I often get asked by patients what to expect post operatively after a shoulder replacement. To most patients surprise, shoulder replacement recovery can actually be somewhat quicker than arthroscopic surgery. Typically, the pain that you had pre operatively is gone right away after surgery. You will have some normal post operative pain from the incision, but the deep arthritis pain typically goes away right away.
I tell patients for full functional recovery you can expect about a four to six month recovery. You’re in a sling for a couple weeks and then we typically start letting you do some gentle range of motion guided by a therapist.
