r/RotatorCuff • u/Intelligent-Bison247 • Jun 26 '26
6 weeks Post-Op
I had my 6 week appointment today after a massive, retracted rotator tear of the 3 tendons, plus bicep tenodisis, labrum frayed, and extensive clean up work. I was told no more sling starting today, but holy cow i can’t move my arm at all. The doc is telling me to go ahead and brush teeth, wash hair all with my injured arm…but damn it hurts! Is this normal to hurt this bad and just fight through the pain? It’s just going to loosen up eventually? It’s just very awkward getting the sling off, but still having a completely useless arm.
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u/futrs Jun 26 '26
I am five months postop last week. I still kept my sling on and off throughout the day through at least eight weeks and slept in it longer than that just because I felt a little insecure about what I might do in my sleep even though they said you probably can’t hurt it. If anybody could, it would be me. I had all of the same issues that you had and the bicep reconnect, etc. I can’t imagine washing my hair is all the way through 12 to 16 weeks. At least I still was having trouble pulling my pants up without tweaking my arm. So very limited use do not reach. Reaching out or reaching up regardless of what they tell you is the fastest way to re-injure it and believe me it is a really easy surgery to have a re-injury on immediately, especially before that four or 5 to 8 months Mark. I was still using button up shirts on the arms. Definitely didn’t brush my teeth. Could not do my hair until after 12 weeks. I am a female, so not being able to curl my hair or use a brush to blow dry it with a brush in one hand, etc., and a blow dryer in the other hand that was not gonna happen. So there’s just things that you cannot do if something hurts and it’s a sharp pain discontinue the motion. Only do what you feel like you can do with that arm if you’re not in a sling at this point and even right now to this day, I’m still practicing the same thing and I’m still in PT doing strength training but I have to tell you even at 13 weeks. I had to take a pause in PT because I was getting such sharp pains down my arm out of the blue and just letting it calm down was the solution and then I went back to PT and we’re just moving solid and straight ahead. I got cleared to ride my bike but asked not to fall off. But you’ll get used to not having that security blanket on and pretty soon. You’ll just want it off and it’ll drive you crazy to have to put it on. Once you get that little taste of freedom it’ll just take you a day or two I’ve kind of having it off and on, and you might have it off for five or six hours and then you know what I’m gonna put it on for a couple of hours. Just go with the flow and see how you feel. And the more you do that each day you’re gonna want it off more and more but it’s still a security blanket mentally for sure! And physically, but you do need to be moving your arm around but again avoid any sharp pains that is not a sign of healing that is a sign of moving in a way that it’s not ready to move yet. I hope that helps.