If you recently underwent surgery to address a major issue in your shoulder, there’s a good chance that you were already experiencing some pretty significant mobility restrictions and limitations prior to your operation. If shoulder movement has been uncomfortable or even painful for an extended period, it can be difficult to restore confidence in your shoulder even after a corrective procedure has been performed.
In fact, a recent study of patients working to overcome shoulder problems found that fear of movement was one of the most common psychological behaviors that patients faced, and this fear can negatively impact your recovery. Movement is necessary to strengthen key structures, restore flexibility and help healthy blood reach recovering tissues, so if you’re afraid to move your shoulder after surgery, you’re only making it harder to achieve the best recovery. But how can we overcome the fear of movement after shoulder surgery? In today’s blog, we share some tips for overcoming the fear of movement after shoulder surgery.
The Fear Of Movement After Shoulder Surgery
You underwent shoulder surgery in order to improve your ability to move your shoulder, so why is the fear of movement such a common side effect in patients? This fear is called kinesiophobia, and it’s rooted in the idea that movement could end up causing pain, re-injury or similar negative consequences for your surgically treated shoulder. And while it’s certainly rational to be afraid of doing something that will jeopardize the integrity of your surgically addressed shoulder, this fear ignores the problems that could develop if you don’t follow your movement instructions. Patients who are overly protective of their surgically-repaired shoulder risk:
- Shoulder weakness
- Inhibited range or motion
- Delayed healing
- Incomplete recovery
- Increased risk for reinjury
The last bullet point oftentimes gets overlooked by those who shy away from movement or their physical therapy exercises after shoulder surgery. They think that they are protecting themselves from pain or reinjury by being overly protective of the joint, but that’s typically not true. If you’re not working to strengthen the area and restore normal flexibility, the shoulder will never return to a pre-injury level of fitness. When the shoulder is inevitably stressed, it may not be able to appropriately handle these forces because it never fully recovers, in turn increasing its risk of reinjury. By being overly cautious following surgery, you’re actually increasing your likelihood of a subsequent injury in the future!
Overcoming the Fear
So how can you work to overcome this fear of movement? Here’s what we recommend:
- Listen To The Experts – Your doctor and physical therapist are going to know what’s best in terms of your recovery, so heed their advice. They are never going to push you too hard and risk a major setback. Trust their advice and know that if they are recommending certain movements or exercises that it is in your best interest to perform these actions.
- Mind Your Restrictions – Always stay within your physical restrictions during your recovery period. If you’ve been told not to lift more than 10 pounds or to stay away from work for two weeks, heed this advice. If you truly believe your rehab is ahead of schedule, ask for clearance from your doctor before you step outside of your restrictions.
- Gradual Activity Increases – Finally, start with really basic movements and slowly build up your activity from there. As you see your body successfully handle these small tasks, you’ll gain confidence in your ability to perform greater movements. Work your way up, and you’ll find that movement becomes easier and you’ll limit your risk of a re-injury by not overstressing the area.
Let us help you overcome any movement hesitancy you’re experiencing after shoulder surgery. For more information on how we can help, or for assistance with a different shoulder issue, reach out to Dr. Holloway and his team today at (865) 410-7887.
