St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital ยท Spring Hill, Brisbane For referrers 07 3063 5500
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How to Shower With a Sling

You need to wear your sling to protect your shoulder after your operation, and you still need to shower. This guide shows how both can work.

Showering while your shoulder is protected

You know you have to wear your sling to protect your shoulder after your operation, but you also need to shower. The two are not in conflict. There is a straightforward way to manage it, and it is shown in the video below.

Watch how it is done

In this video our physiotherapist Lucy takes you through how to shower while you are wearing a sling.

Your dressings and the shower

After arthroscopic surgery the nurses change your dressings on the morning after the operation and apply smaller waterproof dressings before you go home. You can shower over those waterproof dressings until they are removed, and once the dressings are off you can shower over the steri-strips until they fall off on their own. How to take your dressings off explains the sequence in full. If you have had a shoulder replacement, see your shoulder replacement dressings, as the dressings used are different.

Related guides

More patient videos and the recovery guides for each operation are on the rehabilitation page.

These instructions are general guidance for patients of Dr Kenneth Cutbush. Your own instructions may differ depending on your procedure. Always follow the advice given to you by Dr Cutbush and your physiotherapist. If something does not look or feel right, contact the rooms on (07) 3063 5500.