Each operation on this site has two pages: one for the weeks before surgery and one for the recovery after it. They explain the usual stages in plain words so you know what to expect. Your surgeon’s protocol comes first. Where their timings differ from these pages, use theirs.
Shoulder surgery
Rotator cuff repair
- Deciding on treatment: torn rotator cuff options: physical therapy, injections, repair and other operations compared.
- Preparing for rotator cuff surgery: setting up home, sleep and the sling before the day.
- Rotator cuff surgery recovery: a long recovery, from sling to strength, week by week.
Arthroscopy and decompression
- Preparing for shoulder arthroscopy: what keyhole shoulder surgery involves and how to get ready.
- Shoulder arthroscopy and decompression recovery: the usual stages after a subacromial decompression.
Shoulder replacement
- Preparing for shoulder replacement: practical setup and questions to ask before the operation.
- Shoulder replacement recovery (total and reverse): how recovery differs between the two types.
Stabilization
- Preparing for shoulder stabilization surgery: getting ready for surgery after repeated dislocations.
- Shoulder stabilization surgery recovery (Bankart, Latarjet): protecting the repair, then rebuilding control.
Frozen shoulder release
- Preparing for frozen shoulder release: what a release or manipulation involves.
- Recovery after frozen shoulder release or manipulation: why early, regular movement matters afterward.
Biceps tenodesis
- Preparing for biceps tenodesis: what reattaching the biceps tendon involves.
- Biceps tenodesis recovery: protecting the tendon, then returning to lifting.
Stiff after surgery
- Stiff shoulder after surgery: when stiffness is expected and when to raise it with your surgeon.
Surgery after a fracture or AC joint injury
- Preparing for collarbone surgery: why a plate is sometimes chosen and how to get ready.
- Collarbone plate surgery recovery: the weeks after a broken collarbone is held with a plate.
- Preparing for surgery on a broken upper arm: what to set up when surgery follows a fall.
- Recovery after surgery for a broken upper arm: from protected movement to strength.
- Preparing for AC joint reconstruction: what the operation does for a badly separated shoulder.
- AC joint reconstruction recovery: the sling period, then a gradual return to load.
Practical help after shoulder surgery
Most shoulder operations, and many shoulder fractures, mean weeks in a sling and some hard nights. These two pages cover both.
- How to wear a shoulder sling: elbow, wrist and strap position, and getting it on and off.
- How to sleep after shoulder surgery: propped positions and arm support for the first weeks.
Neck surgery
ACDF (neck fusion)
- Preparing for ACDF (neck fusion): what the operation does and how to get ready at home.
- ACDF recovery: swallowing, the collar if used, and the return to daily tasks.
Cervical disc replacement
- Preparing for cervical disc replacement: how it differs from a fusion and what to prepare.
- Cervical disc replacement recovery: the usual stages after an artificial disc.
Posterior neck surgery: laminoplasty and laminectomy
- Preparing for posterior neck surgery: surgery from the back of the neck to make room for the spinal cord.
- Laminoplasty and laminectomy recovery: neck muscle soreness, walking and the return to activity.
Read the preparing page before the operation and the recovery page after it, and keep your surgeon’s protocol at the front of both.