Hope it’s okay I’m creating a new topic here - the one that appears most similar last had an entry 4 years ago.
There is still debate about whether rotator cuff injuries represent partial tears, or mostly just inflammation, or mostly impingement vs. actual tears. And your results may vary, depending on the actual underlying pathology.
Anyway, a couple of decades ago, I wrenched my right arm after slipping on steep wooden stairs and catching myself from falling. I subsequently would have severe twinges in that arm, not when undertaking “major” motion like push ups/chin ups, but when I reaching out to the side, or using using my arms reflexively to stabilize my balance if I was slipping on ice - i.e. classic rotator cuff injury symptoms.
Eventually, over a couple of years, that issue mostly resolved, but I did have the occasional twinge reminding me that my right arm wasn’t truly 100 percent.
Anyway, flash forward to a couple of years ago. I’m doing “chin ups” on a pull down machine, but because I’m a bit taller (though not that tall) than the average height it was made for, I was always at an odd angle. This one particular time, something felt really off in both arms after doing my sets.
However, there didn’t seem to be any lingering affect form that alone (but possibly, damage was indeed done). But around the same time, I began seeing videos on dead hangs popping up in my feeds, which were supposed to cure everything imaginable. So within a couple of weeks, I tried a wide-grip dead hang.
And that was all she wrote. Very quickly had bilateral shoulder pain, such that simple tasks like tucking in my shirt was very painful indeed. Ironically, my left arm (and I’m left-handed), which had never been an issue before, was actually worse than my right arm. Because I’m pretty stoic (i.e. too stupid to see a doctor quickly), and hoping it would resolve in time (as my original right arm injury did), I did my best to ignore it. But months later, it was almost as bad - maybe it improved by about only 25% over nine or more months.
I eventually had an unrelated doctor’s appointment, and mentioned the issue. The doctor had me press inwards and outwards against her hands in various orientations, to determine exactly which shoulder tendons were involved. She confirmed it was rotator cuff-related, and suggested I could get physiotherapy if the issue continued.
Here’s where Rapmycin comes in. I had, for some time, been taking 1mg of branded Rapamune a week, in a protocol involving grapefruit juice, black pepper, taking it with fat etc. to increase bioavailablity. I had some reason to believe this protocol was offering some benefit, though I won’t go into that here. It however clearly wasn’t providing any benefit re this issue.
So, shortly after seeing the doctor, I decided to move to 2mg a week (which, between grapefruit juice, piperine, taking with fat etc.) is probably closer, based on factors which have been discussed in this forum in other threads) to taking 4 to 7 mg “straight”.
And within a week or so, after more than 9 months of pain, both arms were at least 95% back to normal. I have continued since then to take 2mg (plus the accompanying “enhancers”) every two weeks, And at least to date, no return of the issue, even when doing things that would classically set it off, like reaching behind and to side for something.
I am always suspicious of “miraculous” anecdotal reports. (Though these are mostly people trying something for the first time re anxiety/depression etc., and after only one dose reporting an amazing cure, only to then never mention anything about this alleged success again.) But I am not concerned this is a subjective/placebo effect here - continuing pain in both arms, disabling enough that just trying to get dressed, tuck in a shirt etc. was a notably difficult - completely resolved after 9 months within a week or two of taking the equivalent of about 6 mg of Rapamycin.
Presumably, the issue was inflammation of the rotator cuff tendons, now tamped down by Rapamycin. The fact that 6 mg (my rough estimated equivalent dose) is a standard “loading dose” of Rapa - the dose that takes you right away to the steady-state “average” level of taking 2 mg every day for people needing actual immune system suppression - make sense in the context. When I moved to that level, I was presumably, once every two weeks, for a few days at least, reaching a blood level of Rapa likely to tamp down on inflammation.
I am reminded of Matt Kaeberlein’s early experience with frozen shoulder and Rapamycin, but this was clearly rotator cuff injury, and not frozen shoulder. I had full range of motion, it just hurt like hell.
Anyway, hope the information herein is useful or encouraging to someone.