How to recover from rotator cuff injury after surgery

Once a rotator cuff injury is diagnosed, especially if it is a degree II or III rotator cuff injury, it basically requires surgical treatment. There are two types of surgery: minimally invasive treatment with a 2-3 cm incision, and arthroscopic treatment. Whether it is arthroscopic or minimally invasive treatment with small incisions, rotator cuff injuries need to be rehabilitated after surgery. For example, if a patient has a brace after surgery, the brace should be removed after about 1-1.5 months of immobilization. The brace is not released immediately, but takes 3-4 days to release, requiring 45° of abduction and 60° of forward flexion. For example, if the time is up today and the MRI shows that the rotator cuff is healing well and the brace will be removed tomorrow, the first thing to do today is to work with the patient’s mind. Generally, after the brace is removed, the patient is asked to put a pillow or small quilt 10°-15° lower than the current brace and support it to the front; on the afternoon of the second day, the patient is asked to change to another pillow 10°-15° lower than this pillow; on the third day, the arm can be attached to the body; on the fourth day, the patient can start to do the required movements. The early required movement is to slowly abduct the upper limb, not to lift it immediately; the 2nd movement is to bend forward and lift it forward; the 3rd is to go backward. Generally, early rotational movements, also called rotator cuff, cannot be done. Rotation is a relatively large stimulus to the rotator cuff, so it is generally required to do rotation only after 1-2 months. In the early stage, when the external brace is removed for about 10-15 days, the patient is only asked to do the three movements of abduction, forward flexion and back extension. Generally, after 2 months of surgery, the patient is allowed to do rotational movements, which are difficult movements such as external rotation, internal rotation, touching the back, and doing 90° over the shoulder or over the top. Generally, after 3 months, the patient is allowed to do movements that have a high impact on the rotator cuff, such as pulling the bar and pulling the ring. Generally, through 2-3 months of training and the patient’s efforts to cooperate, satisfactory results can be achieved.