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My father is 88 and in good health. 2 months ago he fell and landed on his left shoulder. It dislocated and was put back in by the Dr. The accident tore his rotator cuff and a tendon. So, not he has a limited range of motion. His doctors said that PT will help a bit, but they do not recommend surgery at his age as the recovery is long and painful. Is there a typical cutoff age for this type of surgery? Without it, he may not be able to drive a car again.
In general, rotator cuff tears in older adults are not treated surgically because there is fear that the repair will re-tear.
There are several factors that go into a decision to proceed with surgery, which can include the severity and type of tear, the patients overall health, activity level, etc, rather than age alone. There is not an upper age per se but it is a joint decision between a surgeon and patient on the risk versus benefit. So, in this case, there may be other factors that the physician is considering in addition to age. The patient might consider further discussing his concerns with his physical therapist and/or physician for specific details regarding the decision.
However, patients, even with major tears, often do very well with high-quality rehabilitation and regain a substantial amount of range of motion and strength. I would certainly encourage participation in rehabilitation to reduce risk of ROM loss of frozen shoulder.
