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Rotator cuff repair

Rotator cuff surgery is an operation to repair a severely torn rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is made up of muscles and tendons that hold the bones of the shoulder in place. The rotator cuff helps to move the shoulder and make it stronger.

A rotator cuff tear may be acute or chronic. An acute tear is usually from a fall on the shoulder or a severe injury. A chronic tear happens when the shoulder is moved in the same way over and over. This happens gradually over a long period of time. An acute rotator cuff tear that is completely through the cuff often needs surgery to repair it.

There are two types of surgery to repair the rotator cuff. Shoulder arthroscopy requires several small cuts on the shoulder. One cut is for the arthroscope, a small slender telescope to look into the shoulder joint. The other cuts are used by the surgeon for other small instruments to make the repair. Open shoulder surgery is done with a larger cut. General anesthesia is needed for both surgeries, so the person is asleep during the surgery. The open surgery is usually used for a very severe tear. Shoulder surgery is usually done on an outpatient basis, so the person can go home the same day. Sometimes it may be necessary to stay in the hospital for 1 or 2 days.

After surgery, it is usually necessary to wear a sling type device, which will keep the arm from moving. It holds the arm next to the body. It may be taken off to do exercises. Often exercise will be started 2 to 3 days after the surgery. Exercise is needed to keep the shoulder moving so it does not get stiff. The first exercises are usually mild stretching and moving exercises. Physical therapy and exercise may go on for as long as 6 months or more. This is needed so the shoulder will have as much use as possible following the surgery. It may take even longer than this to get full use and movement of the shoulder. Even after there is full movement of the shoulder, it may be necessary to keep doing the exercises to prevent problems in the future.

The results from the surgery can be very good. It is very important to follow the providers' suggestions for exercise and use of the arm and shoulder.

Some problems that could happen after this surgery include: a fever the second day after surgery, pain and swelling, bleeding, and numbness or tingling of the hand or arm. An infection could start. The provider needs to be called if the cut is red, warm, or tender, or there is a fever over 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Centigrade). If any of these symptoms are more than the provider has said to expect, the provider should be called.

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

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