Shoulder Arthroplasty Recovery: Tips to Regain Strength and Range of Motion Faster

The road to shoulder replacement, or arthroplasty, wasn’t a short one. Over the years, your shoulder likely became increasingly uncomfortable and stiff, making it more difficult to use the joint. And when you can’t use a major joint like a shoulder, life becomes more challenging, which is where shoulder replacement comes in.

Shoulder replacement surgery is very common in the United States — the prevalence of shoulder arthroplasty increased 730% between 1995 and 2015, and it continues to be a popular and effective approach for relieving ongoing shoulder pain.

What this means is that our team of board-certified orthopedic surgeons at New Braunfels Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine has a good deal of experience to draw from, including when it comes to recovery. If you want to do what you can to speed your recovery and regain strength and range of motion in your shoulder, follow these best practices.

The first week after shoulder replacement surgery

After we perform your shoulder arthroplasty, we send you home with comprehensive aftercare instructions that cover everything from bathing to dressing care.

We perform most shoulder arthroplasties using advanced arthroscopic techniques, which means we typically only need to make small incisions. We bring this up because you won’t necessarily be dealing with large incision care.

We mostly want you to take it easy for the first week and keep your arm immobilized in the sling. During this time, please follow our instructions regarding icing, bathing, sling use, and medication use. 

After a week or 10 days, you return to our office so we can remove the stitches and give you the green light for more activity.

Starting physical therapy

Unlike knee replacement and hip replacement where we encourage movement even the same day after surgery, we move more cautiously when it comes to shoulder replacement. You’ll be wearing a sling for about six weeks to limit movement in your shoulder while it heals.

That said, we want you to start physical therapy (PT) within the first week. During these visits, your physical therapist works with you on making passive movements — meaning it’s the physical therapist who moves your arm and shoulder for you — to help you slowly regain strength, maintain range of motion, and prevent scar tissue from building up.

After about a week of passive movements, you graduate to moving your arm yourself under the watchful eyes of your physical therapist.

Your therapist also gives you homework in the form of exercises, and this is where your participation can really make a difference in a faster recovery. Be diligent with this at-home PT, but don’t push beyond the rehab assignments you’ve been given.

Which shoulder matters

As you will figure out very quickly, which shoulder we’re replacing can make a big difference in your recovery. If we replace the joint on your dominant side, you’ll need to get used to using your non-dominant arm and hand for a while, so be patient.

Six weeks after shoulder arthroplasty

In most cases, you can lose the sling at about the six- to eight-week mark and get back to a more normal life. This means you can drive again and do most of the activities you normally do.

Moving forward, we want you to listen to your shoulder. If it starts to ache, give it a rest. If you like lifting weights, you’re going to be restricted to 30 pounds and under with your new shoulder.

The good news: If you follow our instructions and engage fully in your PT, your new shoulder should serve you well for years to come. In fact, 90% of shoulder implants are trouble-free after a decade.

If you have more questions about your recovery after shoulder arthroplasty, please contact our office in New Braunfels, Texas. Call 830-341-1386, or send your appointment request online.