5 Things You Must Know about Rotator Cuff Surgery

Guest Blogger: Donna Shannon

To repair a torn rotator cuff, surgery is a right choice. Rotator cuff surgery involves re-attaching tendon to head of upper arm bone. The torn rotator cuff is really a painful surgery. Your daily life would be really affected by it. There are a number of treatments available for the damage; but if all other treatments failed to do the work, or if your physician recommends you surgery to repair the tear, then you are supposed to go for it. Five most important things about this type of surgery that you must know are as follows:

Detect Symptoms

First of all, recognition of certain symptoms that is alerting your surgery is necessary. If you are feeling constant pain especially while raising your arm over your head, problems during sleeping on the sides that’s hurting, after lifting the arm above the head when you feel weaknesses in your muscles, and most importantly when you hear a sound like grinding, from your shoulder while moving the arm.

Determine the Necessity

Surgery is recommended when your injury is severe. Additional damages are more likely to occur if surgery is not completed; the pain becomes severe enough so that it could prevent you from doing routine life activities. All other non-surgery treatments failed and if your damage was done because of an unforeseen accident e.g. due to a dislocated shoulder.

Be Prepared

You should prepare yourself before your surgery. You are supposed to take time off till the time your surgeon feels that you are ready to return. Mostly it lasts for several weeks, but it depends upon the type of work you are doing. A test will be done before the surgery to determine whether you are healthy enough for the surgery or not and it also determines the extent of surgery involved. You will not require to have checked into the hospital until the day of the scheduled surgery. You will require rest and will not be allowed to drink or eat anything for a certain time.

Having Surgery

The day of surgery will be the climax of your decision. You will be required to have a check in the hospital for several hours before the schedule time of the surgery so that you could be prepared for the surgery. The anesthesiologist will call you for a talk and he/she will explain to you the whole procedure that they will use. If you want to ask questions or have some concerns, then you are advised not to hesitate at all to ask because the surgeon will answer all your questions.
You will be required to be put under a general anesthesia for the surgery. It is necessary to put the patient into sleep during the process of the surgery, and during this sleep you will most likely be provided with a specific medicine to inhibit your pain of surgery. The surgery will take approximately 2 hours to complete. And after that, a few hours will be consumed in the recovery room. The surgeon will again come in the room and give you all the necessary details of what was happening, how much the damage was, and what of you he will expect in the next few days. After this, you will be discharged and you can go home.

Post-Surgery

Last but not the least is, you must know the importance of rotator cuff surgery. You will be required to undergo physical therapy in order for you to gain shoulder control. It is really an important thing for you to follow. The therapy might be a little painful for the first time, but don’t stop going for it because it will help your shoulder a lot to do what it is mean to do.

About the Author

Donna Shannon has contributed to several medical blogs and hopes that her knowledge of medical issues can help others find answers to their health related questions and issues.

She is working at eHealthMD and often writes about rotator cuff surgery which is performed under general anesthesia.

• Rotator Cuff Surgery