Frequently Asked Questions
After Surgery
YES!!! Wearing a sling/brace is extremely important for proper healing. Most soft tissue repairs take 12 weeks to heal, and bone takes approximately 6 weeks. The sling prevents excessive motion/stress at the site of the repair, and if it is not worn as directed healing may not occur. No patient enjoys wearing their sling/brace, and we would not direct you to do this if it was not necessary. The length of time that you are required to wear a sling/brace varies by the surgery and your health status. If you have ANY questions about sling/brace usage, please call our office. Do not discontinue using your sling or modify your sling until you have spoken to a member of our team.
YES!!! This will prevent injuring your arm through sudden movements or position changes while you are sleeping.
48 hours after surgery it is OK to remove your bandages (leave tape strips on) and take a shower. Allow water to run over the incision. Do not directly scrub or wash the incision. When you get out of the shower, pat the incision dry with a towel. It is best to leave your incision open to air, unless there is drainage. You may not take a bath, or submerge in water for 10-14 days as this may cause an infection.
Only use ice after surgery. This can be using ice packs (we recommend gel ice packs), or using calling devices, such as the cry-cuff. Ice is great for decreasing pain and swelling, and can be used throughout the healing process.
There will some discomfort after any surgery, but we want to minimize this pain. If you are having a lot of pain:
1. Please make sure your sling or brace is supporting your arm
2. Ice regularly
3. Make sure you are taking your medications as prescribed. You will be given prescriptions for the first 5 days after surgery which may include acetaminophen, gabapentin, and an anti-inflammatory. Please make sure you are taking these as prescribed. We recommend making a medication schedule where you record when you take each medication, and when each medication is due to be taken again. In addition, most patients will be given a narcotic, and you can take up to 2 tablets every 3-4 hours. You do not want to take this amount if not absolutely necessary, as you will run out of your pain medications much faster (and should not be necessary with the other medications).
If you have done all of the items listed above, and are still having pain, please call our office.
Please call us for a fever greater than 101.4 degrees, if you are having excessive bleeding or drainage from your wound, or pain that is uncontrollable. Please call the office if you have having any medical concerns that are not urgent (such as mild shortness of breath). If there are concerns about your wound, drainage, or anything related to your surgery we ask that you call the office or have it evaluated in the Brigham or Faulkner emergency rooms, as providers outside our system may not understand the surgery/regional anesthesia and could cause damage your repair or do unnecessary testing. For any emergencies, call 911.
This will depend on the procedure, and will be reviewed Dr. Hettrich prior to surgery and at your post-operative appointments. If you have any questions, please call the office PRIOR to doing the activity.
This depends on your job, and on the surgery performed. If you have a sedentary/desk job, most patients can return to work in 1-2 weeks. If you have a job that requires using your arm/lifting and you had a surgical repair or shoulder replacement it may be 4-6 months until you are cleared to return to 'full duty'. You will be allowed to return to work with restrictions much earlier, if permitted by your employer.
You should not put anything on your incision until is is completely healed, usually 2-3 weeks after your surgery. To help with the cosmetic appearance of your incision, it needs to be completely kept out of the sun for the first year after surgery. You can massage the incision with any lotion/oil to improve appearance.
Post-Operative Instructions
Pain Management
We utilize multimodal pain management, regional nerve blocks, and infusion pumps to manage pain after surgery.