If you’re an athlete, you’re probably itching to get back on the field and rejoin your teammates if you’ve been sidelined because you needed to undergo shoulder surgery. However, if you want to stay on the field and avoid any setbacks, you’ll want to be calculated in how you approach your return to athletics. In today’s blog, we share some things you’ll want to keep in mind as you return to sporting activities after shoulder surgery.
Returning To Athletics After Shoulder Surgery
You’ll want to follow your doctor’s specific instructions for how to best return to sporting activities after your shoulder operation, but don’t be surprised if they suggest a lot of the advice that we talk about below.
- Ease Into It – Your shoulder is going to be weaker than it was prior to your injury simply because you’ve been sidelined for an extended period. This means your shoulder hasn’t been feeling the normal amount of stress that it would. If you jump back into practice or games at full intensity, you can overstress your recovering shoulder. Ease back into things and slowly increase your workload. Taking on too much, too quickly can lead to a major shoulder setback.
- Listen To Your Body – Really take stock of your shoulder before, during and after athletics. If things don’t quite feel right, or you’re more sore than expected afterwards, make some adjustments. You know your shoulder better than anyone, so if something feels off or you think you’re pushing yourself too far, back off a bit. Get accustomed to listening to how your shoulder is responding to athletic movements.
- Stretch – Stretching is important for your whole body prior to athletics, but it’s especially helpful for your surgically-repaired shoulder. Muscles and soft tissues in this area will still be getting used to strenuous movements as you ease back into athletics, and stretching can help these tissues prepare for the stress they are about to receive. Stretching will help to keep muscles loose and decrease your likelihood of a muscle strain.
- Stick To Your Timeline – Depending on what procedure you underwent, it’s certainly possible that your doctor told you that athletics would be off the table for 6-12 months. While you can work with a physical therapist to try and hit the shorter end of that timeline, don’t try to step outside your recommended recovery timeline without first getting clearance from your surgeon. If you return to athletics before enough healing has taken place, you could suffer a major setback that requires another operation to fix.
- Work On Your Conditioning – Your conditioning is going to take a hit if you are away from athletics for months, but you don’t need to wait until your shoulder is fully healed to start focusing on your cardiovascular health. Talk to your doctor about safe ways to exercise while you’re wearing your sling or before you’re cleared for contact so that your lungs and your heart are conditioned for the athletic activity to come. Being tired and fatigued can increase your risk of injury, so don’t neglect your conditioning while you’re recovering from shoulder surgery.
If you follow these tips and trust your care to Dr. Holloway and his team, we’re confident you’ll be able to safely return to athletics after your procedure. For more information, or for help with a different shoulder issue, reach out to Dr. Holloway’s office today at (865) 410-7887.
