I live alone so some of these may not apply to you but most should be helpful. As with anything, follow your doctor’s orders.
It’s been four months since I had my right shoulder repaired due to a SLAP tear. Mine was caused by years of volleyball and overhand sports.
I read a lot of information online and watched a bunch of videos! Some were helpful but many rambled on and repeated the same information.
These are some things I discovered that I didn’t see mentioned anywhere else or at least rarely saw mentioned. Hopefully, you’ll find something helpful.
Good luck with your rotator cuff recovery. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I imagined, and I almost enjoyed the challenge.
Pre-Surgery Tips:
Get your home prepared so you don’t have to worry about any of this stuff after surgery.
- Laundry
- Clean, if necessary
- Stock up on food
- Open any jars of food that you might want to use
Jars are very hard to open with one hand! This goes for both new jars or jars you’ve already opened. (For example, salsa can dry around the rim and reseal on an already opened jar. I struggled with this post-surgery on a jar I had opened pre-surgery on one particular jar.)
- Supplies (see below)
Post-Surgery Tips
Sling Tips:
- Get your sling shoulder strap adjusted and then you can just slide it over your head versus refastening all the straps every time you want to take it off.
You really only need to undo the waist strap, and then lift the shoulder strap over your head to take it off.
Often times I left the waist strap undone anyway and just used the shoulder strap. That way I didn’t have to do anything to take it off and it took no time.
I tucked the waist strap into the area between the pad and the arm cup so it’s out of the way.
At night I recommend fastening the waist strap to prevent you from any unintentional movements while you’re sleeping.
- Your sling serves to not only support your arm but to prevent you from doing stupid things accidentally. Be very aware of this!
A few days after surgery you’ll gain confidence and might decide to leave it off. There is little risk when sitting on the couch, right? But then you’ll get up to walk to the kitchen or bathroom and think, “I’m just going over there for a second, I’ll be fine. I’ll hold my arm next to my body and I’ll be fine.”
You’ll accidentally stumble over something and instinctually move your repaired arm and yell a string of curse words from whatever bit of pain, hopefully minor, you just caused.
So, be incredibly deliberate with your steps or just don’t risk re-injuring yourself by moving around without your sling on.
I was in the kitchen making something simple to microwave when I dropped a fork using the hand on my uninjured, non-dominant arm. The fork bounced off the counter and I instinctually grabbed it out of the air with the hand on my sling-free repaired arm. Fortunately, it wasn’t a big movement but it woke me up to what could happen.
Ice Machine – “Polar Ice Machine” – My tip really only applies if you live alone, or want to do this when no one else is home.
To connect the hose joints, step on one end of the hose to hold it still to help connect the hose joints using only your good hand. (http://amzn.to/2xCvIbz) This can be quite hard to do with both hands because you likely won’t have the strength in your recently repaired arm, and probably shouldn’t be using it anyway. You need to provide a surprising bit of resistance with both hands and it takes more effort than you think with your recently repaired arm. I found it much easier to just stand on the end of the hose and use my one good hand.
Sleeping/Bed:
- Bed wedge (http://amzn.to/2hiYDgB) – The first few nights I mostly slept using the wedge but worked myself off of it as I grew more comfortable with my arm in a sling. Plus it comes in handy when you’re awake during the day, want to stay in bed, and don’t want to lay completely horizontal.
- Phone/tablet extender attached to your bed or night table with a long charge cable. You’ll spend a lot of time in bed and you’ll get sick of trying to hold it or get it to stand upright. This is a hands-free option that allows you to lay anyway you want. I still use this years later.
- tablet holder: https://amzn.to/2T6yzGd
- 10′ iPhone charge cable: https://amzn.to/3e8hnvU
- Light dimmer switch for bed http://amzn.to/2gA1MHA
- I put this on the side of my bed so I could easily turn the light off/on or dim it without having to get up. Super handy!
- 4 pillows (one on each side to prevent you from rolling around, 2 for my head)
Showering:
- Liquid soap in a squirt/press bottle: https://amzn.to/3gXG1kG
- Removable Showerhead: https://amzn.to/336KpFI
- Washing Tips: To wash your repaired arm, lean forward slightly and use gravity in your favor. Put the foot that’s on the same side of the repaired arm up on the side of the tub and just let your arm hang or rest it against your thigh. This way you can wash the repaired arm without having to use much muscle strength for resistance or support. Your leg will support your arm and provide resistance so you can wash without having to use your arm/should muscles on the repaired shoulder.
- This goes for anything really but if you need to do something that is a bit challenging, such as shaving (I shave my head with cordless trimmers), do the hard side first because your good arm will get tired. It’s easier to do the easier side second.
Getting Dressed:
- Putting on a t-shirt:
- Because I worked from home for a couple weeks I lived in gym shorts and tees which are very easy to put on.
- With your repaired arm held at your side in the same position as if the sling were on, slide the first sleeve of the t-shirt on over that arm and up over your head. Then put your good arm through the other sleeve second/last. That way you don’t have to move the repaired arm at all.
- Slip-on shoes (like shoelace-less Converse, Vans, slippers, etc)
- It’s possible to tie shoes w one hand but it’s hard. (look it up on youtube) I gave it a shot but gave up because it wasn’t something I had to do.
- Putting on pants:
- Completely fasten your pants with a belt before putting them on. It obviously helps a lot if they are slightly too big so you can pull them over your hips.
- Then lay down on your bed and slide them up and on. Then stand up and tighten the belt. I used one of those D-ring belts that is easy to tighten with one hand once you have them on. (http://amzn.to/2ykZUv6)
Work:
It depends on kind of work you do, obviously, but if you work a desk job then a laptop is much easier to work on because your hands and arms move very little.
I used a laptop at work and used a Remote Desktop application to remote into my desktop which was right in front of me. This basically allowed me to use my laptop keyboard for my user input but still operate the desktop. I preferred it over the other small keyboards I tried but you may not. It was the best way to be able to both type and use a mouse with the smallest amount of elbow and arm movement. You’ll be surprised by how uncomfortable having to move your arm, even a couple inches, will be the first couple weeks. You can also get wireless keyboard or mini keyboard if you think it’ll help (https://amzn.to/3nHYumH) but they are really quite cumbersome and frustrating.
Thanks for sharing all this!
Thank you for the advice but how did u put a bra on I’m so worried as I’m a large breasted woman.Any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated.
I’m a man, so I didn’t have to worry about that. :)
Thank you for your great article on recovering from shoulder surgery. My dad might have to get shoulder surgery. I will definitely pass along all of your great tips and information to my dad so he can successfully recover.
Well I am 23 days after having reconstructive acj level 3 dislocation. It hurts too much still. My shoulder is still numb and I have a weird sensation still. As for dressing front fastening bras, button up tops of something you can get off one handed…
I know it’s getting better because its itchy all the time, but when I try scratching I cannot feel it, got physiotherapy Friday let’s hope I get somewhere…
On bras, put it on with the back facing front. Flip the side your sling is on and do NOT LIFT YOUR ARM TO DO THIS. Fasten bra, then scoot it around with your good arm until in front. Slowly slide the strap over the arm with a sling ( sling off, but still bent as if sling was on). Slide up the sore arm slowly until the strap is almost on your shoulder, then bring the other side up half way also and start slowly pushing straps up. Sounds complicated but it isn’t.
Wonderful post! Used so much of your info to make wise purchases, most of which are articles I can use in the future as well. Thank you.
Very practical suggestions and the best I’ve found. Thanks!
I am at week 4 of major rotator cuff surgery on dominant arm. I am a busy women and am unable to wear a bra so I wear a tank top with an oversized shirt over it. Prior to surgery I wore front zippered active wear bras. (Razor back bras). I will move back to those in a few more weeks. I hope the comment is helpful.
PT Told me to purchase the zip front bras on Amazon. I just had bicep tendoneses surgery so that’s the route I will go. the recovery is much the same as rotator cuff repair.
I am only on week two and I am already making plans to have a huge bonfire to burn this sling. This is like medieval torture. I also have a wedge and a recliner and find myself moving between the two during the night. I also have no clue if I am moving my arm too much and order to hold my phone or text.
BRAS: For 2 weeks after surgery I did not wear a bra. Then I looked on Amazon and found t-back bras with front closures. Ordered several. They are so comfy! Still wear them.
SHOULDER SURGERY: The article seems to be about rotator cuff repair which is different from shoulder surgery. I fell and landed hard on my upper left arm. Dislocated and broke the shoulder, tore the rotator cuff, and suffered traumatic injury to the brachial plexus. My surgeon did the repairs and after a month I began what would be 9 months of rehab, 3 days/week. I have full range of motion but am left with some numbness in 3 fingers of my left hand. I feel lucky to have come through this. Just turned 80.
Thank you for the article, and answer a lot of my questions. I’m going for surgery in 2 weeks on rotator cuff, impingement, one other thing, a bit scared but I got this right..
Thanks for your article. I just had rotator cuff & bicep repair 4 days ago. I purchased several tops that snap together, like a hospital gown, so I don’t have to put my arm through a shirt sleeve. I ordered a couple strapless bras from Amazon that hook in the back. Looking forward to trying them. Next up … figuring out how to wash my hair. My husband has been a fabulous nurse, so I’m sure we’ll figure out the hair!!
I am 6 weeks out from rotator cuff, bicep tendoneses and labrum tear. The only thing I would add to these is to food prep beforehand and freeze. I also bought a few inexpensive zip front bras for the first few weeks. The best thing I bought were 2 really good shoulder ice packs. (Did not get the cooler thingy) Also choose to have surgery in the summer so I didn’t have to mess with coats and long sleeve shirts. This surgery has a long rehab but wasn’t as bad as many people made it out to be.
Had to have Reverse complete shoulder replacement due to fall and fx the head of my joint on R. Shoulder.
My son recommend a bidet for the toilet. What a life saver. You can get one for about $30.00. Well worth it.
What if your shoulder never gets completely better and you have difficulty putting on and taking off jackets. I have already switched to roomier jackets. If no one is present to help you, are there any life hacks in terms of equipment to help put on and take off jackets?
I would think that putting jacket on the arm with the limited range of motion first would be a good place to start, much like how I put on t-shirts when I couldn’t move my arm at all during initial recovery.
What if both shoulders are affected? I have difficulty reaching across my body to flip the jacket off my shoulder (both sides). I can do it but then I suffer impingement pain that lasts a while and adds to inflammation (I think). My problems are due to arthritis and bone spurs in both shoulders causing impingement. I am trying to avoid shoulder replacement surgery as I can function reasonably well other than jacket challenges. I am a 76-year old female with a helpful husband, but he is not always there.
I’ve had a couple of shoulder surgeries over the last 20 years, and sleeping was definitely an issue. You’ll want to sleep, sitting up on a recliner for the first few nights. However, when you are ready for bed, you will only be able to sleep on your back. Believe it or not, your arm will start to feel heavy and make your ribs sore after a while. I found that if I put some egg crate foam under my sling (you will have to loosen the sling to stick it under there and then cinch it down), this will distribute the weight of your arm across to your torso and make it much more comfortable to sleep.
Thanks for these tips…I think they will be very helpful. I am scheduled for L reverse 6/3, but, my right will need doing when, the right has healed. No one wants surgery, but, sometimes, it is necessary to give quality to life and help with the incessant ache/pain.