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3 Phases of Post-Surgery Healing

Rotator cuff tears are commonly encountered shoulder problems and often present with non-specific pain. A skilled and experienced orthopedic surgeon, such as Dr. Sumit Dewanjee at FXRX in Phoenix, has special expertise in the diagnosis and management of rotator cuff injuries with minimally invasive surgery.

If you have been through surgery for tendon repair, you should know that your shoulder goes through 3 phases of healing before it recovers fully.

Inflammatory Phase

The inflammatory phase occurs during the first week after surgery. The platelets facilitate clotting to stop any bleeding. Chemicals are sent throughout the body to attract inflammatory cells to the site of surgery.

Proliferative Phase

The proliferative phase of tendon healing is also the new cell formation phase from the first week to 2-3 weeks after surgery. The inflammatory cells produce scar tissue and the original clot is replaced with new blood vessels. This scar tissue becomes the building block for more permanent repair tissue that would form in the next phase.

Maturation Phase

The maturation and remodeling phase occurs about 3 weeks after your surgery. The scar tissue is starting to get replaced by more mature, repair tissue. This phase may last at least 12 weeks but may go up to 26 weeks.

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