More Information on Rotator Cuff Surgery.
Last updated Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Rehabilitation after cuff surgery
These are typical instructions given to a patient after a rotator cuff
repair. However, the program will vary with the surgeon, the patient
and the repair. If you have had such a repair, only your surgeon can
give you instructions on the postoperative management. Do not do any
exercises after surgery except after consultation with your physician.Healing period After a cuff repair, the tissue remains quite weak until your body has
time to complete the bonding of the tissue to bone. This may require as
much as six months. Use of the arm before the healing is complete can
cause the repair to fail. On the other hand, immobilizing the shoulder
for a long period of time to protect the repair can cause shoulder
stiffness. For these reasons, careful postoperative rehabilitation is
an essential part of your surgery. Because each patient and each
surgery are different, it is essential that the postoperative
management be tailored by the surgeon to meet the patient's individual
situation.Rehabilitation program There are two aspects of the rehabilitation program: preventing unwanted scar formation and protecting the repair.
Protect your repair by being careful that your arm does not
participate in lifting, pushing, or pulling and that it is not raised
away from the side under its own power. Unless we tell you otherwise,
you may use your hand for typing or writing as long as the elbow is
kept at your side. Raising the arm even a small amount places demands
on your repair and should be avoided. We will tell you how long these
restrictions need to be in effect. During this time you should not
drive!
While your shoulder is healing, passive motion is necessary to
prevent unwanted scar tissue formation. Passive motion means that the
shoulder is moved, but not under its own power. These exercises must be
comfortable for you--if you have problems doing them comfortably, let
your doctor or therapist know. Your operated shoulder is moved by your
other hand while the muscles of the operated shoulder are completely
relaxed. You can move your shoulder passively by standing up and
bending over at the waist, allowing the operated arm to dangle down in
a relaxed way. Passive motion is also easily done while you are lying
on your back. Grasp the arm of your operated shoulder with the opposite
hand and slowly help the arm up to a vertical position and then over
your head (see figure 16). On lowering it back down you will need to
concentrate on keeping the operated shoulder completely relaxed.
A second exercise is performed while you are lying down with both
your elbows bent to a right angle. Using a cane or dowel or yardstick,
gently push the wrist of the operated shoulder out to the side while
keeping your elbow at the side (see figure 17).
These precautions against active use and the passive motion
exercises are continued until your surgeon tells you it is time to
start the next phase of exercises. Please do not change your program
just because it seems time to do so. If you have any questions, please
let your doctor know. Disclaimer
This resource has been provided by the University of Washington Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine as general information only. This information may not apply to a specific patient. Additional information may be found at http://www.orthop.washington.edu or by contacting the UW Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.
How useful was this page or article?
|
|