How long will i have pain after rotator cuff surgery

Post-Operative Period up to 6 Weeks

Pain will vary from person to person and depend on the extent of the repair to the shoulder. The frequent application of cold packs to the area will help to reduce the swelling and the pain. The first phase of recovery can potentially last up to 6 weeks after the surgery.

3 weeks to 6 weeks- Post-acute recovery

Therapy should not be “painful”, but you will have some discomfort with getting the shoulder out of the sling and having it moved around more. You are still not allowed to actively lift your arm at this point.

Home care can treat many rotator cuff problems. Your doctor will tell you to rest your shoulder joint and ice the area. Over-the-counter pain relievers like aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen can help ease your pain and swelling while your rotator cuff heals. Physical therapy will help restore your shoulder strength.

During your recovery period, you will work with your physical therapist to regain motion and strengthen the area. The rotator cuff surgery recovery timeline can vary case by case, but a full recovery typically takes four to six months. It may take longer than that to return to heavy lifting.

You will begin active range of motion (AROM) exercises around 5 to 6 weeks after surgery. This is when you lift the weight of your arm against gravity, but no additional weight. Around 7 to 8 weeks most patients begin strengthening exercises using weights or resisted bands.

Patients with rotator cuff failure can present with shoulder pain and/or significant weakness or stiffness. The post-operative shoulder pain can be at a new anatomic location or in a similar location to the pre-operative pain.

Approximately 4-6 months after rotator cuff repair, you can expect to complete the rehabilitation process. Your exact shoulder surgery recovery timeline will depend on a combination of factors, including the severity of your rotator cuff injury and the speed at which your body naturally heals.

For the first 6-8 weeks after surgery, your surgeon will ask you to wear a sling to protect the repaired tendons. The next phase of recovery, from 8-12 weeks after the surgery, is focused on getting the shoulder to move normally again, while still not doing any lifting that could pull apart the repair.

Shoulder function not fully restored after rotator cuff surgery, follow-up study finds. Summary: Shoulder motion after rotator cuff surgery remains significantly different when compared to the patient’s opposite shoulder, according to new study.

Retears of the rotator cuff, following operative repair, is not an uncommon event. Various factors have been shown to influence recurrence including the technique of repair. Multiple techniques have been performed with varying results and complications.

By 12-14 weeks, most patients have regained the majority of their passive motion and begin gentle strengthening that progresses over the next three months.

A rotator cuff surgery is a major surgical intervention in the shoulder, and the reason that there is pain after surgery is the amount of normal surgical trauma. Cutting, drilling, cauterizing, and suturing tissues create pain and inflammation.

Pain During Physical Therapy

Sometimes, you may feel pain during your therapy sessions. As a precaution, your therapist will adjust your movements to avoid elevating your shoulder over 60 degrees or overexerting your shoulder as it heals. Rarely does physical therapy cause damage to the repaired muscles.

A torn rotator cuff can usually be repaired by suturing it to its original position. However, tears can recur even after surgery. Recurrent rotator cuff tears especially occur with large tears. Problems in the surgical technique or during the healing process may also contribute to its recurrence.

After spending up to three months without much use, the rotator cuff muscles have weakened and need to be strengthened in order to return to normal activity level. You will learn the proper exercises that focus directly on the specific muscles that need attention.

Weeks 7-10

For the first week, the patient should not have more than a coffee cup weight in the hand. If this goes well, then the patient can increase functional activities as tolerated. Physical therapy exercises increase by adding active range of motion and strengthening as tolerated.

Massive rotator cuff tears are typically defined as rupture of at least two of the four rotator cuff tendons and/or retraction away from the attachment site of 5 cm or greater. Thus, these are generally accepted as more challenging repairs with a longer recovery. Tendon healing to bone biologically takes 3 months.

Rotator cuff repair is the most painful surgery in the first postoperative days. The main risk factor for pain is a work related accident or occupational disease, associated with higher VAS values from D1 to 1 year and greater morphine intake.