Part 1: Surgery or Rehab??: When, Why & How to Choose

Surgery or Rehab?

Research shows that approximately 70% of the Australian population have a partial rotator cuff tear and don’t even know it! The decision on whether to opt for surgical or non-surgical rehabilitation depends on a number of factors, but first…

What is the Rotator Cuff?

The rotator cuff consists of 4 muscles (see diagram below) that work together to provide an inward force moving the arm into the socket and avoid dislocation.

When is Surgery an Option?

• Immediate surgery is common if an injury is assessed as a “massive” rotator cuff tear, which usually involves full thickness tears of at least two tendons and retraction of one or both of those tendons away from their insertion on the humerus towards the scapula.

• Or if non-surgical rehabilitation has been tried unsuccessfully. 

At our clinic, we pride ourselves on our specialised understanding of the shoulder and years of experience successfully helping patients through surgical rehabilitations.

How to Choose?

Other than the scenario above, the reason to choose surgical rehabilitation is dependent on your previous activity levels and your ability to return to that. 

For example:

• An 18 year old baseball player with the potential to pursue a college degree
• May be able to get back to pain free everyday activities including lifting weights and running. 
• Following appropriate rehab, they are not able to return to the levels of performance they had pre-injury such as throwing at high velocity. 
• In this scenario surgery may be the best option.

In contrast:

• A 60 year old flight attendant who enjoys gardening
• Reaches a point with non-surgical management that they can do their job and enjoy their hobbies pain free for 350 out 365 days per year. 
• In this scenario, the decision to have a surgical repair likely doesn’t enhance life enough to go through the pain and hard work of an operation. 

If you have further questions about whether or not your rotator cuff injury requires surgery, make an appointment with one of our team for a detailed assessment.