Recovering from Shoulder Replacement Surgery
After surgery, you will be moved into the recovery room where you will stay for around two to three hours. During this time, you will be monitored until you awaken from anesthesia, and then you will be taken to your hospital room. Your operated arm will be numb because of the regional anesthesia, which also can provide good pain relief for the next day. Another side effect of the anesthesia is that you will not be able to move your fingers or wrist on the operated arm. Normally, you will stay in the hospital for two to four days, but this depends on each individual and how quickly he or she recovers. After surgery, you may feel some pain that will be managed with proper medication prescribed by your shoulder surgeon to make you feel as comfortable as possible. This will be given either by injection or pump and should be used as required. To avoid lung congestion after surgery, you should breathe deeply and cough frequently to clear your lungs.
Arm and shoulder movements are very significant for recovery. Generally the first day after shoulder replacement surgery, your orthopedic surgeon or another doctor will start to work with you and teach you specific exercises to regain full arm and shoulder movement. The doctor/physicians will provide you with a list of exercises that you can do to keep your muscles strong without hurting the replaced shoulder. These exercises are required to prevent your elbow and shoulder from getting stiff. They will be little difficult to perform in the beginning, but will get easier every passing day. You also need to visit a physical therapist that will reinforce these exercises while you are in the hospital. During your hospital stay, you will join physical therapy one to two times a day.
You will be discharged from the hospital on the third or fourth day following your surgery depending on your speed of recovery. Once you have returned home, it is very significant to follow your orthopedic surgeon's instructions during the first few weeks after shoulder replacement surgery.
You will be given prescriptions by your surgeon for pain medication, anti-inflammatory medicine and aspirin, which helps to prevent blood clots. Use the pain medication only if you are experiencing any kind of discomfort or pain as advised by your surgeon. Take the anti-inflammatory as prescribed.
You need to schedule your first post-operative appointment before your surgery. When you come for your first appointment, you will need to do an X-ray. During the first year following your surgery, routine follow-up visits will be arranged with your orthopedic surgeon at one week, two weeks, six weeks, three months, six months and 12 months after your surgery as advised by your surgeon. You will be asked to return for annual visits afterwards to assess the status and function of your implant.