The tear in your rotator cuff has been a source of no small amount of pain, not to mention you miss the full use of your shoulder and arm. So, you’re joining the half a million people in the United States who turn to arthroscopic rotator cuff repair each year, which is our speciality here at William Schell, MD.
Dr. Schell is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, so you’re in excellent hands for your rotator cuff repair, and we look forward to working with you to reestablish the functionality of your shoulder.
In our many years of performing arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs, we’ve learned a things about the recovery process that we want to share. With one caveat — no two people follow exactly the same timeline, but the following will give you a general idea about what to expect.
Let’s first look at your immediate recovery period. In a vast majority of cases, Dr. Schell performs a rotator cuff repair on an outpatients basis, which means you’re free to return home the same day. We do ask that you get someone to accompany you.
We typically don’t use general anesthesia, but we do use local nerve blocks so you don’t feel anything during the procedure. Once these nerve blocks wear off, however, you will likely feel some postoperative pain, which is just part of the healing process.
We can supply you with pain medications for the first few days if the discomfort is considerable, but most patients find that over-the-counter medications and ice packs do the trick.
Speaking of ice packs, you should also expect some swelling around your shoulder, so we suggest you keep those ice packs going for the first week, at least, to reduce the inflammation and dull the pain.
You will also be in a sling for about a month, so you might need some help with everyday chores. You should also consider building yourself a comfortable sleeping nook that keeps you from rolling over on your shoulder.
Because we perform the surgery arthroscopically, you only have small incisions, and we suggest that you don’t shower for about 48 hours, just to allow time for these tiny incisions to start healing.
Ultimately, we suggest that you arrange to take a week off after your rotator cuff repair, just so you can focus on healing and recovery.
One of the keys for recovering successfully from rotator cuff repair surgery is physical therapy (PT), and we want you to engage in that fairly quickly. We work with your physical therapist to come up with a plan that strengthens your shoulder and helps accelerate healing.
Outside of PT, we ask that you take it easy on your shoulder and follow our instructions when it comes to adding activity. For example, if you play a sport that involves your shoulder, you need to sit out for several months while your shoulder heals. The last thing you want to do is put stress on the connective tissues as they’re trying to reattach to your shoulder. Tearing a rotator cuff again does happen when patients push too hard and too soon, so please heed our guidance and don’t jump the gun.
We follow your progress closely and greenlight you for activities as we move forward, but you should expect to take it easy on your shoulder for 6-12 months or more. In fact, one study found that patients needed 14 months to recover their normal daily function.
Trust us, your patience and PT work will pay off as your shoulder strengthens over time and you regain use of it again.
If you have more questions about recovering from arthroscopic rotator cuff repair surgery, please contact our New York City office, which is located on Columbus Circle on the Upper West Side.
