What Is Worse Rotator Cuff Surgery or Shoulder Replacement?

A common question about shoulder surgery is whether rotator cuff surgery or shoulder replacement is worse.

They’re both great surgeries because they solve problems for people that have been bothering them for a very long time.

In our practice, we have excellent outcomes with both. Shoulder replacements tend to be a much faster recovery because you’re replacing the shoulder with a new metal and plastic ball, and the implants are immediately strong in the bone. So we feel confident and comfortable letting people move immediately in all planes.

With a rotator cuff, we still let you move, but not quite as much, and we don’t want you to lift more than a pound or two. Replacements will let you lift more, like five to ten pounds.

In general, we let shoulder placement move a little quicker. They tend to have less pain after the operation than rotator cuffs do, but every patient is different. How they react depends a lot on their biology and physiology.

But in general, rotator cuff surgery has a little bit longer recovery with a little bit more pain on the front end than replacement.