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Shoulder Replacement: Still having pain
Joint Replacements | Last Active: Jun 10, 2023 | Replies (80)Comment receiving replies
4 weeks out from surgery. Sore, trouble sleeping. Do home exercises 3 x's. How long before you can move arm to side and be able to lift 10 lbs?
Replies to "4 weeks out from surgery. Sore, trouble sleeping. Do home exercises 3 x's. How long before..."
Everyone is going to be different. In my case, I had home re-hab for 6 weeks and then at a re-hab facility for a little over two months. My soreness was similar to yours but I had decreasing levels and less consistency as time progressed. If I'm remembering correctly, I was off NSAIDs after two months.
Trouble sleeping was different - I had trouble getting into a comfortable position for about 3 months mainly because I am used to sleeping on my side where the surgery was done. I'm just now getting to where I can tolerate it. I will say that I don't experience pain as much as an uncomfortable feeling that wakes me up.
I finished formal re-hab two weeks ago, somewhat ahead of schedule but I have a long way to go with strengthening and a little way to go with range of motion. Internal rotation behind my back has a long way to go but other movement is fine but I'm still working to get it to match my other shoulder. 10 lbs both straight out in front and off to my side is fine. I'm able to lift 50 pound bags of potting soil and gravel example but I am very conscious about try to make sure my unaffected shoulder carries the most weight.
In summary, I feel like I'm back to normal most of the time. Occasionally I'll do something I shouldn't and the shoulder lets me know immediately to stop. I hope my experience helps you some. Hang in there with the exercises, they. make all the difference.
(I see my surgeon on Monday for the final visit - if I find out I'm doing things I shouldn't I'll update this note.)
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Hi @kathy2020, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You'll notice that I moved your message to this existing discussion about shoulder replacement, pain and sleep. I did this so that you can connect with @ellerbracke @anncgrl @mdgarnett and others. Click VIEW & REPLY to see past messages.
Four weeks post surgery is not a very long time. Shoulders are complicated joints with a lot of moving parts that need time and rehab to heal. You mention that you're doing exercises 3 times per day. Good for you. It can be so hard to stay motivated and keep up the exercises. Do you go for regular followup physio appointments?