We do everything in our power to ensure that shoulder surgery and patient recovery goes exactly as expected, but not every aspect of the process is within the surgeon’s control. The patient has a lot of say in helping or hurting their likelihood of a successful outcome, which is why it’s important to know what you should be doing ahead of surgery to help your chances of a great outcome. With that in mind, we want to talk about what makes an ideal candidate for surgery and some of the controllable factors that you can influence ahead of your procedure to increase your odds of a successful shoulder surgery.
The Ideal Shoulder Surgery Candidate
Not being an ideal candidate for surgery won’t disqualify you from an operation, but working to improve some of the factors that make up an ideal candidate can significantly increase your likelihood of a successful shoulder surgery and recovery. Here are a few factors that make up an ideal shoulder surgery candidate:
- Healthy Weight – While a healthy weight isn’t as important as it is for operations on our lower body, like our hips, knees or ankles where the stress of our body weight is felt as we stand and move, we still want you to work towards a healthy weight ahead of your procedure. Obesity can complicate anesthesia administration and increase your risk of infection or blood clots, so the ideal patient will be working towards a healthier weight.
- No Comorbidities – Other health conditions can also increase your risk of issues during surgery. Ideally we’d be working on a patient without high blood pressure, diabetes or cardiovascular disease, but we understand that the likelihood of underlying health issues increases as patients get older. If you have any underlying health conditions, make sure your surgeon is aware of them and do everything you can to appropriately manage your condition ahead of surgery.
- Willingness To Work – As we’ve talked about on the blog numerous times in the past, you’re not going to be able to get back to a pre-surgery level of fitness and function with rest alone after a procedure. You’re going to have to put in the work during physical therapy and your rehabilitation program. We always make it clear to prospective patients that the ball is going to be in their court in terms of how strong of a recovery they make, and we always like when patients appear ready to take on that challenge.
- Desire To Understand – We also love when a patient seeks out information related to their condition or their rehab program. We love when patients ask questions about their procedure and what they can be doing in the days before surgery to prepare for the operation. Interested and educated patients tend to have far better outcomes than those who are reluctant to learn more about their shoulder condition and their upcoming operation.
- Mentally Strong – It is becoming more common for surgeons and their staff to perform mental health screenings for prospective patients before surgery. Not only are anxiety and depression becoming more common in today’s society, but these mental health conditions can have an adverse effect on your recovery after surgery. We want to make sure that you are mentally in a healthy place prior to your operation, and we can recommend courses of action if your mental health could use a boost prior to surgery.
- Strong Support System – Finally, we love it when patients have a strong support system. We’ll ask you what your recovery may look like at home, and we’ll talk about some of the physical limitations you will have during your recovery. Having a strong support system can help you overcome the physical and mental challenges you’ll face after your surgical procedure. We love it when patients have a strong support system to fall back on, and we can help guide you to helpful resources or support groups if you are hoping to expand your support system.
We hope that you exhibit a number of the factors on this list if you come in for a shoulder consultation, but know that if you’re struggling with any or all of the above, we’ll do everything we can to get you the care you deserve. For more information about caring for different shoulder issues, or to talk to a specialist about your individual shoulder problem, give Dr. Holloway a call today at (865) 410-7887.
