Online physiotherapy after rotator cuff repair
After rotator cuff repair, rehab with us starts once your surgical team has confirmed you have no restrictions. Your surgeon sets the sling and protection phases, and those stay with your surgical team. A video session lets your physiotherapist guide your exercises at home. Wound checks and complications go back to your surgical team. Chest pain with arm or shoulder pain needs 999.
How online physiotherapy works after rotator cuff repair
Recovery from a rotator cuff repair is slow and protected at first, because the repaired tendon needs time to heal. How long you wear a sling, what you may do with the arm, and when strengthening can begin are all set by your surgeon and depend on the size of the repair. We do not change those instructions.
To give a sense of the shape, one NHS hospital trust's patient leaflet describes a sling worn for up to six weeks, no weight through the arm for the first three weeks, and physio-led phases that move from protection to regaining everyday movement and then strength. That is one trust's protocol, not a rule for everyone, so follow your own surgeon's protocol.
Rehab starts once your surgical team has confirmed you have no restrictions. Before that, the early protected phases stay with your surgical team and the physiotherapy they arrange. Once you are cleared, our video sessions help you build movement and strength step by step, and we follow any further advice your surgeon gives.
Over video, we cannot see the wound, check the repair by hand, or test strength the way an in-person shoulder clinic can. Our service guidance is that wound checks and any complication go back to your surgical team. We will say so if something we see on video suggests that.
If your shoulder trouble came before surgery, our page on online physiotherapy for shoulder pain covers that stage. We have not linked an exercise library hub here, because our tendinopathy exercises are written for shoulders that have not been operated on.
What the video assessment checks
- Confirmation that your surgical team has said you have no restrictions, and any further advice they gave you.
- The date of your operation, the type and size of the repair if you know them, and what your discharge summary or exercise sheet says.
- When you stopped wearing the sling, and how you manage dressing, washing and sleeping.
- How far you can move the arm now, and any pain, swelling or stiffness in the shoulder, arm or hand.
- What you want to get back to, such as desk work, manual work, driving or sport, and what your surgeon has said about timing.
- The warning signs listed below, which we check for during your sessions.
What treatment usually involves
Your plan starts once your surgical team has said you have no restrictions, and builds on the exercises you were given. We add everyday movement and then strength in steps, set milestones with you, and review them at each follow-up. Where your surgeon's advice differs from ours, follow your surgeon.
The first session is a 60-minute video assessment at £40, and follow-ups are 30 minutes at £30. Your operation and your surgeon's protocol both matter here. It depends on your condition; your physiotherapist will give you an estimate after your assessment.
The same trust's leaflet gives some timings as an example only. It describes exercises two to four times a day that may continue at home for up to nine months, desk-based work often returning at around 6 to 8 weeks, manual work at least 3 to 4 months, no driving until after six weeks with the sling off, and non-contact sport at about six months. Your own timings will come from your surgeon.
Follow-ups with your surgical team and shoulder physiotherapy specialist stay with them. Keep your GP or specialist team informed about your treatment.
How long recovery usually takes
Timings depend on the size of the repair and on your surgeon. The hospital leaflet we read describes exercises continuing for up to nine months, with return to non-contact sport at about six months, but that is one trust's protocol, so treat any figure as a rough guide and follow your surgeon's protocol. We review your movement and strength at each session.
When you need to be seen in person instead
A video appointment is not the right route for the situations below, and a home visit is not a substitute for urgent care.
- Call 999 or go to A&E if you have chest pain that feels tight or squeezing, or chest pain spreading to your arms, neck or jaw, or severe difficulty breathing. Do not drive yourself.
- Call 999 or go to A&E if you have pain and swelling in a leg together with difficulty breathing or chest pains. This could be a blood clot in the lungs. Do not drive yourself to A&E.
- Call 999 or go to A&E if you have severe difficulty breathing, pain in your chest or upper back, a very fast heartbeat, or you collapse. These can be signs of a blood clot in the lungs. Do not drive yourself.
- Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111 if you have throbbing or cramping pain in one leg, swelling in one leg, or red, blue or darkened skin around a painful area. These can be signs of DVT, a blood clot in a vein.
- If your shoulder is red, hot and painful and you have a fever or feel generally unwell: go to A&E now, or call NHS 111 straight away if you are not sure where to go. Do not drive yourself if you feel very unwell. NICE CKS guidance for clinicians on shoulder pain says this needs emergency assessment.
- Contact your surgical team, and ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111, if you have a high temperature, feel hot, cold or shivery, or the wound is oozing or has pus. NHS pages on joint replacement list these as signs of infection, and the shoulder surgery leaflet we read gives no separate route, so we apply the same routing.
- Wound checks, stitch removal and any complication go back to your surgical team, not to an online rehab session.
Common questions
When can I start online physio after rotator cuff repair?
Rehab starts once your surgical team has confirmed you have no restrictions. Your surgeon sets the sling and protection phases, and those early phases stay with the team they arrange. If you are not sure whether you have been cleared, ask your surgical team before booking.
How long will I wear the sling?
That is set by your surgeon, and it depends on the repair. One NHS trust's leaflet describes up to six weeks, but that is only an example. Follow the instructions you were given.
Can you check my wound?
No. Our service guidance is that wound checks and any complication go back to your surgical team. If the wound is oozing, you feel feverish or you have signs of a blood clot, use the urgent routes listed on this page.
Can I drive or go back to work?
Ask your surgeon. The leaflet we read describes no driving until after six weeks with the sling off, and return to work depending on the job, but your timings come from your own surgeon and the size of your repair.
Further reading
This information is general and not a substitute for an assessment. Don't start a new exercise programme without advice from a physiotherapist or doctor who knows your condition. If an exercise causes pain that doesn't settle, stop and seek advice.
Sources
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust: Rotator cuff repair, after surgery care
- NHS: Complications of a knee replacement (used for general post-operative warning signs)
- NHS: DVT (deep vein thrombosis) (used for general post-operative warning signs)
- NHS: Heart attack
- NHS: Pulmonary embolism
- NICE CKS: Shoulder pain (used for shoulder infection warning signs)
Book an online assessment
A 60-minute video assessment with an HCPC-registered physiotherapist is £40.
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