The former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) underwent surgery on his right shoulder this Friday (1st), and the procedure was completed without complications, according to a statement released by the DF Star hospital. The operation was an arthroscopic repair of the rotator cuff – part of the body linked to the movement of the arms.
The statement also states that the politician is hospitalized to control his pain and be observed by doctors. Former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro published an update on the former president’s condition on her social media late in the evening.
“He is now without nasal oxygen, he was able to eat soup, and the fingers on his hand on the procedure arm — which are normal not to move due to the anesthetic — have started to move again,” he wrote.
Bolsonaro, who is stuck at home, had to ask for authorization from the minister of STF (Federal Supreme Court) Alexandre de Moraes to undergo the procedure. The request was made on the 21st, and the magistrate authorized the departure for the operation.
According to lawyers, the former president had persistent pain and functional incapacity in his shoulder, requiring him to take painkillers every day.
He went to the hospital where he would perform the operation, in Brasília, on Friday morning.
Bolsonaro is under house arrest after being convicted of an attempted coup d’état. Sentence of 27 years and three months in prison, imposed by the First Panel of the STFbegan to be implemented in November last year, initially at the Federal Police superintendence in Brasília and later at the so-called Papudinha.
The former president went to serve his sentence at home after leaving the hospital in the second half of March, when he was hospitalized to treat bronchopneumonia. Bolsonaro has undergone a series of surgeries since 2018 due to the knife attack he suffered during that year’s election campaign.
The procedure he underwent this Friday is aimed at treating a injury considered common in orthopedics. The rotator cuff is a set of four tendons located in the shoulder region, responsible for rotation movements and for keeping the joint firm and stable during movements, according to orthopedist Maurício Raffaelli, a specialist in shoulder and elbow surgery.
Disruption of these structures is among the most common causes of shoulder pain. The condition can vary from inflammation and partial injuries to complete ruptures. Surgical indication occurs when there is significant pain and loss of function, with limited movement of the arm, and when physiotherapy is not sufficient.
One of the most characteristic symptoms is nighttime pain, which can make it difficult to sleep. Many patients report worsening pain when lying down because the joint is compressed while resting.
Rotator cuff repair consists of replacing the tendon in the bone so that it can heal again and regain its function. Surgery is performed, in most cases, using arthroscopy, a minimally invasive technique performed with a camera inserted into the shoulder through small incisions.
Recovery from surgery is gradual. According to Maurício Raffaelli, the patient remains with his arm immobilized in a sling for a period of four to six weeks, with initial release only for elbow, wrist and hand movements. Physiotherapy is started after this phase.
Tendon healing takes three to four months, while complete functional recovery can take six months, depending on the extent of the injury and the body’s response.
Dosimetry
Bolsonaro is expected to spend less time in prison than expected. On Thursday (30), the National Congress overturned the president’s veto Lula and paved the way for the sentences of those convicted in the coup plot process are reducedwith the reestablishment of the Dosimetry PL.
The vote included a maneuver by the president of the Senate and Congress, David Alcolumbre (União-AP) to enable the reduction of sentences. He invalidated project articles that conflict with another lawwhich came into force after the Legislature approved dosimetry.
The Dosimetry PL brings reductions in both the total sentences and the minimum time in a closed regime for those convicted of the coup plot and for the attacks on the headquarters of Power on January 8, 2023.
In Bolsonaro’s case, the measure reduces the time he will spend in a closed regime from the current range of 6 to 8 years to between 2 years and 4 months and 4 years and 2 months, depending on the interpretation.
