Many people were unsure who they’d see at the follow-up appointment and what it would involve. Participants were often expecting to see the surgeon who’d operated on them but said they’d been given very little information about it.
A doctor explains what happens at follow-up and who to contact if there are shoulder problems after that.
Margaret had no idea what would happen at follow-up. Shed like to know shes recovering well. She can now do things that she hasn’t done for a long time.
One woman was expecting to see the surgeon at follow-up. Her appointment with the physio went well and she was discharged. The physio was happy with how the patient’s wounds had healed and with her range of movement. She showed her more exercises to do.
Jenny wanted to see the surgeon at the follow-up appointment so she could ask if her other shoulder could be operated on. She’d been having pain since her operation and was unsure why. An appointment with the consultant would have helped her find out what was causing the pain and what the doctors could do to help.
Jenny expected to see the surgeon. She would have liked him to tell her what they’d done during surgery and whether her other shoulder needs surgery too.
Some people said they would have liked the follow-up appointment sooner – after 3 or 4 weeks, for example – rather than at 6 weeks or more. Several felt ready to progress to more challenging exercises but were wary of doing so without seeing a professional first. See our resources section for more information.
At her 6 week follow-up appointment, Mary found out that she’d been doing one of the exercises incorrectly. She would have liked to have seen the physio sooner. Even though she’d looked at the exercise booklet and watched the TEPI exercise video, she’d found it hard to copy the exercise. At follow-up, Mary had her shoulder strapped up to help correct the positioning. After the tape came off, she started the exercises again and felt much better. Soon afterwards, though, she started having “episodes” of severe pain that were sudden and “excruciating”. The pain eventually settled down but Mary would like to know what is causing it and if it’ll stop. She has another follow-up appointment arranged but is unsure if she’ll see the physio again or another professional.
Mary’s shoulder was strapped up to reposition it. Sometime later, though, it had dipped again.
Alan’s shoulder was also strapped up at the follow-up appointment.
The physio strapped Alan’s shoulder to improve his posture. It helped but he thinks that it may have starting leaning forwards again. Everything else was fine.
Patricia had had a very difficult time after surgery and was disappointed with it and the amount of time it was taking to get a physiotherapy appointment. She still had a lot of pain and limited arm movement, and these were making daily activities difficult. At the time of interview, she was waiting to have physio and would have liked to have seen a consultant sooner about the problems she was having.
Patricia’s arm and shoulder are still very stiff. She feels that surgery hasn’t helped. She is waiting to have physio and to see the consultant in 3 months’ time.
Most people we interviewed were very happy with the care they got from doctors, nurses and physiotherapists. The process of being referred to hospital by...
The people we talked to offered different advice based on their experiences of keyhole shoulder surgery. Everyone is different and what works for one person...