I’m often asked how long after shoulder reconstruction it’ll take to get back to normal sports.
But even if I say two hours, it’s a better. The shoulder reconstruction involves repairing the labrum to the glenoid bone in most cases. On occasion, a Latarjet procedure is performed where a bone graft is inserted into the glenoid, but mostly, the rehabilitation times are similar.
It’s important to get the shoulder moving straight after these procedures to avoid stiffness. There will be some reduction in external rotation at the end of the day, but that doesn’t mean the shoulder should stay immobilised for too long.
The question, however, is when the patient can get back to sports. A gym guided physio program is usually applied within the first few weeks and continues up until the four month mark. But by the four month mark, structure of the shoulder should be solid. That’s a minimum requirement in my practice. And in most cases, I use a four month rule.
There will be some exceptions to that rule, for example, large bone defects and complex reconstructions, but for the most part, at four months, the shoulder should be healed and would be technically as strong as it would be after that period.
That doesn’t mean all patients can go back at the four month mark, but certainly can put pressure through the shoulder and contact through the shoulder at that time, although in some patients it’ll take some time to build up.