Big Bob, I've been there and done that. An open MRI won't image as well as a closed MRI, but the point of either is to justify the surgical repair to follow (and maybe to generate revenue), so in your situation, an open MRI solves the problem. The imaging of the shoulder is pretty unreliable, whether the MRI is open or closed. My result showed only a full thickness tear of the supraspinatus, which generally is no big deal. In actuality, only one of the four tendons was found to be intact, and what was supposed to be an hour in surgery turned in to two and a half hours. I saw a guy in Indianapolis who limits his practice to shoulders. He somehow got everything back together, and I'm serving tennis balls again. As you improve, post-operatively, you'll be tempted to do too much too soon, but be sure to strictly follow the PT and activity instructions. Yes, it will suck to miss out on softball this summer, but the payoff will be your glorious return, the following year.
I reluctantly became pretty knowledgeable on RTC repairs, and would share that with you, if you like.
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