What is the typical recovery time following shoulder impingement surgery?

Full recovery after shoulder impingement surgery typically takes between three and five months. However, a patient can return to work within two weeks, for a desk job, or between eight and 12 weeks, for a physically demanding job, notes the University of California, San Francisco.

A sling immobilizes the arm during the first five to seven days after surgery. A doctor removes the wound dressing and sutures after a week, and physical therapy takes place for the eight to ten weeks that follow, according to UCSF. Physical therapy includes exercises to improve arm strength and range of motion at the shoulder, explains the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.