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Shoulder Clinic

Rehabilitation

Understanding and applying the correct rehabilitation methods comes down to taking on board expert advice. Dr Cutbush works closely with leading physiotherapists who specialise in shoulder rehabilitation to ensure that you’re in good hands and receive the best care.

Shoulder Rehabilitation

To see the list of physiotherapists recommended by Dr Kenneth Cutbush, please click here.
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How to slip into a sling
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‍Slings are simple but essential for good recovery and care following reconstructive shoulder surgery. How long you have to wear a sling will range anywhere from a few days up to several weeks and will depend on the type of procedure. Watch this short yet informative video to see how to fit a sling correctly and comfortably.

Thank you to Extend Rehabilitation and to Physiotherapist, Nadia for the creation of this educational clip.

Therapy from day one

‍If you undergo shoulder surgery with Dr Cutbush, you’ll be seen by a physiotherapist in the hospital ward on day one following your procedure. You’ll be given an exercise programme appropriate for your procedure, instructed on the best ways to shower and dress after surgery, and shown how to fit a sling properly.

Healing the Rotator Cuff

‍After surgery to a rotator cuff tear, healing requires tendon and bone to work together, starting with a small layer of clot-forming between them. Specialised cells, called fibroblasts, migrate from the bloodstream into the clot to lay down collagen tissue in the form of fibres, primarily in the first 4-6 weeks following the surgical procedure.
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This remodelling process continues to occur for a least 6-12 months following the procedure, with the majority completed in 4-6 months. Strength continues to improve in the connection between the tendon and the bone for at least the first 12 months postoperatively as the remodelling process fine-tunes itself.


Post-Operative Physiotherapy Exercises
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If you are having trouble remembering how to do your physiotherapy exercises, please see below for some videos which explain some of the common shoulder exercises your physiotherapist will ask you to do.

Please note, you must refer to your exercise programme that your physiotherapist gave you, as many of these exercises are not suitable to begin straight after your shoulder surgery. Starting some of these exercises too soon could put your your reconstruction at risk.

If you are not certain of your exercise programme please refer back to your physiotherapist. They are highly qualified professionals having spent many years at university learning how best to look after you!
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Passive Exercises
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A passive exercise means that the body part doing the movement isn't using its own muscles to do the movement. Instead, someone else is moving the part of your body that is doing the exercise or your other arm is moving it.
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Active Exercises
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‍An active exercise means that your body part doing the exercise is using its own muscles to do the exercise.
An example is elbow flexion. If you reach across with your right arm and grasp your left wrist and then bend your arm up towards your face causing your elbow to flex then that is passive elbow flexion. If instead, you contract the biceps in your left arm in order to flex your left arm then that is active elbow flexion.
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