What to Expect From Rotator Cuff Surgery? The rotator cuff is a group of four tendons, along with the related muscles, that stabilize the shoulder joint. They allow a person to raise and rotate their arm. The rotator cuff helps keep the ball of the arm bone firmly placed in the socket of the shoulder blade. When the rotator cuff is severely injured or torn and nonsurgical treatment has failed to improve shoulder strength and mobility, a doctor may perform rotator cuff surgery. The surgery involves removing loose fragments of tendon from the space where the rotator cuff moves, making more room for the rotator cuff tendon in cases where it is pinched or irritated, and sewing the torn edges of the tendon together to the top of the upper arm bone. There are three types of rotator cuff surgery. The first type is open shoulder surgery. This involves the surgeon making an incision in the patient’s shoulder; the incision should be large enough to view the affected area directly while performing the operation and repairing the damaged rotator cuff. This method usually requires a short stay in the hospital. The second type is the mini-open procedure that allows the surgeon to make a smaller incision while still being able to perform the operation by splitting the deltoid muscle. This method reduces the patient’s chances of experiencing problems related to deltoid injury.
The third type is arthroscopic. This involves making as small an incision as possible in order to insert a tiny camera and small surgical tools, allowing the surgeon to repair the damaged area. This reduces recovery time significantly. However, this procedure is rarely performed. A surgeon may opt for a general anesthesia or a nerve block when performing rotator cuff surgery. General anesthesia involves making the patient unconscious during the surgery. A nerve block will keep the patient awake but unable to feel the particular area where the operation takes place. In this case, the patient will be able to move and see the entire procedure. After the surgery, a bit of discomfort may be felt although this can be mitigated with the pain medication prescribed by the doctor. In order to protect the rotator cuff from additional injury, the arm is placed in a sling for a certain period. Undergoing physical therapy is also necessary after the surgery. This is vital to ensure successful and fast recovery. A patient’s rehabilitation program may involve simple exercises that flex and extend the elbow, wrist, and hand. It may also involve more complex exercises such as stretching and weight-lifting with the assistance of a physical therapist. Generally, the simple exercises can begin right after the effects of anesthesia wear off, while the more complex ones can be done weeks and months after the surgery. Rotator cuff surgery works best if done within a few weeks of obtaining the injury. Using it to repair large tears has a lower success rate compared to injuries with only smaller tears. When used to repair frayed or thinned tendon tissue, the surgery is less likely to be successful when compared to using it on an otherwise healthy tendon that simply needs repair.