The ability to address shoulder pain through minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery has, I believe, advanced the care of many causes of shoulder pain immeasurably. You and I can attest to how often we see patients who have a painful shoulder. In fact, not until I dislocated my own shoulder while skiing in Utah in 2005, did I fully appreciate how much a painful shoulder impacts a good night sleep and overall quality of life.
With respect to Rotator cuff tears---between 2005 and Sep 2010, I have had the privilege of arthroscopically repairing over 400. Our outcomes reflect what has been reported in the literature most recently. (Bishop J et al. J Shoulder Elbow Surg 2006; 15:290-299) When tears are less than 3 cm, 85% of patients have great outcomes; when larger than 3 cm — large tears — it drops below 50%, particularly if an MRI reveals muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration. Satisfactory outcome revolves around a combination of surgical skill, compliance with postoperative therapy, and appropriate decision to proceed to surgery in the first place. Even in cases of unfixable tears, however, debridement, release of an injured biceps tendon, and suprascapular nerve decompression can help!
I have attached a video below showing what can be seen in the shoulder joint during "diagnostic arthroscopy." Indeed, our ability to see what is causing the problem obviates he need for an MRI in many cases.
In addition to treating rotator cuff tears, the following problems can be addressed successfully with arthroscopic surgery when conservative treatment fails: Impingement, Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis), Instability, and SLAP tears. I have attached representative videos for these procedures.
For more information on "Arthroscopy" visit the link below.
Dr T.
