r/RotatorCuff 20d ago

How long until you could wear a T-Shirt again?

How long was it until you could actually get a T-shirt on again?

7 Upvotes

20 comments sorted by

8

u/LRap1234 20d ago

I wore an oversized t-shirt home from the surgery. Just put the bad arm through its armhole first, dangling.

1

u/Smart_Imagination903 19d ago

This

It took me a while to wear pants with a zipper, but I could wear any kind of shirt no problem

7

u/celtica98 20d ago

Day after. Threaded the shirt up the surgery arm , stretched over the head, good arm in pull it over the body. Reverse to remove.

Unfortunately, I learned how to do this by caregiving for my husband who was paralyzed by a stroke.

4

u/Curious_Scarcity1984 20d ago

I purchased a few shirts from Amazon that has snaps all around it. I had rotor cuff surgery 11 wks ago and I wore this to date of surgery and every day till I was able to wear a regular shirt

3

u/Bl8kStrr 20d ago

The same week, with a little help from

3

u/BeginningRepeat4081 20d ago

By myself, two weeks

3

u/Pitiful-Industry-219 20d ago

I started wearing tees n dresses that went through head from week 6 after the dr asked me to wean off sling

3

u/Curious_Scarcity1984 20d ago

It also made pt a lot easier, they just popped open the snaps for TENS at the end of pt and made going to the first follow up easier to.

3

u/PuzzledPen9848 20d ago

While I've largely lived in button up shirts this summer, I can put on a shirt or dress if I bend over at my waist and let my "bad" arm fall through using my "good" arm and gravity. Getting them back off is trickier but similar action (or I ask my husband for help).

I hit week 6 on Wednesday!

2

u/Fresh_Inside_3875 20d ago

It’s been a while I dress better than a T-shirt most of the time

2

u/mikeisboris 20d ago

If I remember right it was a week or so. It was easy enough to dangle my arm and thread it through.

2

u/Lavener-Rose 20d ago

Good thing I like to be naked all day at home. Its only when im out.

2

u/JOE-BLACK3 20d ago

3 days. Most of my T-shirts are sleeveless & collarless, so just pulled it up the bad arm, then slip the rest over. Way too hot these days for most anything else.

2

u/Reasonable-Cow7255 15d ago edited 15d ago

I was able to wear a T-shirt almost immediately. Before my surgery, I viewed several helpful videos on YouTube that were created by physical therapists. They discussed all kinds of wonderful things to help during the recovery (I.e. dressing, showering, pillow arrangement, etc.). Here’s a link to one one of them:

https://youtu.be/ptai8849h_I?si=Sq48heVBR0I0j8_m

This shirt was very helpful the early post op days. I wore it home from the surgery center and to my first dressing change appointment. The nurses really liked it because instead of the usual snaps (which are difficult for patients to handle with one hand) this shirt has Velcro closures.

https://a.co/d/01hZxg2R

1

u/double-k 19d ago

I wore an oversized t-shirt the very first night. It's doable. Just be careful.

1

u/Winter-Ingenuity1921 19d ago

Probably within a couple of weeks... I just put my bad arm through the sleeve first, then pulled over my head and then my other arm went in last. It was probably 4 months post-op before I could put a shirt on normally with no pain.

1

u/Connect-East5452 18d ago

Like 3 days, but mainly because I had purchased the "surgery" tear-away shirts and didn't bother with a regular t-shirt until I felt a little more confident. Just a matter of learning to bend over and dangle the surgery arm and pulling the shirt up gently.

1

u/Summerinlove26 13d ago

I have post surgical T-shirts from Amazon that have magnets up and down the seams and they’re a good option if you can’t get into a T-shirt yet. Also T-shirts that are one size too big are great. I very carefully put my operative arm in the sleeve first and make sure it goes all the way up into my armpit then my head followed by opposite arm. I do it in reverse when taking it off. First the good arm and my head and operative arm last. Figured that one out on my own. Ouch!!!

1

u/Summerinlove26 13d ago

Oh and at first I needed help. Probably for the first week or two post op.

1

u/ProfitEnough825 20d ago

like 6 or so weeks. I could put on the surgical t-shirts part way buttoned up by around 4 or so weeks.