The best way to prepare for shoulder surgery is to live ONE-ARMED for a day before the operation, and fix everything that turns out to be hard.
After rotator cuff repair, shoulder replacement or stabilization surgery, your arm will usually be in a sling for several weeks. You won’t be able to drive, lift, reach up or push yourself out of bed with that arm. The first two weeks are the hardest, and almost everything that makes them easier is done BEFORE you go in.
Your surgeon’s instructions come first. The list below covers what they often don’t have time to tell you. For what to ask at your pre-op appointment, see questions to ask before orthopedic surgery.
Practice one-armed living
Pick a day in the week or two before surgery. Tuck the operated arm into your waistband or a sling and don’t use it.
- Dressing: try putting on a shirt, pants and shoes with your good arm only. You’ll learn fast which clothes work
- Washing: try showering, washing your hair and drying off. Notice what you can’t reach
- Toilet and teeth: worth practicing with your good arm, especially if the operated arm is your dominant one
- Kitchen: try making a meal and opening packets and jars. Anything you can’t manage, prepare in advance or ask for help with
- Getting up from bed and chairs: practice rolling to the good side and pushing up with the good arm only. Pushing up with the operated arm is one of the most common early mistakes
Clothes that work in a sling
- Loose button-front or zip-up tops, a size bigger than usual. Put the operated arm in first and take it out last
- Elastic-waist pants or shorts, with no buttons or belts
- Slip-on shoes with a firm sole. Laces are hard with one arm
- A front-fastening or pull-on bra, or a loose camisole
- A cardigan or cape-style wrap for cold days, since a coat sleeve won’t go over the sling
Set up for sleep
Most people can’t lie flat comfortably for the first few weeks. Sleeping semi-upright is usually easier on the shoulder.
- A recliner works well for many people. If you don’t have one, borrow one or set up the sofa
- Or build a wedge in bed with several firm pillows so you’re half sitting up
- A small pillow under the operated arm stops it dropping backward, which is often what wakes people
- Everything within reach of the good side: water, phone, charger with a long cable, pain relief, a light
See how to sleep after rotator cuff surgery for more detail.
Every job you set up before surgery is one you won’t have to do one-armed and sore afterward.
Food and home
- Cook and freeze meals for the first week or two, in portions you can reheat easily
- Stock easy snacks and drinks, with lids loosened or bottles already opened
- Move everyday items to waist height: plates, mugs, toiletries, clothes. Nothing on high shelves
- Switch to pump bottles for soap and shampoo
- A shower chair and a hand-held shower head make washing safer. Ask your surgeon how to keep the wound dry and when it can get wet
- Clear trip hazards like loose rugs and cables. A fall onto the operated arm is the last thing you want
- Arrange help with pets, children, shopping and laundry for at least the first week or two
Driving and transport
- You can’t drive yourself home. Arrange a lift in advance
- Most units want an adult with you for the first night after an anesthetic
- No driving while you’re in the sling or on strong painkillers. For many people that’s several weeks. Your surgeon will tell you when, and your insurer may have its own rules
- Book lifts to your first follow-up and first physical therapy appointments now
Get fit for surgery
- Prehab: learning your early exercises before surgery, while you’re not sore, makes them easier to follow afterward. Keeping the shoulder moving and strong within comfort may help, though evidence that it speeds recovery is limited
- Stay active: walking and leg strength help you get up, move around and recover from the anesthetic
- Stop smoking, or cut down, as early as you can. Smoking slows wound and tendon healing
- If you have diabetes, work on steady blood sugar in the weeks before. High sugar raises the risk of infection and poor healing
- Ask about your medicines, especially blood thinners and any you’ve been told to stop
What to bring on the day
- A loose button-front top and slip-on shoes to go home in
- Your medication list and any paperwork you were sent
- A phone and a long charging cable
- A plan for pain relief at home. If you have a nerve block, it can last anywhere from about 4 to 18 hours. Take your pain relief as directed before it wears off, not once the pain has arrived
- A cold pack at home, ready in the freezer. The MedlinePlus shoulder surgery discharge guide covers ice, wound care and sling use
For what happens next, see rotator cuff surgery recovery or shoulder replacement recovery.
Call your surgeon before surgery if
- You develop a cough, cold, fever or any infection in the days before
- You have a cut, sore or skin rash near the shoulder
- Your medicines change, especially blood thinners
Call your surgeon after surgery if
- The wound is red, hot, swollen or leaking
- You have a fever or feel generally unwell
- Pain is climbing instead of settling, despite taking your pain relief
- The arm swells a lot or changes color
Go to the emergency department if
- You have chest pain or sudden shortness of breath
The operation takes a few hours. The setup you do beforehand shapes the next six weeks.