You will not have complete use of your affected arm for a few months after surgery. You can use your affected arm for writing, eating, or drinking, but move it only at the elbow or wrist. Do not use it for anything else except prescribed exercises until the sling has been removed.
You may use your wrist, hand, and elbow for daily activities. This includes eating, shaving, dressing, as long as you do not move your operated arm away from your body and it does not increase your pain. Do not use your arm to push up/off the bed or chair for six weeks after your surgery.
You should not do any reaching, lifting, pushing, or pulling with your shoulder during the first six weeks after surgery. You should not reach behind your back with the operative arm. You may remove your arm from the sling to bend and straighten your elbow and to move your fingers several times a day.
Patients are often advised to wear a sling or brace for the first 4–6 weeks after rotator cuff repair surgery to prevent them from performing any physical activities involving the affected shoulder (3).
Complications involving the fingers and hand after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) include complex regional pain syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and flexor tenosynovitis (TS).
Can a rotator cuff injury cause pain in your arm and hand, too? Yes. Typically, the pain starts as a dull aching pain in your shoulder. As the injury progresses, it can cause radiating pain down the arm and into your hands.
Your hand and arm may also be swollen. This is normal and will go away in a few days. Depending on the medicine you had during the surgery, your entire arm may feel numb or like you can't move it. This goes away in 12 to 24 hours.
This is really going to depend on your exact surgery and how quickly you recover in general. However, a good rule of thumb is 4-6 months before you can go back to sleeping however you want.
DON'T. Do not put weight through your arm or lift anything for six weeks. This means taking extra care not to use your arm to support you getting up from a chair. Do not try to reach above or behind you.
Introduction: Pain can be severe during the first days after arthroscopic surgery, and acute pain is an important outcome in clinical trials of surgical technique or anaesthetic strategy.
The best position to sleep in is the one that doesn't put pressure on your affected arm, which means sleeping either on your back or on the unaffected side. You might also be advised to sleep in a reclined position, as it puts less pressure on the injured rotator cuff and promotes healing.
It's important to note that during rotator cuff surgery recovery, you will likely be in a sling from 2 to 6 weeks. Until you're out of your sling, it is not recommended to drive.
You should wear your sling when you sleep. Driving: Operating a motor vehicle may be difficult due to you inability to use your operative arm. If you should have an accident or get pulled over while wearing a sling, the authorities may consider that driving while impaired.
Swelling and Bruising.
Tissue injury, whether accidental or intentional (e.g. surgery), is followed by localized swelling. After surgery, swelling increases progressively, reaching its peak by the third day. It is generally worse when you first arise in the morning and decreases throughout the day.
One-and-a-half months after surgery, patients who did not wear a sling had increased shoulder motion, including external (outward) rotation and active elevation. Both groups showed continued improvement at three months, but shoulder elevation remained greater in the no-sling group.
If you are showering, allow your injured arm to hang by your side whilst you use your good arm to wash. Top tips for dressing: Always dress your injured arm first and take it out of cloths last.
So, it's okay to take it off when you are sitting at home with the arm at your side. You can take the arm out of the sling and place it on a pillow, mimicking the position that it would be in with the sling. When you are up moving around, when you are sleeping, and especially when driving the sling MUST be on.
Think about all the things you do that require you to raise your arm or use it to push or pull because you'll need to avoid these movements while your shoulder is healing. Even the simplest daily activities like brushing your teeth or reaching into the kitchen cabinet won't be possible.
No active motion of the shoulder, such as reaching outwards or upwards, is allowed. No motion such as that required to wash your hair, do laundry, wash dishes, or clean windows with the arm is allowed in the first 6 weeks.
Post-operative Numbness/Tingling:
Numbness or tingling in the hand/arm may last several hours, depending on your type of anesthesia. If a regional block was used, numbness may last up to 18 hours. Persistent numbness may be due to retraction or mobilization of nerves during surgery, or swelling in the hand/arm.
Start by walking a little more than you did the day before. Bit by bit, increase the amount you walk. Walking boosts blood flow and helps prevent pneumonia and constipation. Your arm will be in a sling or other device to prevent it from moving for several weeks.
After surgery, one of the most popular questions patients ask the shoulder surgeon is, “When can I drive again?” In general, you should avoid driving for at least six to twelve weeks or until your doctor says you don't need to wear the sling any more.
Most people who have rotator cuff surgery can expect to feel some level of pain for at least six months after their procedure.