Eight weeks post Latarjet surgery - Follow up examination
May 14th
I am eight
weeks post Latarjet surgery now and the recovery process seems to be going well.
Everything so far has progressed according to plan. I continued to do passive shoulder
movement exercises with therapists and at home until the 5th week which
is when we started assisted movements.
After the
sixth week, physical therapy progressed to more active movements and there were
no movement restrictions anymore. We pushed the limit day by day; the main
guidance was pain and when I felt that we reached the maximum of what was
possible. It is really important to never do things that are painful. Always
stop when it starts to hurt.
So, I am
now eight weeks in and I am able to use my right arm almost normally in my
daily activities. Step by step I started brushing my teeth again with the right
hand, cleaning dishes, etc. All movements are allowed as long as I don’t feel
pain and as long as I am not carrying heavy things. Also, external rotation in high
abduction is still a no-no.
Every now
and then – especially when I do my exercises – I feel a little “plopping” or “clicking”
in my shoulder. According to my surgeon and therapists, this is nothing I
should worry about as long as it doesn’t hurt. The shoulder is still adjusting
to the new physiology and it will take a while to feel completely normal.
A couple of
days ago (7-8 weeks post-surgery), I visited my surgeon for a check-up. He
checked my posture which looked good and measured my ROM. I was able to achieve
100° flex, 90° abduction, 30° external rotation with active motion and 120°
flex, 110° abduction and 40° external rotation with passive motion. He was
happy with the results and said that he would have been concerned if my ROM had
been better after eight weeks. He recommended to continue with physical therapy
twice a week and to continue doing home exercises.
The x-rays
also looked good and showed that everything is ok with the bone graft and the
two screws. Ultrasound also didn’t show anything out of the ordinary, the scar
healed very well, so I am happy with the results so far.
I will continue
physical therapy for at least two more months, twice a week and will see the
surgeon again in two months, so four months post-surgery for a final follow up.
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