Rotator Cuff Surgery

One of the most common reasons for shoulder pain is tear in the rotator cuff. As people age the chances of damage to it increases and the damage is mainly caused by wear and tear of the tendon. Moreover, injury or trauma to the rotator cuff may also be a reason for shoulder pain. If the pain is severe there may be a need to get a rotator cuff surgery done. Surgery is recommended only if other means of treatment like physiotherapy fails to get the desired results. Depending on whether there is any other underlying medical conditions and how severe the rotator cuff symptoms are, rotator cuff surgery is done. Recovering from the surgery takes a long time and the patient needs to follow instructions given by the doctor.

Rotator Cuff Surgery Recovery Time

Usually a surgery of the rotator cuff does not take much time and is an outpatient procedure, wherein overnight stay is not required. Depending on the amount of damage it may take anywhere between an hour to a few hours. A sling would be placed around the arm, so that the arm remains away from the body, once the surgery is done. The sling helps the tendons and tissues to be in a relaxed position.

During the first few days of recovery time, the focus is on pain relief and medications would be prescribed for that. It's always better to take small doses of medicines after frequent intervals rather than taking large doses. Even though pain relieving medications are given, slight movement of the arm may again give rise to pain, especially, while sleeping at night.

Change in the position of the shoulders at night may cause severe pain. So it's always better to sleep in a semi-upright position. A good option is to use a recliner and if you can't get one, you can use several pillows to rest your back on. You should sleep in a seated position and the elbows should point down. The recovery process can be divided into four phases - passive motion, active motion, strengthening and full activity.

In the first phase, which is the passive motion phase, the tendons and rotator cuff muscles are rested and are not allowed to do any work. During this phase, which lasts for about 6 weeks, the therapist will help you to move the shoulder and instruct on the ways of moving it without contracting the muscles of the rotator cuff.

The second phase of recovery, the active motion phase lasts for about another 6 weeks. It's only after the rotator cuff has sufficiently healed that the therapist allows you to move the arm. During this phase, the arm can be moved, but without placing any resistance to it. The therapist would show you some torn rotator cuff exercises, which you need to follow so that you get well soon.

In the third phase, i.e., the strengthening phase, there are some rotator cuff exercises which you need to do as instructed. This is the most important phase of the recovery process as due to rotator cuff injury and surgery, the muscles become weak. So they need strengthening after that. Once the muscles have healed, they need to be strengthened so that you can get back to your daily routine.

It may take 16 to 24 weeks or longer for you to fully recover. The recovery time depends on the size of the tear and how fast your body is able to repair your body. You would be shown some more rotator cuff stretches and exercises so that you become fully fit as soon as possible.

Rotator Cuff Surgery Complications

Similar to other surgical procedures, rotator cuff surgery too has an element of risk. Though initially there is a lot of pain, over time it subsides and completely goes away after a few days. Usually there are no complications of this surgery, but in some rare cases, there are reports that anesthesia can cause allergy in some patients. There is a higher risk of complications arising in people who have diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Moreover, in extremely rare cases, if there is an injury to the nerves, it may result in a loss of feeling or partial paralysis.

Rotator Cuff Surgery Cost

Depending on the area you live, the amount of damage and the kind of surgical procedure to be carried out, a surgery of the rotator cuff may cost anywhere between US$300 to US$20,000. This is the hospital expense and the fees of the physician varies around US$225 to 4,750. This is besides the cost of medications and rotator cuff therapy which will be required.

If there is any injury to the rotator cuff, surgery may not be the only answer to the problem. There may be other options, and for that you need to speak with an orthopedic surgeon and determine if that's the only way out. If surgery is absolutely necessary, it's important that you get a quote for it first.