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Patient Guide
We want to ensure that you receive the highest level of healthcare. This means keeping you educated and informed about what is involved in the different stages of your Arthroscopic Shoulder Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery. If you have any questions or concerns, please speak with your doctor or medical team.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's essential to continue to follow up with your orthopaedic surgeon and physiotherapist after surgery to monitor your progress and address any ongoing issues.
While many people achieve excellent long-term outcomes after Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery, some may experience recurrent tears or other complications that require further treatment. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise and proper shoulder mechanics, can also help prevent future problems.
Like any surgical procedure, Arthroscopic Shoulder Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery carries certain risks, including infection, bleeding, nerve injury, and stiffness. Your surgeon will discuss these risks with you before the surgery and take steps to minimise them during the procedure. There is also the possibility that the repaired rotator cuff can re-tear. This risk varies depending on a number of different factors.
• In some cases, even with a rotator cuff that is torn, patients may not have much pain or weakness. Physical therapy may be all that is required to allow the shoulder to function well. Surgery is not always necessary. However, most full-thickness rotator cuff tears typically do not heal without surgery. Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair can allow the rotator cuff tendons to heal back to the bone, and therefore improve strength and function of the shoulder and prevent arthritis.
Full thickness tears left untreated will cause rotator cuff arthropathy, which will need a reverse shoulder replacement. This can be prevented with rotator cuff repair.
• Performing the procedure arthroscopically (compared to open) has been shown to result in similar rates of healing of the repair and has been shown to cause less post-operative pain and stiffness in many cases.
