What To Expect While You Are Expecting - a Rotator Cuff Repair!

Rotator cuff repair is a common shoulder surgery that you may experience during your lifetime. You can develop rotator cuff damages due to various reasons. During your surgery and recovery timeline, you may experience pain and a lot more.

Let us understand what you can expect while undergoing rotator cuff repair surgery.

On the surgery’s day

On the surgery’s day, try to reach the hospital before the scheduled time. You can use this extra time to ask questions and clear your doubts. Moreover, you can complete the paperwork with a clear mind. Before the surgery, nurses will clean your shoulder. Furthermore, they will prep your shoulder joints for the surgery.

Next, an anesthesiologist will give you sedatives to put you to sleep. Do not worry, as you will gain consciousness after the surgical procedure. Finally, an orthopaedic surgeon will operate on your shoulder for 45 minutes to an hour.

After the surgery, you will be taken to a recovery room, where healthcare professionals will closely monitor you. After an hour, you can move back to your home. Make sure to be with someone who can carefully drop you at your home. As your arms will be in a sling for the next six weeks, you must be accompanied by your friends or family who can care for you.

Day 1 to 3 weeks-Acute recovery

It is the initial phase of your recovery process, and you may not notice much difference in your condition. During this period, you will have to use your sling every day. You must not move your hands out of the sling. Moreover, you will experience shoulder pain in the first few days. To control intense pain, your surgeon will provide you with pain medications. It is recommended to take the drugs as prescribed by your surgeon. Follow the instructions on the labels and take the medicines according to the suggested dosages.

After a week of the procedure, you can carefully take your arms out of the sling. Try to stretch your elbows and dangle your arms at your side. Moreover, you can perform pendulum exercises to enhance your range of motion.

Week 3 to week 6- Post-acute recovery

You will have to use a sling in the post-acute recovery phase. First, however, you will indulge more in physical therapy. Because of regular exercises, you will experience improved arm movements, range of motion, and flexibility. Next, you must make passive and assisted range of motion (ROM) a part of your recovery regime. In post-acute recovery, you experience less pain. However, your therapist monitors your pain intensity during ROM activities.

The activities aim to restore your movements and help you get rid of the sling. Even though the exercises are not painful, you may experience a little discomfort while performing them. At this point, your therapist will help you move your arms out of the sling. However, you are not allowed to lift weights or stretch your arms within a specific point. It is because outstretching your arms may cause injury to the healing tissues.

To get more recovery tips for rotator cuff recovery, you can contact Dr. Rewat Laxman.