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If you have suffered a shoulder injury that led to surgery, it’s important to consider the time it will take to recover. This can help you track your progress and help you from getting discouraged if it’s taking longer than you want. There are numerous different factors that can vary this timeline, and no two injuries are the same, but this blog will give you a guideline and a good idea of how long your recovery will take. Keep reading to learn more.
Factors that Affect Recovery Time
As you begin your recovery journey, take into account these factors that can impact how well and how long the process will take:
- Age: Those who are younger tend to heal faster. This can be due to joints and muscles being in better shape. These tend to deteriorate in older individuals.
- Health: If you are in good health, live a decently active lifestyle, and eat well, chances are you will recover quicker. Like the previous factor, health can decline in older people and it can be harder to bounce back from surgery.
- Injury Severity: The type of injury you have or how serious it was can heavily affect your recovery process. If the injury was minimal and requires a less invasive surgery, it will be a quicker recovery. It also can depend on what tendon or ligament was injured, since some can take longer to heal than others.
- Surgery Type: As previously mentioned, more severe injuries can require more invasive surgeries. These surgery types, such as rotator cuff repair or shoulder replacement, will take longer to heal than less invasive procedures, such as infected tissue removal.
- Therapy Frequency: Physical therapy plays a large role in shoulder surgery recovery, which will be discussed in a later section. Staying consistent with this can make all the difference.
- Job Type: If you are an athlete or your job requires major physical activity, your recovery may take longer to make sure it can withstand and be strong enough for the stress it will endure.
Common Timelines to Follow
A good rule of thumb for shoulder surgery recovery is 4-6 months, but full healing can take up to a year. The recovery process for more invasive surgeries leans more towards 6-9 months, whereas less invasive surgeries will heal in 3-4 months.
For the first few weeks after surgery, your main focus should be rest. After a month, light physical therapy can be introduced to start gaining mobility and strength back. Exercises can gently increase each month, until you can get back to day-to-day activities. If you are an athlete, you should be able to return to more intense physical activity after 6 months.
The Important Role of Physical Therapy in Shoulder Recovery
Physical therapy plays a crucial role in recovering as well as possible from shoulder surgery. The amazing thing about it is that a physical therapist Idaho Falls can customize a plan specifically for you and your recovery process. This way, you will get the therapy you need for the most beneficial recovery. Staying consistent with it can help your strength and mobility be even better than they were before.
Conclusion
No recovery is quite the same, but this blog can give you a good insight into what you can expect when recovering from shoulder surgery. Consider these factors and build a physical therapy plan to optimize your healing.