Recovery after rotator cuff repair: week by week

After a repair, the tendon is held to bone with stitches and anchors, but it needs weeks to knit. The sling and the limits on active movement protect that join. Moving too early risks the repair; moving too little risks stiffness. The timeline balances those risks.

The ranges below are drawn from Southampton and RNOH leaflets. A large tear repaired through open surgery may follow a slower plan than a small keyhole repair. Always follow the instructions you were given.

Southampton advises starting painkillers as the nerve block begins to wear off, so pain does not arrive suddenly. Keyhole wounds are closed with sticking strips and covered with waterproof dressings; if a mini-open approach was used, dissolvable stitches may need trimming at ten to fourteen days.

Sleeping is difficult for many people. Sleeping semi-reclined, supporting the arm with a pillow and avoiding the operated side are the usual strategies. Pain tends to ease over weeks, but stiffness often lingers longer than pain.

The Southampton leaflet says not to drive until after six weeks and until the sling is off, starting with short journeys with a passenger once you feel in complete control. GOV.UK advises asking your doctor if you are unsure about driving after surgery and says the DVLA must be told if you still cannot drive three months on. Insurance terms may also apply, so check them.

Desk-based work is quoted at six to eight weeks and manual work at three to four months at the earliest. Lifting is restricted for eight to twelve weeks. Dressing, washing and cooking need adapting while the arm is in the sling.

• Dress the operated arm first and undress it last.

• Keep your elbow, wrist and hand moving to prevent swelling.

• Avoid pushing up from a chair or bed with the operated arm.

Physiotherapy is the engine of recovery. The first three weeks involve small-range movements below shoulder height, usually two to four times a day with no weight-bearing through the arm. Exercises continue for up to nine months according to Southampton.

RNOH says sports are typically avoided until ten to twelve months post-surgery. Overhead and throwing sports come last, and the decision should be made with your surgeon and physiotherapist.

Expect a wound check around day five and fourteen at your GP practice, a referral to outpatient physiotherapy, and a clinic review with the surgical team at some point in the following weeks. Ask for those dates when you leave hospital.

• Fever, increasing redness, warmth or leakage from a wound.

• Pain that increases sharply or a sudden loss of movement you had gained.

• Calf pain or swelling, chest pain or breathlessness: urgent care, 999 if severe.

• Persistent numbness or colour change in the hand after the block has worn off.