For some patients, balancing the benefit and the side effects of pain medication is challenging. Patients should notify their surgeon if they have had previous difficulties with pain medication or pain control. After surgery the patient spends an hour or so in the recovery room. A drainage tube is sometimes used to remove excess fluid from the surgical area. The drain is usually removed on the second day after surgery.
Bandages cover the incision.
They are usually changed the second day after surgery. Discharge is usually on the second or third day after surgery. Shoulder motion soon after rotator cuff surgery helps achieve best possible shoulder function. Shoulders with cuff disease may have substantial scarring and may be stiff. One of the major goals of rotator cuff surgery is to relieve any stiffness.