Tips For Recovery After Rotator Cuff Surgery
If the time has come to repair your painful rotator cuff injury and you are stressed out about the potentially long recovery time, then following each of these tips will ensure a faster and more comfortable post-surgical experience:
Tip: Outfit Your Home for the Post-Surgical Recovery
There are many things you can stock your home with prior to rotator cuff surgery that will make the recovery process a lot easier. Some of the most helpful things include:
- easy-to-prepare food options
- movies to watch
- books to read
- a detachable shower head
- a shower chair
In addition, stocking up on extra pillows will help you find more comfortable positions while you are recovering from surgery.
Tip: Wear Your Supportive Sling Post-Op Until Cleared to Take it Off by Your Doctor
When you come home from having your surgery, you will have a supportive sling on your shoulder. As the days pass and your shoulder starts feeling better, you will be tempted to take off the sling. You should never do this until you have been cleared by your orthopedic surgeon. Removing the sling too early can result in serious damage to the healing tissue and a failed surgical result.
Tip: Keep a Positive View of Physical Therapy and Make It a Point to Do All of Your Exercises
While the actual surgical procedure performed on your damaged rotator cuff repairs the muscle and tendon damage, it isn't the only factor in regaining your shoulder's range of motion and eliminating its pain. Once the tissues start to heal, then it is time to safely work the area and start to build up a healthy shoulder and surrounding tissues with a physical therapist.
While you may not like the idea of having to attend numerous physical therapy appointments and do many painful exercises with your tender shoulder, this is an absolute must if you want a good post-surgical result. To this end, it is important you don't skip any appointments and that you always do all of the prescribed home exercises.
Tip: Keep All of Your Post-Surgical Appointments with Your Orthopedic Surgeon
In addition to following all of the tips listed above, it is vital you keep all of your post-surgical orthopedic appointments. Surgical follow-up appointments allow your orthopedic surgeon to check on your rotator cuff's healing progress and make any necessary adjustments to your recovery plan if it becomes necessary to do so.
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