Rotator Cuff Surgery Recovery Timeline

The rotator cuff refers to a set of four muscles and tendons which form a cuff over the shoulder joint. Both these muscles and tendons are attached to the margins of the humeral head which is a part of the glenohumeral joint. Any problem in the rotator cuff muscles or the shoulder joint complex could be responsible for restricting the range of motion associated with the shoulder or arms. The shoulder pain could be caused as a result of a shoulder injury or due to overuse of these muscles. The pain could also be induced as a result of wear and tear of tendons due to the process of aging. Though sometimes, this condition might be treated with the help of physiotherapy, if the symptoms are severe, doctors might recommend surgery. Here's some information on this surgical procedure along with rotator cuff surgery recovery timeline.

Rotator Cuff Surgery

Surgical Procedure

This surgical procedure is performed when conservative treatment options are unable to alleviate inflammation and pain around the rotator cuff. If a person is experiencing great difficulty while using the arm overhead or is suffering from a shoulder bone spur around this area, doctors might resort to this surgical procedure. The procedure involves the use of shoulder arthroscopy to check for inflammation and tears in the tendons. The inflamed, damaged tissues or bone spurs are then removed. If the tendon has to be attached to the bone, open incisions are made and the tendon is attached to the bone with the help of sutures. The last stage of this surgical procedure is closing the incision and application of dressing.

Recovery Timeline

How long would one take to recover from this surgery? Well, the rotator cuff surgery recovery timeline generally depends on the extent of damage caused by the injury. Though this surgery is basically an outpatient procedure and doesn't require one to be hospitalized, the time one may take to completely recover from the surgery could range from 6-12 months. The patient has to be very careful during the rehabilitation period. After the surgery, the patient will have to wear a sling for about 4-6 weeks. Vigorous movements must be completely avoided. The doctors generally stress on passive range of motion and pain management in the initial stages of rehabilitation. Generally the physiotherapist guide the patient regarding the motion of the shoulder and arms without causing stress to the shoulder joint complex. Generally anti-inflammatory drugs are administered to provide relief from pain.

After seeing visible signs of improvement in the range of motion of the arms and joint, the physiotherapist moves on to the rotator cuff exercises. Now the arm can be moved but care has to be taken so that there is no stress. This stage lasts for another 6 weeks. After this stage, the physiotherapists will teach you certain exercises that will help to strengthen the shoulder joint complex. The aim is to help the patient get back the normal range of motion. One may need to perform these stretches for another 6-12 weeks. During this time, doctors would monitor the healing process regularly. The duration of time one may take to recover might also vary according to the ability of one's body to repair. However, average recovery time is about 5-6 months.

Those of you who have been experiencing pain around their shoulder must get themselves medically examined. An X-ray examination will help in determining whether the pain is arising due to a rotator cuff injury or not.