Should You Delay Range of Motion after a Rotator Cuff Repair?

#344: Rotator cuff repair surgery is one of the most common things we see in physical therapy, yet the recommended postoperative guidelines vary significantly.

Different doctors all over the world disagree on what’s best, with some want to be conservative and delay range of motion and physical therapy in order to maximize the chance that the repair does not fail.

But, is that best? Are there negatives?

In this episode, we talk about some of the science behind delaying range of motion after rotator cuff repair surgery.

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[joshmoody]

"There's a lot of re-tears that happen between 0 and 3 months, so I get it". Ummmm, what? Never had one in my clinic during the rehab phase to my knowledge in almost 20 years of practice. Therapists and/or patients are doing it wrong if you are re-tearing during rehab or the surgery wasn't a solid repair. Set the tone for proper restrictions on day one and keep up the education throughout. It's way worse if you don't go to PT for 6 weeks plus for risk of re-tear in my opinion.

[karenpeters]

Thanks for the podcast! Good to hear diferent PTs. I agree very much with the start of passive motion around the 2nd 3th week. Considering the points of which repair, which kind of patient/tissue you have is very important. But we are so important for the patients, surgeon don't communicate enough, leave patients with a lot of questions and no clue for help during the day, at least that is what I feel here in Portugal .