A person will wear a sling for the first week after surgery and take medicine to control pain. Sleeping propped up on pillows in a recliner or bed can help reduce pain after the operation.
A Shoulder Surgery Cleveland through small incisions near the affected joint. An arthroscope (a slim pencil-sized tube with a camera and light on one end) is inserted into the joint. Sterile fluid is pumped into the joint to expand it and improve visualization.
Rotator Cuff Repair
If rotator cuff tears don’t respond to more conservative treatments, surgery can be helpful. Your surgeon can examine your shoulder for changes on X-rays or an MRI and use that information to help determine the best procedure for you.
During arthroscopic repair, your surgeon inserts an arthroscope into your shoulder joint through a small incision. This pencil-sized tool has a camera and light at the end that sends live video to a monitor. Your surgeon can then use the arthroscope to identify any damaged tissues. Then he or she can insert other surgical tools through another small incision to reposition and repair the tissue.
After repairing the rotator cuff, your surgeon may remove loose and frayed tissue from around the edges of the repaired tendon, or in larger tears, from the area where the cuff attaches to the bone (called the scapula). Some surgeons also perform arthroscopic acromioplasty when they are repairing a cuff tear - this involves removing a bony bump on the undersurface of the roof over the shoulder joint (called the acromion).
Arthroscopic Acromioplasty
Shoulder acromioplasty (also known as subacromial decompression) is performed to relieve shoulder pain caused by inflamed or damaged tendons in the area above the shoulder joint. Your doctor shaves down the part of the bone called the acromion and removes a small piece of the coracoacromial ligament to create more space for the tendons to move.
Your surgeon uses arthroscopy, a minimally invasive technique. This involves making 1 or 2 small cuts (incisions) in your skin, through which a camera and surgical instruments are inserted. Your doctor uses the camera to look inside your shoulder joint and guide miniature surgical tools.
Your doctor may also make additional small incisions to insert other surgical instruments as needed. After the procedure is finished, your doctor will close your incisions with stitches or medical glue. You will need to wear a sling for a week or longer, and follow a physical therapy program to help you regain shoulder strength and motion.
Bone Graft Surgery
In some cases, a break in bone may not heal without help from other bones. With a bone graft, your surgeon replaces the damaged section of bone with a piece of new bone. The cells inside the new bone grow and seal themselves to existing bone tissue, allowing it to heal.
Your surgeon might harvest the bone graft from your hip bone, leg bone, or ribs. They might also use bone from a cadaver. All harvested bone tissue is thoroughly disinfected and sterilized to avoid spreading disease.
If the grafted area needs extra support, your surgeon might secure it with hardware, like plates and screws. They might also close the incision surgically. Your doctor will give you instructions about moving the treated area, which might include using a splint or brace and avoiding putting weight on it. They will also give you a prescription for pain medications. Bone grafts can take up to 3 months to heal.
Adhesive Capsule Repair
A group of muscles and tendons form a cuff around the shoulder joint that holds your arm in the shoulder socket. The rotator cuff can tear due to overuse or injury, which can cause pain and stiffness of the shoulder. Sometimes this condition is called frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis, and it limits the movement of your arm.
Capsular release surgery is done under local or general anaesthetic, depending on what your surgeon recommends for you. The surgeon makes three small incisions on your shoulder, and inserts an arthroscope and another instrument to look inside the joint. The surgeon then uses the other instrument to cut tight capsular tissue, using radiofrequency waves that cauterise the tissues as they are cut, minimising bleeding within the shoulder joint.
The surgery is usually done in an outpatient setting and takes about 30 minutes to an hour. You will be required to wear a sling for the first week and follow your doctor's physical therapy instructions.
