Friday, January 20, 2012

The Recovery Process After Rotator Cuff Surgery

Shoulder pain is a common problem experienced by many people, with a tear in the rotator cuff the most common reason for it. They are extremely painful and restrict your movement greatly. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons which comprises of four muscles and they hold your arm in a ball and socket joint, which allows your shoulder to rotate around and move with ease. The tendons can be torn through injuries. Rotator cuff surgery is the most commonly done procedures around the world, with over 250000 done in the United States of America annually.

After the surgery has completed, the patient will be taken to a recovery room for a couple of hours. The injured arm will be in a protective sling or even a shoulder immobilizer to prevent any movements. Depending on the type of surgery, arthroscopic surgery patients will be discharged on the same day while open surgery patients will need to be warded for a couple of days.

A physiotherapist will meet up with the patient before discharge and he will teach the patient a set of exercises that are designed to regain the flexibility, range of motion and strength in the injured shoulder. The exercises can be done at the comfort of your own home. Not only will physical therapy exercises be taught, the patient will also be educated on how to prevent re-injuring the shoulders.

Back at the comfort of their own home, it is crucial to perform the physical therapy exercises taught by the physiotherapist for 5 times a day. Patients should attempt to get back their full range of motion as soon as possible to prevent the formation of scar tissues. If scar tissues are formed, the scarring might possibly cause the whole shoulder to stiffen which will result in huge discomfort and even limit the activities the shoulder can conduct in future. Swelling might be observed as well. They will normally go away if the arms are held in an elevated position and is nothing serious.

The first 12 weeks after surgery are the most important period. Physical exercises must be conducted regularly to regain the full range of motion and prevent the formation of scar tissues. It is of utmost importance not to lift the injured arm away from the body and do not exert any strength on it. Whenever throughout the day, the arm must always be kept inside a protective sling and it is only allowed to be removed which exercising or showering. Do not attempt to drive during the first 6 weeks after surgery.

Full recovery takes roughly 6 months and the first 12 weeks are of most importance. Do the exercises as prescribed by the physiotherapist and this will kick start the healing process

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