There is much more to rotator cuff surgery recovery than just the expertise of your surgeon. While it is true your physician and physical therapist must provide a good deal of science to the process you will have to provide a good understanding of how your body works and find a good deal of outside support as well. There will be normal daily activities that you will be unable to perform due to the surgery and you will need friends or loved ones to come along side you and help you out. When you bring all these elements together, you will have a winning team dedicated to your swift recovery.
First Things First
There is a possibility that you will have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days. Open surgery requires the first few days of recovery to be monitored in the hospital for at least 24 hours. However if you have arthroscopic surgery you can go home immediately.
No matter which surgery you have you will be required to wear a protective sling. You will have a much faster rotator cuff surgery recovery time, as this will keep your arm and shoulder immobile and relaxed. This does not mean you should never move it however; you will have passive exercises to do guided by your physical therapist immediately after getting out of the hospital. These exercises keep the muscle from becoming atrophied or scarred.
Exercises during Recovery Period
During the four phases of recovery - passive motion, active motion, strengthening and full activity - you will be required to exercise your shoulders although in varying ways. Your physical therapist should be able to provide detailed assistance and instructions for exercises during all four phases. These exercises can be categorized into three - beginning, advanced and strengthening.
First, beginning exercises can be done with and without the help of your physical therapist. You can alternate between forward elevation of the arm, external rotation, and elbow flexion and extension and grip exercises, to name a few. Ask your physical therapist whether you are allowed to perform these exercises in the passive and active ways. This is an important step since exposing your shoulder muscles to stress before these are ready can adversely affect your rotator cuff surgery recovery.
Second, advanced exercises are performed 6-8 weeks after the operation. You are now asked to let your shoulders perform its full range of motion with exercises that must be done 10-15 times daily. Your physical therapist will outline advanced exercises like internal rotation and cross-body adduction.
Third, strengthening exercises aim to restore strength to your otherwise weakened muscles. This way, you can indeed go back to your daily activities even in sports.
You will be required to lift weights although you must still remember not to overstress your shoulder muscles. As such, your physical therapist will plan out a personalized strength training protocol that will include internal and external rotations as well as pressing exercises.
In any of these exercises, you must immediately consult with your doctor when your wound starts to exhibit signs of redness, uncommon warmth and oozing fluid or when you develop a fever or when your pain becomes intolerable. Any of these factors will affect how fast and how well you tread the path of rotator cuff surgery recovery.
First Things First
There is a possibility that you will have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days. Open surgery requires the first few days of recovery to be monitored in the hospital for at least 24 hours. However if you have arthroscopic surgery you can go home immediately.
No matter which surgery you have you will be required to wear a protective sling. You will have a much faster rotator cuff surgery recovery time, as this will keep your arm and shoulder immobile and relaxed. This does not mean you should never move it however; you will have passive exercises to do guided by your physical therapist immediately after getting out of the hospital. These exercises keep the muscle from becoming atrophied or scarred.
Exercises during Recovery Period
During the four phases of recovery - passive motion, active motion, strengthening and full activity - you will be required to exercise your shoulders although in varying ways. Your physical therapist should be able to provide detailed assistance and instructions for exercises during all four phases. These exercises can be categorized into three - beginning, advanced and strengthening.
First, beginning exercises can be done with and without the help of your physical therapist. You can alternate between forward elevation of the arm, external rotation, and elbow flexion and extension and grip exercises, to name a few. Ask your physical therapist whether you are allowed to perform these exercises in the passive and active ways. This is an important step since exposing your shoulder muscles to stress before these are ready can adversely affect your rotator cuff surgery recovery.
Second, advanced exercises are performed 6-8 weeks after the operation. You are now asked to let your shoulders perform its full range of motion with exercises that must be done 10-15 times daily. Your physical therapist will outline advanced exercises like internal rotation and cross-body adduction.
Third, strengthening exercises aim to restore strength to your otherwise weakened muscles. This way, you can indeed go back to your daily activities even in sports.
You will be required to lift weights although you must still remember not to overstress your shoulder muscles. As such, your physical therapist will plan out a personalized strength training protocol that will include internal and external rotations as well as pressing exercises.
In any of these exercises, you must immediately consult with your doctor when your wound starts to exhibit signs of redness, uncommon warmth and oozing fluid or when you develop a fever or when your pain becomes intolerable. Any of these factors will affect how fast and how well you tread the path of rotator cuff surgery recovery.
About the Author:
Tom Nicholson spends his time helping sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome. Please follow this link to find out more aboutrotator cuff surgery recovery.
