Rotator Cuff Surgery - Pt 4 - Importance of PT

The most important part of a solid recovery is your physical therapy. I spoke with numerous people who had similar surgeries and all who dealt with residual pain or other problems also mentioned they hadn’t done their PT as consistently as prescribed. My physical therapist mentioned numerous times how important consistently doing my work at home was to a full recovery. I found it helpful to write out a list of everything I had to do on my notes app and check them off throughout the day. This kept me on track as the exercises and stretches got monotonous and it was difficult remembering what I had done. Having a written list also helped me stay consistent, wanting to have everything marked off by the end of the day. I was religious about not missing anything and it showed in how quickly I regained mobility and strength.

By my third week of PT I was getting fairly close to full overhead range of motion with my pulley work. I’d gotten to add in another assisted movement called the “chop” where I would lift both arms to 90 degrees, assisting the healing arm. By week four we were onto the arm bike also. My PT also began manually moving my arm into the overhead position while I was laying down. My shoulder felt incredibly vulnerable as I focused hard on relaxing while my PT moved the arm back. Toward the end of my current range of motion my arm began to fight more actively with a decent amount of shaking I couldn’t yet stop. My brain was fighting what felt like a scary position and my PT said as my brain relaxed in future sessions the shaking would lessenn. I loved the arm bike though. It was basically bike pedals up by your arms instead of down by your feet. This was not yet about resistance but 100% range of motion. My injured arm wasn’t to push, just be along for the ride.

Week five of PT, or six weeks post-op, I got to add two new exercises. A side lying arm raise with 1lb and a banded scapular exercise. Since my 3lb bicep curls were starting to feel light I asked for clearance to move to 5lbs. Next week I would officially start working on active range of motion for my rehab arm. A great feeling since it’s been a month and a half since I’ve lifted it unassisted. I’ve moved into the phase of rehab where pain will be a little more predominant again. With beginning strengthening exercises and actively using my shoulder more my doctor warned I would have more pain and that was normal.

At my six-week doctor visit my surgeon prescribed some anti-inflammatory pain meds to help as my PT progressed. I got to raise my arm unassisted for the first time as he checked my ability to lift my arm. It was a short but very exciting moment. I also got clearance to run! He told me to have poor running form for now and focus on keeping my arm by my side instead of swinging it too much. With how well I’m doing he’s going to have my PT progress me 2-3 weeks ahead of regular programming. I can’t wait to see where I am in a month or two. I miss normal movements like doing my own ponytail, but I definitely miss exercising and lifting more. There’s lots I can do, but things like Olympic lifts, pull-ups, etc. are still way down the road unfortunately.

The one thing I can’t seem to progress past yet is sleeping without my sling. I got clearance to stop using it two weeks ago, and a full ok to stop sleeping with it this week, but my muscles ache when I try laying without my sling. Short times of five to ten minutes aren’t bad, but it’s too uncomfortable to sleep this way. My goal is to be sling free in one to two weeks. My hope is the stretching and strengthening exercises will aid in this goal.

At this point my main focus is mobility. My strength seems to be returning fairly smoothly, but I’m struggling with range of motion in some areas. I couldn’t hold a barbell normally on my left side if I was offered a million dollars to. The mobility sessions at home are unpleasant but straight up painful at my PT sessions. He is able to leverage my shoulder differently and get a better stretch than I can on my own. The progress is 100% worth it though. Through the pain I focus on what the mobility will soon allow me to do again.

As I add in new strengthening exercises such as fully unassisted arm raises, and new mobility exercises I’ve noticed also daily, little changes in what I can do with my arm. I can officially put a middle ponytail in! While extremely challenging and slow, I’m just glad to start returning to a sense of normality in my routines. My mobility is allowing me to wash my good arm much better and slowly start to use my left arm more for dressing and jobs around the house. Even in the gym I see myself being able to do things less awkwardly as my arm returns to more natural positions.

"Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast"

I finally at two months post op was able to sleep without a sling. I still need a pillow under my arm for it to relax properly due to mobility, but this little step felt huge. I’ve added in a few new arm stretches and am getting closer to stretches I would have done before surgery. Such as door pec stretches, and banded rotator warm-ups. However, for now they’re considered strengthening exercises instead of a warm-up. My most challenging strengthening exercise is unassisted arm lifts. It’s amazing to try and lift your arm only to find it shaking profusely. My back and abs get a good workout as they are still greatly assisting.

Sounds like it takes about four months for the shoulder to fully heal. This is probably the soonest I’ll be officially cleared for Crossfit type movements. Anything such as pull-ups, barbell work, or the like would be too stressful on the joint before then. I’m dying to get back to my gym but am also determined to not reinjure myself at any point. My patience, wallet, and body can’t handle a setback. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.