The staff at the Shoulder and Elbow center are incredibly excited to share that one of our patients recently captured his SECOND B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series victory. Jim had a total shoulder arthroplasty with Dr. Spencer earlier this year, and his victory offers a unique opportunity to address returning to activity following shoulder surgery.
One of the most common reasons patients give that brought them to our clinic is an inability to do their daily activities and exercises, usually due to stiffness, weakness, pain or a combination of the three. When discussing surgical treatment, the majority of patients are primarily concerned with being able to return to their pre-operative activity level.
While there are certainly outliers, the vast majority of our patients are able to return to their pre-operative activity level, if not exceed it.
Return to activity following surgery depends on a multitude of factors:
Surgeries performed with the aim of REPAIRING a damaged structure typically require about 6 weeks of relative rest/immobilization in the form of a sling, followed by 6-8 weeks of strengthening and another couple months of easing back into full activity with no restrictions.
Surgeries performed to REPLACE a worn out structure will still require roughly 6 weeks of immobilization to allow the entry points for the arthroplasty to heal, but this is usually followed by more aggressive strengthening and a quicker return to activity.
Other factors such as soft tissue quality, osteoporosis, tear size, arthroplasty type and body morphology can all play a role in your return to activity. After advanced imaging is obtained, discussion regarding return to activity after surgery can be much more informative.
As always, each patient presents their own unique history, expectations and mindset that must be considered before planning a surgical procedure.
If you have any questions or want to be seen in our clinic, please submit a request from the bottom of our homepage and one of our staff will be in touch with you shortly to schedule an appointment.
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