Warren, I had three tears in my left rotator cuff. I wrecked it when I was 18, never got it fixed until I was 28.
In order to fix it, I went to the doctor every week for 8 weeks and he gave me big long needle injections. Over the course of said weeks, he went in from every single direction, including the back of my neck. Each week was a different direction.
I also went to PT 3 times a week. In addition to that, I went to the YMCA and worked out every other day. I got way buffed out.
The reason for all that working out is because it was explained to me that I had to get all those muscles as strong as possible in order to hold the joint where it was supposed to be. I had lots of different excercises that worked small muscles that would normally be missed. The PT people and the trainer at the YMCA worked together to give me a routine that I followed religiously.
It took a few months until things felt a lot better, and maybe a year until it was fully repaired and painless. I have never had a problem since.
Granted, it was a royal pain in the ass, but after hurting every single day for ten years, it was a small price. And yes, I gained full motion of my arm, along with freakish strength.
