week 10 · last reviewed 2026-06-05
Rotator cuff surgery recovery: week 10
Clinical procedure: Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.
what's typical at week 10
Is pain at week 10 of rotator cuff surgery recovery normal?
typical pain · week 10
Across published cohorts, typical pain around week 10 of rotator cuff surgery recovery sits at 3.3/10 (range 1.6–5.1). This exact week wasn't measured — the band is bridged between the measured points at weeks 6 and 12, so treat it as a rough guide, not a target to hit. Typical, evidence-anchored estimate only. It is not medical advice, not a prediction for your body, and not a substitute for your surgeon or clinician.
Estimated between measured weeks 6 and 12 · 1 study · The Factors Affecting Pain Pattern after Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair (Kim CW, Kim JH, Kim DG, Clin Orthop Surg, 2014) (retrospective cohort)
weeks 6–12
Weeks 6-12 · out of the sling, active motion
The sling comes off (in modern protocols) around week six. Active assisted ROM and then active ROM begin in this window — the first time you've moved the shoulder under its own power in six weeks. Most people are surprised by how stiff and weak it feels.
Pain typically falls visibly through this phase. The PMC4233217 cohort measured mean VAS of 3.01/10 at three months, down from 4.04 at six weeks. The character of the pain changes too — less constant background, more soreness after activity.
Overhead reaching is the protocol gate at the end of this phase, typically at twelve weeks. Almost nobody has full overhead motion at twelve weeks — the gate is permission to start working towards it, not an expectation that it's there.
documented at this week
Coming up
Driving: 23% at one month, 70% by two
In a return-to-driving cohort, 23% were driving at one month, 70% at two, and 99% by six. Short trips resumed at a mean of 7.3 weeks — usually around when the sling goes.
milestones around now
- wk 12 ·Overhead reaching (Around 12 weeks by protocol gate)
sources
What this page is built from
- Pain catastrophizing and early pain after rotator cuff repair (phone follow-up, n=32) prospective case series · reliability 6/10
- The Factors Affecting Pain Pattern after Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair (Kim CW, Kim JH, Kim DG, Clin Orthop Surg, 2014) retrospective cohort · reliability 7/10
- Return to activities after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair meta-analysis · reliability 8/10
Track your own week-by-week so a flare doesn't erase the months behind it.
Start a recovery log