If you’ve had a previous or recent shoulder surgery, recovery can be stressful at times!
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You can’t wait to begin using your shoulder normally again, but at the same time, you may have a part of you afraid to use it again. There’s always that thought and concern about potentially hurting or injuring the shoulder after surgery.
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You, of course, want to use your shoulder as much as possible, once allowed, but at the same time, what are the odds you could injure it?
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That’s what we’re here to talk about!
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Let’s dive a little more into possible mechanisms of injury after shoulder surgery, what you can do to prevent them, and what to do if you think you have injured your surgical shoulder.
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Possible Mechanisms of Injury After Shoulder Surgery
After a shoulder surgery, the shoulder is in a more delicate state. It can be more susceptible to injury if proper care and precautions are not put into place.
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Here are a few ways that you could possibly injure your shoulder after surgery:
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Using the shoulder too soon after surgery
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Overuse of the shoulder
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A specific trauma, such as a fall onto the shoulder
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Usually after a shoulder surgery, you are often instructed to use a sling for a period of time and keep the shoulder immobilized. This is to allow time for the shoulder to heal well enough after surgery before beginning to move it.
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Your surgeon and rehab specialist will let you know at what point you’re allowed to begin moving the shoulder and arm, and how to safely do so at that point after surgery.
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If you independently choose to begin using the arm and shoulder sooner than what has been instructed by your healthcare team, you run the risk of injuring the shoulder soon after your procedure.
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Once you have been cleared to begin using the shoulder, you absolutely want to make sure that you don’t begin doing too much too soon. Many post-operative rehab protocols require the patient to begin with more passive range of motion (ROM), then gradually progress to more active movements before incorporating any type of resistance training.
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If you start doing more advanced activities with the shoulder too soon, this can greatly irritate the shoulder joint and surrounding soft tissues (e.g., muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc.) and can actually create a risk for injuring the shoulder.
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Finally, something out of your control is always a possibility. A fall, car accident, etc. These are more direct traumas that have the potential to injure a shoulder after surgery.
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If you are fresh out of a recent surgery, any of these possibilities mentioned above are fair game for potentially injuring the shoulder.
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Let’s say, however, that you are 1 or more years out from surgery. You have no precautions and have been cleared to do whatever you’d like (yay!). It’s still possible that the second and third items discussed above could occur. You can still be susceptible to an overuse injury in the shoulder, just like any healthy shoulder. You also could experience an injury if you have had a recent trauma or accident.
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Now that we know some possible ways you could injure the shoulder after surgery, let’s see what we can do to prevent this from happening in the first place.
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Ways to Prevent Injuries After Shoulder Surgery
Now, while we can’t control some things, such as an unpredictable incident like a car accident or fall…There are other things we can do to avoid an injury after surgery!
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First off, if you are fresh out of surgery, follow the instructions from your surgeon and rehab specialist. Don’t go rogue and try to begin using the arm and shoulder too soon.
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If you’ve been instructed to wear a sling for a specific amount of time… Do it.
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If you’ve been instructed to avoid certain activities in order to keep the shoulder safe while healing… Do it.
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The first couple of months after surgery are a delicate time for the shoulder. While it’s understandable that you can start feeling stir crazy not being able to use the shoulder like you want to, don’t take things into your own hands. If you follow the proper protocols used after surgery, you will actually heal much faster and avoid injuring the shoulder.
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No matter if you’re fresh out of surgery or if you’ve had a previous shoulder surgery, too much of anything for a healthy or surgical shoulder can be a bad thing. Avoid repetitive reaching and lifting, especially in directions where you may already have some lingering limited motion and weakness. Overuse of the shoulder can cause irritation in and around the joint and soft tissues and create unnecessary inflammation.
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When it comes to preventing an accident, such as a fall, you can make sure to practice maintaining a safe home environment and safe mobility when out and about.
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Make sure your home is clutter free. If you need to remove rugs, loose items on the floor (like pet toys), or anything else that could cause you to trip, try to do so as soon as possible.
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At nighttime, try to use night lights to keep nearby areas well lit, in case you need to get up in the middle of the night.
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If your balance is questionable, talk with your doctor and rehab specialist about possibly using an assistive device, such as a cane.
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An unnecessary fall after surgery can be pretty traumatizing to a surgical shoulder, but there are many circumstances where falls can be prevented.
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What to Do if You Think You’ve Injured Your Shoulder
So, maybe you’ve taken all of the precautions you can, but the inevitable still happens… You’ve done something to hurt that surgical shoulder. What now?
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If you’ve had a recent shoulder surgery and are concerned you may have injured the shoulder, you’ll want to contact your surgeon immediately. If your injury involves a specific trauma and you’re experiencing high levels of immediate pain, it would be recommended to seek emergency medical services.
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They will likely perform immediate imaging, such as an X-ray, CT scan or MRI, to make sure no serious injury has occurred, which might require going back in for another surgery.
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If your surgical shoulder has been experiencing increasing pain, but no trauma has been involved, you still should contact your surgeon. This is especially the case if your surgery was recent. They may decide to do basic imaging to check on the shoulder, but will also discuss activity, rehab or lifestyle modifications that need to be made to address the increased shoulder pain.
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Again, if no trauma or specific injury has occurred, because of the change in the status of the shoulder, you may be instructed to back track in your post-operative rehab protocol. This means that even if you had progressed to more advanced activities and exercises, because of your new pain, you may have to go back to the basics of passive stretching and ROM. This could be the case at least until your shoulder starts to improve.
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If after a period of time the shoulder pain is not improving, the surgeon my order more in-depth imaging, such as an MRI, and could even possibly recommend another surgery to see what is going on and if a repair needs to occur.
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All in all, you will greatly reduce your chances of injuring your shoulder after surgery if you do the following:
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Listen to the instructions from your surgeon and rehab specialist.
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Don’t begin using the shoulder sooner than you’ve been instructed to.
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Avoid using the shoulder in ways you are not allowed to yet, such as with lifting.
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Avoid repetitive use of that arm and shoulder over a longer period of time.
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Do your best to practice safe mobility, in order to avoid accidents, such as a trip and fall.