You will be receiving a post-operative phone call from the surgical staff within a few days after surgery to check on you and assist you with any concerns.

Please call our office at (630) 584-1400 if you develop a fever greater than 101°F, increasing pain that is not responding to pain medication, redness around incisions or shoulder, increased swelling, persistent bleeding or drainage, or drainage other than clear fluid or blood. If it is after hours, the answering service will contact the physician assistant on call. It is normal to develop bruising to the operative arm. Some people have bruising across the chest all the way down to the hand. It can also be normal to develop swelling to the arm and hand. Gravity tends to pull fluid down the arm- your body will be able to reabsorb this fluid but it may take a few weeks. If the swelling becomes increasingly painful and more tender to the touch, please let our office know.

PAIN MEDICATION:Your prescription for pain medication will be called into the pharmacy of your choice before you leave the surgery center. After the first day or two, as the pain lessens, you may decrease the frequency with which you take the medication. Remember, the medications are not necessarily meant to completely eliminate your pain, only to make it more bearable. Narcotic pain medications can cause constipation; you may wish to use an over-the-counter stool softener to help prevent this. Use ice or a cold therapy unit constantly for the first 48 hours, then as frequently as needed.

You will have a soft dressing applied over your incisions. It is meant to absorb any leaking blood or fluid from the joint, and to protect from infection. Leakage immediately after surgery is normal and actually helps to drain some of the fluid that accumulates in the joint during surgery. The dressings may become moist or blood-stained; this is normal and usually not a cause for alarm.

You may remove your dressing 48 hours after your surgery to take a shower. For showering, you may remove your entire sling and let your arm rest at your side. Under the surgical dressing, you may have steri-strips over your incisions (small white strips of tape). Please leave them in place until they fall off on their own or until they are removed at your first post-op appointment. You may let soap and water gently wash over your incisions, but do not scrub them. Pat them dry with a towel, then recover each of the incisions with a band-aid if desired. You may not soak your shoulder in a bathtub or go into a pool or hot tub until incisions are well healed (usually takes a few weeks).

Therapy typically starts 3-6 weeks after surgery. The timing for when you begin physical therapy will be individualized based on your surgery.

Please do not attempt driving for about 3-4 weeks after surgery. This is for your safety, as well as other drivers- please do not attempt to drive with only one hand. Reasons for no driving post operatively: A quick, reactive motion of the shoulder while driving could damage your surgical repair. Secondly, you should not drive while taking any narcotic pain medications.

The sling has 2 components: sling and waist portion. The sling should be worn at all times when you are up and walking around. While you are sitting/resting, you may remove the sling as long as your upper arm/shoulder stays near your body. You may take off the entire sling up to 3 times daily to bend and straighten your elbow while keeping your shoulder near your body.
The waist portion of the sling does not need to be worn while you are laying down to sleep. It should be on when up and walking or when seated for longer periods of time.

Do not lift shoulder out in front of body, out to your side, or reach behind your back until your physical therapist has progressed you to that point in therapy. Usually, it is 6 weeks before you’ll be moving the shoulder on your own. It is ok to bend/straighten your elbow and use your hand to do things like typing (as long as your shoulder stays near your body). Initially in therapy, your therapist will do “passive motions,” which means your muscles won’t be doing the work. This protects your surgical repair and allows your body to heal.

Please try to wear the sling while you are sleeping for 6 weeks after surgery- this provides good support to the shoulder. You may remove the sling to sleep if you are too uncomfortable, but try to keep your shoulder near your body (placing pillows around and behind the shoulder may help). Some people find it more comfortable to sleep upright (in a recliner chair) for a few days to weeks after surgery- this is optional.

This depends on the nature of your job. If you have a desk job or can work from home, you may be able to do computer/phone work within 1 week of surgery. However, you may not drive yourself to work for 3-4 weeks. If you have a labor job, or job that requires heavy lifting/repetitive use of your shoulder, you may need to be off work for months. You will have restrictions for up to 6 months after your rotator cuff repair. Some employers allow light-duty, and we can give you work restriction notes at each post operative visit if necessary.

Avoid anti-inflammatory medication (Ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin, Aleve, Aspirin, Celebrex, etc) for 2-3 months after surgery as some studies have shown it may actually slow down or prevent tendon healing.

If you are having minimal pain and would like to switch to a milder medication, please take Tylenol/acetaminophen. Do not take Tylenol and Norco together (this would be too much acetaminophen). Do not exceed more than 4000mg of Tylenol/acetaminophen in a 24 hour period

Allow yourself to rest and recover during the weeks following surgery. Even if your shoulder is feeling better/less pain, don’t overdo it.

Plan ahead- if you need a refill on pain medication, our office requires 24-48 hours notice for your request to be processed. We cannot refill medications after hours or on weekends.

Rehabilitation is one of the most important aspect of shoulder surgery. Work hard in therapy to get your motion back!

Download All Post-Op Instructions Here

6 weeks post-op: Putting
3 months post-op: Chipping, pitching, and half-swings with your short irons
4-5 months post-op: Full but gentle swings with irons
6 months post-op: Full play with no restrictions

Please follow the instructions of your physical therapist. Once you are nearing the end of physical therapy (typically 3 months post-op), your therapist can create a safe “return-to-lifting” program. Physical Therapists and Athletic Trainers can outline a specific plan for you.

2-3 months post-op: depending on your progress and motion you may be allowed to start doing gentle set shots from free throw range or shorter
3 months post-op: light dribbling drills
4-5 months post-op: passing drills, “shooting around,” but no contact
6 months post-op: No restrictions