week 3 · last reviewed 2026-06-05
Rotator cuff surgery recovery: week 3
Clinical procedure: Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.
what's typical at week 3
Is pain at week 3 of rotator cuff surgery recovery normal?
typical pain · week 3
Across published cohorts, typical pain around week 3 of rotator cuff surgery recovery sits at 3.6/10 (range 1.3–6). This exact week wasn't measured — the band is bridged between the measured points at weeks 2 and 6, 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 2 and 6 · 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 2–6
Weeks 2-6 · the sling phase
Pain through this window plateaus in the 3-4/10 range per the PMC4233217 cohort (mean VAS 4.04 at six weeks). The cause isn't tissue damage — by week three the surgical site has settled — it's the discomfort of immobilization and the small but constant background pain of a stiffening joint. Most people describe it as nagging rather than acute.
Sling discontinuation happens at six weeks in most protocols, though some extend to seven or eight weeks for large tears, tendon transfers, or revision surgery. Driving typically resumes around this point — the timing varies more than for other procedures because of the sling constraint.
Office and desk work usually resume around week two if the sling is tolerable for sitting; manual labor is much later.
documented at this week
This week
Sling life, with deskwork allowed
The sling stays on for six weeks, but the MOON protocol allows deskwork as soon as you're comfortable in it. Passive motion continues; the repaired tendon itself stays off duty.
milestones around now
- wk 2 ·Deskwork / sedentary work (When comfortable in the sling (protocol gives no fixed week; commonly ~1-2 weeks))
- wk 6 ·Sling discontinued (About 6 weeks; some protocols extend to 7-8 weeks)
- wk 6 ·Return to driving (Often around sling discontinuation; observed timing varies)
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
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