Hi Everyone,

All good news from the surgeon today. He thought my range of motion was beyond expectation at this point (4 months post surgery). With respect to reaching behind my back he said to be patient, that it will take a very long time, and I shouldn't be overly disappointed if I don't recover a lot of range. While I'm going to keep working on ROM and strength in all areas, I'm actually at a point where I'm not really limited in my activities.

As for sleeping on my affected side he said that will improve slowly and I should be back to normal within a year of surgery.

Along with the encouragement to keep up the exercises, he noted that it's important to do so because where ever I get to at about the 1 year post-surgery point is probably where I won't improve further. Of course nothing is cast in stone but to keeping at it is important.

As for driving with a sling, it is against the law in Texas. But besides the legal aspect, I found when attempting to back my car out of the way just a few feet once, I didn't have the ROM or strength to do it safely. Even after the restriction lifted, I had problems driving my truck so I didn't.

When I had rotator cuff surgery on my other shoulder 10 years ago in Washington state I was restricted from driving for 12 weeks (long time in a sling). I don't know if it was against the law then or just the surgeon being cautious. I don't think my wife liked being my driver for 12 weeks anymore than I liked being her passenger.

If anyone has questions about my experience, please don't hesitate to ask. When I was preparing for surgery the most common report I could find with an Internet search was people who had had very bad outcomes and I think it is good for people to know that it can be quite tolerable.

Mitchell