Shoulder Surgery Recovery?

[MikeG]

I have some bone spurs in my shoulder that probably need to be shaved down a bit. Been getting cortisone shots and that has helped but I think surgery is on the horizon. Tried to do push ups the other day and my shoulder was clicking away.

Question is, for just a simple surgery where they shave down the bone spurs, what is the recovery time like? How long will I be off the court?

Thanks!

 

[tennis347]

I had a shoulder arthroscopy 10 years ago for a minor labrum tear and I also had some impingement and some of the clavicle was shaved down. It took me about 6 months for the shoulder to feel good and have no pain while playing.

In your case with the bone spurs, they will have to shave the bone down to prevent further irritation or tearing of the rotator cuff. I don’t know how old you are but the most important thing after surgery is regaining the range of motion and strength. In your case, I would think it will take about 4 months assuming you have no tears in the shoulder. If there are multiple tears, you could be looking at 6-9 months before going back to playing.

The shoulder takes a long time to heal and you make sure you don’t rush back to playing to risk reinjuring the shoulder. I can tell you that I got a good recovery. I was 41 when I had the surgery. Obviously, if you are older the recovery will take a bit longer. Hope this information helps.