Shoulder Surgeries in Oklahoma City
Dr. Betsy Nolan at the Oklahoma Shoulder Center performs a number of different outpatient shoulder surgeries, including rotator cuff repair, clearing bone spurs, labral repairs related to joint instability or dislocation, and capsular releases for frozen shoulders. Many factors can affect recovery time, including the type and severity of the injury, the type of the procedure, the patient’s overall health prior to surgery, and much more.
Many shoulder surgeries can be done using arthroscopy (often referred to as a scope procedure), which is a minimally invasive procedure that involves a tiny camera inserted through a small incision. This allows the surgeon to see close-up details on the screen as they use small instruments to complete the procedure. The type of surgery will dictate how many incisions are needed and where they are located.
Surgical patients will be asked to report for surgery early in the morning. A friend or family member must come with you, as you will not be able to drive following the procedure. It’s also best to have someone stay with you the first evening after surgery.
Patients may undergo general anesthesia or they may just have sedation, which will be decided between the anesthesiologist and the patient at a pre-operative appointment. The majority of patients will also have a nerve block that puts their entire arm to sleep, which helps reduce pain both during and after surgery.
A nerve block can last for up to 24 hours, but it may wear off overnight, so we recommend that patients take pain medication before going to sleep the first night. If you don’t take pain meds before bed and the nerve block wears off overnight, you may wake up in pain and have to play catch up on pain medication. If you start taking pain meds immediately after surgery, you can determine how much you need to take after the nerve block wears off.
Once home from surgery, typical instructions include elevating the arm and icing the shoulder to reduce swelling. Patients can generally remove the dressing on the wound after 48 hours — the easiest removal option is in a shower when the dressing is wet. You can wash with soap and water but avoid any lotions or creams. Also, use caution if out in the sun and keep your scar covered with clothing as sun exposure can cause the scar to spread.
Recovery time varies greatly depending on the specific procedure you had done. For debridement procedures (removal of debris or damaged tissue in the joint), patients generally wear a sling for a week and then are back to regular activity. For rotator cuff tears, typical recovery involves a sling for four to six weeks and no lifting heavier than a coffee cup. Regardless of the procedure, you should not drive a vehicle if wearing a sling or taking any pain medications. It is not worth the risk of injuring your shoulder, hurting someone else, or being liable for an accident because you are an impaired driver.
For most patients at the Oklahoma Shoulder Center, the first post-op appointment will be two weeks after surgery. If physical therapy is needed, it will generally start after the post-op appointment, as your follow-up appointment helps ensure everything is healing properly before therapy begins.
As always, we encourage patients to call our office with any questions before or after surgery. We’re here to help! Give us a call at 405.278.8006 or message us through the Patient Portal.
By Oklahoma Shoulder Center PLLC
January 4, 2017
