Joint Replacement
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Post Operation
Listed below are things that the patient can expect after having shoulder surgery:
(Courtesy of http://www.proteamphysician.com)
Directly After Surgery:
• When you wake up, your shoulder will be wrapped in gauze, immobilized, and surrounded by ice. There will be some pain but you will be medicated either via IV or orally.
• General Anesthetic wears off after 90 minutes, and the local anesthetic will wear off after 2 hours.
• The majority of Patients actually leave 2-3 hours after waking up. However, someone will need to drive you home because your arm will not be functional.
To Reduce Swelling:
• Rest, icing, and anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen or aspirin can ease pain and swelling. Icing should occur for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, three or four times a day. When shoulder swelling goes down a bit, use heat to help with pain management.
• Shoulder should be immobilized for two-three days after surgery. For larger tears, the sling may be worn for up to three weeks.
• After two days, gauze can be removed, and you may bathe regularly. Some surgeries require a 1 ½ inch “mini-incision.” In this case the bandage must be kept on for one week.
• Keep fingers and hand moving in sling as much as possible to keep circulation going.
Physical Therapy for Shoulder Surgery:
• You may not be able to work for up to two or three weeks, depending upon the injury. Overall expect four to six months of rehabilitation.
• Some rehabilitation will begin the day after. Some physicians prefer that you being one to two weeks after surgery depending on severity. It is important to note that each surgeon has his/her own program, and patients ought to discuss with his/her doctor.
• There are four phases to physical therapy for rotator cuff repair:
• First phase focuses on decreasing inflammation in rotator cuff. The physical therapist will help you move your arm.
• The second phase of rehabilitation works on restoring a full range of motion and strengthening the hands, wrist, and elbow.
• After the muscles and tendons have healed, the third stage strengthens the rotator cuff muscles. Physical therapy consists of shoulder-strengthening exercises without weights. Resistance is added as pain goes away.
• When both injured and uninjured muscles are equally strong, the fourth phase begins and is more actively oriented. Sport specific exercises and coordination drills under the therapist recommendation and monitoring may occur.
Created by: Blair Smith, Connie Lee, Daniel Solomon, Matthew Whitson and Stephanie Chang
Date last modified: 5/2/2004