almost 3 mos of the PT had about 90% rotation. few years later the left one and that tear was extensive so had to do regular surgery. Lucky the cuff was not completely detached, but recovery was longer. Lots of pain prior, and pain meds for a few days after. Had arm in sling for about a week, then 3 mos of PT again. I again have about 95% rotation and was pain free after the 3 mos of PT. Glad I had them done as in both cases the before pain was way worse than anything after the surgeries.

I have been told I need this surgery, and would like to know if what I have been told is true. 3 different people have told me it was the most painful surgery they have ever had. What was your experience?

I don't see anything in your post that says diagnosis to me other than the subject line and that doesn't say it came from a doctor. So, if you haven't been officially diagnosed, then, that would be the first order of business. Confirm or rule out rotator cuff damage. If nothing shows up on xrays then my next step would be a Rheumatologist or orthopedist to see if the accident hasn't caused some arthritic activity that could be corrected with surgery. There's always the possibility that the accident damaged something around the nerves in the neck/shoulder area which can be extremely painful. When it's determined that the doctors can't help then have them refer you to a good massage therapist. They can help loosen the tightness of the muscles in that area and teach you stretching exercises to help correct the problem. This is coming from personal experience. Three years ago I had excruciating pain in my right shoulder. The pain caused the muscles to tighten so much that one doctor asked me if anyone had ever told me I had scoliosis. I went to doctor after doctor. My regular Rheumatologist to chiropractors. The muscle was so tight that the Chiropractor was afraid to adjust my back for fear of causing damage. He referred me to the massage therapist. She first worked on getting the muscles to relax and then gave me a series of stretching exercises to do to keep the tightness from returning. It took some time but I can say that I am now pain free. Your treatment could be successful at any step along the way. It all depends on what's causing your pain and then determining the best treatment.

Hmmm....I don't think I have one yet...supposedly just impingement syndrome. Which I'm told if left untreated may very well lead to a torn rotator cuff. I saw an orthopod and he recommended PT - which I did and have been doing the exercise every other day for six months. I don't think it's helped much. I do find one naproxyn tablet about twice a week pretty much eliminates the pain. I think this has been caused by working in the software industry for about 25 years and spending alot of time working at a computer with bad posture. Rounded shoulders hunkered over a desk - if you do this you better straighten up. All that said, I know three guys who have had rotator cuff surgery - they all seem to have done pretty well. One is very active and has resumed playing tennis - DH is a good tennis play and he apparently killed him - post surgery. The other guy also plays alot of golf and he was able to resume that about six months after surgery. The third guy also kind of an extreme sports guy who plays alot of tennis and does alot of kayaking - he's doing all of that again without any difficulty as far as I can tell. Like any other medical treatment one big factor in the outcome is the skill of the surgeon - and the therapist. They are not all created equal and I think some people think if someone is a doctor or a surgeon or a shoulder surgeon that they'll be able to get the job done successfully. Nothing could be further from the truth. Also, I think results are dependent upon how dedicated you are to following through with the therapy. Two of the three guys said they spent alot of time on rehab and that getting a good PT was critical. Good luck - I am pondering this shoulder surgery issue myself - trying to avoid it.