Four Factors Affecting Recovery After A Rotator Cuff Repair

It is crucial to understant the four factors affecting recovery after a rotator cuff repair.

You wanted to do a warm-up stretch, and suddenly you fell on your arm. No big deal, right? Only that you can’t seem to be able to raise your arm correctly, and there is this pain.

The doctor said it was a rotator cuff tear, and surgery could fix it. But recovery from surgery will depend on several factors.

Here are the four key factors affecting recovery after a rotator cuff tear repair.

The Severity of the Rotator Cuff Tear and Tendon Quality

One of the most critical factors to look out for is the severity of the tear and the quality of the tendon involved. And these two often go together. 

In other words, if you have a thin poor quality tendon, you most likely have a more extensive cuff tear. An older person can have a better tendon quality than someone younger and vice-versa. Typically an older person will have more wear and be thinner.

It’s better to fix a shoulder rotator cuff tear when it is small than wait until it becomes a big tear. A stitch in time saves nine. 

A big retracted tear is much more complex to fix than a small non-retracted tear. Also, a minor tear repair is not likely to retear after repair.

The Quality of the Rotator Cuff Tear Repair

How good is your surgeon? You may not want to hear this, but the truth is that your surgeon’s experience is critical to your recovery. 

It would be best if you had an orthopedic surgeon with experience. And you need to know how often they have repaired shoulder rotator cuffs and how long they have been doing it.

It’s your shoulder we are talking about here. You need to ask these questions.  If the surgeon does not want to answer it is a bad sign for you.  

Your Body’s Healing Ability After a Rotator Cuff Tear Repair 

Your body’s healing ability is another essential factor in your recovery process. Lifestyle changes such as smoking cessation and reduction in alcohol consumption will promote healing.

Your body will heal faster without underlying health conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 

A rotator cuff repair will have a higher risk of being unsuccessful if you are an older patient with a large tear, weak tendon, and underlying diseases. 

In cases like this, a switch to a reverse shoulder replacement surgery that relies less on your body’s ability to heal may be a better option.  This is an important conversation to have with your surgeon

Your Compliance with Instructions After a Rotator Cuff Tear Repair

Okay, so you don’t want to be at a gym the day after a shoulder replacement or rotator cuff repair. That’s like painting a beautiful picture and while the paint is still wet you put it out in the rain.  It will be ruined.

So finding out what your post-operation instructions are and sticking to them is very important; otherwise, you risk ruining your new shoulder. You don’t want to go through all the time, money, and pain to have your surgery fail. 

It’s essential to pay attention to the doctors’ instructions when it comes to postoperative therapy or range-of-motion exercises.

If you have been instructed to keep still and not move the arm for some weeks, you want to do just that. 

Or perhaps your surgeon ordered you to move the arm often to prevent stiffness; then you should do so.

And then there are the visits—the postoperative follow-up visits to your surgeon. You want to keep to those appointments as well. 

Final Words

A rotator cuff repair recovery usually doesn’t take longer than 3 to 6 months, all things being equal. There is a great chance that it will be successful, If the tear is small, the repair was done correctly by an expert, your health is intact, and you comply with your surgeon’s instructions.