Week by week

Rotator cuff surgery recovery, week by week

Rotator cuff repair recovery runs in months, not weeks: usually a sling at first, strengthening later, and overhead or heavy work last. Pick your stage to see what’s typical, what usually comes next and what to ask.

1. Before surgery Night pain and broken sleep before a cuff repair are common, and returning to some work comes well before full duty. Line up leave, light duty and written limits before surgery, not after.
2. Weeks 0 to 2 Yes, hard nights, bruising and some arm swelling are common in the first two weeks. The sling stays on, nights included, and expect weeks for the worst nights to ease.
3. Weeks 3 to 6 Bad nights at week 3 are common, and the repair is still far from full strength. After the sling weeks, you usually start moving the arm yourself, and desk or hands-only work often comes back around now.
4. Weeks 7 to 12 Yes, slow and uneven is normal here: strengthening usually begins in weeks 8 to 12, and the repair is still well short of full strength. Light loads below shoulder height often come back around 2 to 3 months; overhead work comes later.
5. Months 3 to 6 Yes, it can still hurt, and most people have useful motion and adequate strength by months 4 to 6. Less pain isn’t a green light: overhead and heavy work often come back at 5 to 8 months.
6. 6 months or more Slow and uneven is still normal: very heavy work can take 6 to 12 months, and in one study more people slept comfortably at 2 years than at 6 months. A turn for the worse or a new symptom is a phone call.