What PT exercises should I do after rotator cuff surgery?

If your rotator cuff symptoms have not eased with conservative treatment methods, then surgery may have been recommended to you. There’s nothing to fear with rotator cuff surgery. In fact, a study showed that 90% of patients report being happy with the results from the surgery after six months. Physical therapy exercises after your rotator cuff surgery can help you in your recovery journey. 

Why you should try physical therapy exercises after rotator cuff surgery

Physical therapy is the next step on your journey to finding relief from your shoulder pain or discomfort. Some of the benefits you can reap from post-surgery PT include:

• Improving your flexibility — By participating in physical therapy, you can expect to see improvement in your overall shoulder flexibility, especially after rotator cuff surgery. Take it slow and communicate with your specialist if you feel any discomfort.
• Increasing your strength — After you’ve had rotator cuff tear surgery, you need to rebuild your strength with physical therapy exercises. Make sure you work with your physical therapist to discuss your goals and the best exercises to help you heal and build your shoulder and arm strength back up. 
• Speeding up your recovery — Recovering from rotator cuff surgery can take up to six months. Physical therapy can help speed up your healing by working with a trained professional to increase your flexibility and strength. You should attend your appointments and make sure you’re staying consistent with your at-home exercises to aid in your recovery.

Physical therapy exercises for after rotator cuff surgery

It’s no secret: Physical therapy exercises post-surgery can help you heal. After your surgery, your physical therapist will work with you to create a treatment plan to get you back in shape. Some exercises on your therapy plan for after rotator cuff surgery may include:

• Reaching exercises — While sitting in a chair, gently raise your arms over your head, straightening as much as you can comfortably. Alternate moving each arm forward, acting like you are reaching for something. 
• Assisted shoulder elevation — You can try this exercise while sitting or standing. Begin by cupping your hands together, slowly lifting your arms toward your head. Try to keep your arms as straight as comfortably possible. After about 20 seconds, lower your arms back to the starting position.
• Rotator cuff strength — While standing, place your arms slightly behind your back and clasp your hands together. Stretch your arms as much as is comfortably tolerated and slowly raise your arms.

Our expert physical therapists at Peak Performance Sports and Physical Therapy want to help you on your journey to recovery. We can start by providing a free screening to determine the best plan of post-surgery treatment. Contact us today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.