I am having shoulder surgery this Wednesday (Nov 2) and was wondering if anyone has any advice on surgery recovery. I know the usual of follow doctors orders and rest but are there any unique tips anyone has? For a little more information it is for reoccurring shoulder dislocations. Thanks!
I’m two weeks into slap tear repair recovery right now. My advice is have alot of movies ready. Depending on the type of surgery, the recoveries are all a little different. Different surgeons have different instructions too. I’m just hoping to be ready to race by may. They said it could be about 4-5 months till I can swim. All this because a lady made a left turn in front of me when I was riding back in august.
Opiates.
Yeah I am going to be using my netflix quite a bit. I also already have my bike on the trainer so once I get the go I can start some light activity. Lucky for me most of my races are not until July/August so I’m not going to worry to much about swim times this year. Hope the rest of your recovery goes well!
Ouch, sorry about your shoulder. I don’t know how much difference there is between different shoulder injuries/surgeries, but I learned that shoulders are tough to rehab, partly due to the great range of motion you need. I had a slap 2 tear/biceps tenodesis/AC joint repair in Nov 2008, and it took 6 months before I had the range of motion to start doing some swimming and a year before I was even close to where I’d been. I’m older, female, and had a “high energy impact” injury (ie bike crash), which are all risk factors, so hopefully you’ll have a quicker recovery. My advice: go to the best surgeon you can find, then the best PT, and do everything they tell you (and DON’T do the things they say not to do). My surgeon actually gave me a list of PTs he approved - he said he did good work and didn’t want some novice or inept PT messing it up. He also warned me that there would be times I regretted ever going down that road and that recovery would be painful - he was right, but it helped to know it was normal. If it’s anything like a slap recovery, I’d recommend having a recliner to sleep in for the first few weeks; have a stash of ice packs or an ice machine; accept any help that is offered; go to a thrift shop and buy some jumbo shirts; don’t try to wear jeans - zippers and buttons are a pain, elastic waistbands are easier; buy some of the little floss picks since you won’t be able to use regular dental floss; get your hair cut before your surgery; get some shampoo with a pump dispenser; take off as much time as you can from work; take your pain meds as ordered for the first few days even if you don’t think you need them - you don’t want to let the pain get ahead of you - set a timer or alarm so you don’t forget; put some yankz in your favorite walking shoes; keep a water bottle nearby, along with the remote and the phone and a few pillows - you may have to experiment to find comfortable positions. If you’ll be able to ride your bike on the trainer, set it up unless you have someone who will do it for you later. Do your PT, do your PT, do your PT!!! (But don’t be a type-A overachiever - more is not better unless your PT or surgeon say so!) Wow, so many memories. Also, try to stay positive and do what you can - all I could do for weeks for exercise was walk, so I walked, a lot. I couldn’t race, but I could cheer. And on a positive note, even though my swimming is weaker, I was able to do my first Ironman in May 2011 at age 50-- for a long time I was afraid that dream was going to be impossible, but it all worked out.
Good luck,
Diane
This=======> take your pain meds as ordered for the first few days even if you don’t think you need them - you don’t want to let the pain get ahead of you - set a timer or alarm so you don’t forget;
And the PT part too.
I am having shoulder surgery this Wednesday (Nov 2) and was wondering if anyone has any advice on surgery recovery. I know the usual of follow doctors orders and rest but are there any unique tips anyone has? For a little more information it is for reoccurring shoulder dislocations. Thanks!
Ask the surgeon if he/she is going to give you a pain pump?
I’m going to mostly agree with the previous posters.
Easy clothes, ice on the shoulder (those Polar Ice machines are the bomb), do your PT, and don’t rush back into things too fast! I’m guessing from your name that you do not have to worry about bras or ponytails.
As for “not getting behind” on pain meds…one word of caution…the maximum daily dose of acetaminophen is 4000 mg. If you are prescribed a Vicodin combo that has 500 mg of acetaminophen in each tablet (plus the narcotic), and you take 2 every 4 hours, you will get sick and your liver will not like you. A common way the Rx is written is “1-2 tablets, every 4-6 hours as needed”…but that doesn’t mean take the max amount in the least amount of time. Trust me, I learned the hard way and puked my guts up by the 3rd day post op and could have hurt my liver.
I had a relatively simple rotator cuff repair, a little cleaning up of the labrum, and acromioplasty. I was cleared to get on the trainer pretty quickly (within a week or so, I think). I could walk, but not run until cleared at 9 weeks to do that. Was allowed into the pool 3 months after surgery, and built up swimming very slowly (first swim was just a few hundred yards with lots of rest and drills). I did my PT religiously, mostly on my own, as I travel for work. Was racing by 5 months out, though for the first season after surgery, I lined up on the side of the swim wave with all the other people away from my post-op shoulder. Did a 1/2 Ironman 7 months post op. All good so far and that was 3 years ago. My surgeon was awesome. 
Welcome to the club…sorry to hear you have to punch your ticket.
I am a PT and I am 6 weeks post RTC repair, labral repair and capsular plication (tightening) for chronic posterior subluxations. this is actually my second surgery on this shoulder. I just got out of my sling!
My advice is much as others have said. Clothing choices, sleeping posture, meds, etc. Mostly, do what the surgeon says. When you are released to PT go to a good one and have a constant conversation about your goals and your symptoms. This is not an instance where you have to push through pain every time. There are things that are going to hurt and things that SHOULD NOT hurt. You need to be specific about the type of pain you are having. Aching, stabbing, tearing, throbbing, etc - it means something!
I was on my trainer 2 days after surgery, in the sling at all times. At the gym within the week, doing the stair climber thing and leg workouts. Walking and driving actually hurt the most for me - vibration. My surgeon said I can think about running in 2 more weeks - but only walk-run short. Your recovery will be individual. but the timelines laid out here are all similar.
4-8 weeks in the sling - minimal to no movement allowed (depending on surgery and surgeon)
6-12 weeks - tissues still healing be careful! gentle range of motion - depends again on surgery type
8-9 weeks return to gentle, slow, intermittent running
3-5 months return to cycling with hands on bars and swimming
Can it be faster - yes, and slower.
Listen to your team!
Good lucK!
Just had knee surgery. I think good nutrition is important since your body must heal from it. I would be careful with your recovery yet dedicated to do exercises. Often I think people are too lazy to do the small exercises following surgery and then get re-injured because they jump in too big. Understand the importance of the small exercises and do them as instructed and don’t forget to always listen to your body. Best of luck, you’ll be fine.
Hey Jeremiah - What exactly is the surgeon doing? Labral repair, tightening muscles/ligaments/??? I had two shoulder surgeries a few years ago for the same problem, 14 dislocations in a 12 month period. Completely wiped out the bone structure at the front of the joint (basically the labrum was gone and the front 1/3 of the bone socket was missing, pancake flat right off the front). The surgeon offered two options; 1) to repair the soft tissue damage, or 2) a Bristow/Laterjet. The Laterjet procedure involved taking bone from the top of the shoulder and creating a bone-block at the front of the socket to replace the missing bone structure, and then putting everything back in place. Option 1 had a 50% chance of a dislocation re-occurring, while Option 2 had about a 5% chance. I opted for 2. The second surgery was to cut through scar tissue that had formed and was limiting range of motion. If you surgeon has offered both options you should ask. Even though the recovery was longer, I’m really glad I chose number 2. My shoulder is 100% stable, and I regained all of the ROM. I have no issues with swimming/cycling/or running.
Like others have said, ask the physician about a Polarcare unit, they are amazing. It pumps icewater through a wrap that goes around the shoulder, basically a continuous ice-wrap that doesn’t get too cold but stays cold for 4+ hrs! Get a recliner or one of those pillows for watching TV in bed, because you’ll want to sleep in a semi-upright position for the first 1-2 weeks. I didn’t have much trouble with buttons and zippers on pants because you can still bend your arm at the elbow, so just sit on the bed after pulling on pants and use both hands to button 'em while only bending your arm at the elbow. Shoelaces were HELL! Get some shoes that are slip-ons or have velcro. Learn to wipe your butt with the other hand NOW if the shoulder surgery is happening on the side with your dominant hand. Get some wetwipes or baby wipes to keep in the bathroom, because you will not get it right every time, and wetwipes are easy for clean-up (not a joke, you’ll see!). Practice brushing your teeth with the other hand if your dominant one will be out of service (this is probably the single hardest thing to do, it takes more coordination that I ever imagined!). Buy mouthwash, it helps reduce the brushing. Practice driving with the other hand, and borrow a car with an automatic transmission for a few days/weeks if yours is standard. Get a strap and create a sling, or get a second sling from the doctor to take in the shower with you.
Good luck on the surgery!
-Bryce
Froggy - as you can see from the above, there’s lots of good advice. What you do and when you do it will be dictated by your specific pathology, what is chosen to remedy it, how secure the surgeon feels the repair is, the surgeons previous experience with this type of procedure, etc. So, in my opinion, the general recommendations above are terrific - follow them. But specifics as to immobilization, motion, medications (do you end up getting a block?), sleeping position, return to work, etc. are all decided between you and the surgeon. Good luck!
John
I just wanted to say thanks to everyone of the good tips and well wishes. It always helps to have some good tips and idea of what to be expecting (hopefully no big curveballs!) Thanks again!