week 0 · last reviewed 2026-06-08
Shoulder labral repair recovery: week 0
Clinical procedure: Shoulder labral / Bankart repair.
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.
what's typical at week 0
typical pain · week 0
Around week 0, the typical pain band sits at 5.6/10 (range 3.1–8). This week was measured directly in the cited cohort.
weeks 0–1
Weeks 0-1 · acute pain, sling
The PMC7879172 RCT measured VAS pain in the first week. The 24-hour mean was about 5.6/10 (high band up to 8/10 reflecting block wear-off). By day 4 the mean had fallen to 3.9/10, and by week 1 it was 2.7/10 (range 1-4.5/10).
The sling is worn continuously, including for sleep. Elbow, wrist, and hand exercises start from day one. Passive shoulder ROM under physiotherapist supervision typically begins in the first one or two weeks per most protocols.
documented at this week
This week
Sling first, rotation guarded
Across 30 academic rehab protocols, the sling comes off at a mean of 4.8 weeks, and external rotation stays guarded early (starting gently from ~3.6 weeks) to protect the repair.
The pattern
The first-week fall, measured
In a randomized trial (n=80), pain averaged 5.6/10 at 24 hours, 3.9 by day four, and 2.7 at one week. A rough first couple of days followed by a fast fade is the measured shape.
milestones around now
- wk 2.5 ·Return to light / sedentary (desk) work (Office workers around 2.5 weeks (range 1-17); often once off narcotic pain medication)
- wk 4.8 ·Sling discontinued (Mean 4.8 weeks across 30 protocols; many use 6 weeks)
sources
What this page is built from
- NSAIDs vs opioids after arthroscopic Bankart repair: RCT (n=80, VAS trajectory) RCT · reliability 7/10
- Physical therapy protocols for arthroscopic Bankart repair (30 protocols) protocol review · reliability 7.5/10
- Return to work after arthroscopic Bankart repair (prospective cohort) prospective cohort · reliability 7/10
Track your own week-by-week so a flare doesn't erase the months behind it.
Start a recovery logThis is a typical, evidence-anchored reading of shoulder labral repair recovery at week 0 — not medical advice, not a prediction for your body, and not a substitute for your surgeon or clinician.