What To Expect After Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery
A rotator cuff injury can be caused by an injury, or just wear and tear from repetitive motion. A rotator cuff injury can be very painful and can result in pain doing normal activities you do every day, or you may feel pain when laying down, or even when trouble falling asleep at night. If you have pain in your shoulder and you have been diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, you may have already been prescribed treatments such as pain medication, therapy, or other types of therapy, including ice and heat. If none of these treatments have helped you and you are going to have surgery to repair your rotator cuff, you may wonder what to expect. Read on for information so you know what to expect from rotator cuff repair.
You'll Be Wearing A Sling
Your arm will be in a sling to keep your shoulder in place and to prevent too much motion in your shoulder. You should be able to do most of your regular activities, but you won't be able to use the one arm that had the surgery. You should wear your sling throughout the day, every day until your surgeon tells you you can stop using it. You will more than likely have the sling for at least several weeks.
You'll Have Physical Therapy
You're going to have physical therapy to help with movement and to prevent your ligaments from getting too tight, to help with flexibility. You'll go to physical therapy for a few weeks and can learn exercises and stretches to prevent re-injury to your rotator cuff. These exercises and stretches can be used at home when you're on your own again.
You'll Have Some Pain
You're more than likely going to have pain after your surgery, which is why your surgeon will more than likely prescribe you pain medications that you should take according to the dosage on the bottle. If you have too much pain, you should consult your surgeon. You may have to sleep with extra pillows at night to help with pain, or you may need to sleep upright for a few weeks to help with the pain as well.
If you are in need of rotator cuff surgery to repair your torn rotator cuff, you should consult your surgeon about what you can expect with the surgery itself and what you should expect with the recovery time. You're going to need time off of work and may not be able to perform regular duties for some time, to prevent re-injury to your shoulder.