I've had arthroscopy on my shoulder twice- once at the age of 16 from a hockey injury, and again at 21 early in my military career. Ligaments are under tension and can't pull themselves back together to heal, it's a hard pill to swallow- but surgery is sometimes the only way.
As for the recovery, it'll be quite a while before you can lift your arm over your head again. It heals down at your side in the sling, and you'll be starting from there building up all of your range of motion again. I was back to doing push ups within about 2 months and pull ups within about 4, back to full strength like nothing happened within 6-8 months.
Good luck.
Last edited by Puppy Creek; 06/16/13 09:02 AM.