What To Do In Physical Therapy After Shoulder Surgery
After shoulder surgery, there will be a strict protocol during your Physical Therapy. At the beginning of your physical therapy, any movements will be extremely mild as the goal of your physical therapy sessions is just to guide the healing process of your shoulder. Once sufficient healing has occurred, the physical therapists at Cross Bay Physical Therapy will help your regain the strength and mobility of your shoulder.
After surgery, you may wear a sling for 4-6 weeks and won’t be able to drive a car for around one month. Pain can be managed with medications prescribed to you by your doctor. For the first 48 hours after surgery, you should ice your shoulder consistently and then after 48 hours, ice your shoulder 3 times per day for 20 minutes at a time.
Full recovery normally takes 3 to 6 months depending on the success of your physical therapy, which is why our Howard Beach physical therapists take your case extremely seriously during each session. Cross Bay Physical Therapy has helped patients for over 30 years overcome both stiffness, pain, and weakness after surgery.
There are a few exercises that help after your surgery including:
- Correct Posture - Though not an exercises, correct posture is one of the most important things you can focus on after surgery. Bad posture adds extra stress to your shoulder while good posture makes it easier for your shoulder to heal. During your physical therapy, we will help you find the best posture for you and show you have to achieve this posture consistently throughout the day.
- Shoulder Shrugs - With your arm still in a sling, shrug your shoulder up and down and then circle them forwards and backwards. Remember, only perform any of these exercises after a professional physical therapist has both shown and explained to you the benefits and the motion of each exercise.
- Straighten Your Elbow - With your arm outside of your sling, straighten your elbow. Then, repeat the recommended number of times.
As you can see, the exercises immediately following shoulder surgery are extremely simple but the whole point of these exercises is to begin the momentum building of creating normal pain-free motion. Do not try any exercises that you have not be shown by a trained professional, which is why coming in for your evaluation at Cross Bay Physical Therapy is a necessary first step.
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By Benjamin Bieber