If I am still having pain after rotator cuff surgery, should I consider another arthroscopic procedure?
When shoulder arthroscopic surgery is performed for a "rotator cuff" problem, this could mean you had surgery for a spectrum of conditions including impingement syndrome (bursitis +/- partial tears), a full thickness tear, or biceps tendinopathy. And, what was actually performed might have been an acromioplasty (removing spurs), debridement of a partial or small full thickness tear, or repair.
The heart of the question is "when is revision arthroscopy" indicated? The short answer is that pain suggests ongoing pathology---is your biceps involved, could you have AC arthritis, was your cuff accurately assessed, and if a repair was performed--did it heal?
Visit this link for more information and a case example of how revision surgery may be helpful:
http://www.rearmyourself.com/article/indications-for-and-expectations-after-revision-arthroscopic-surgery
You must be logged in to post a reply. Please login or click here to create an account.
1 comment
mtomaino 10/16/11 at 1:05 pm
Just this past week I was reminded of why I am willing to rescope a patient's shoulder who is in pain. A cuff that was fixed 1 year ago and appeared healed on MRI was indeed nearly fully retorn. I debrided the diseased scar tissue and refixed the tear. The point is that if you have had a cuff tear, and still have pain many months thereafter, you may benfit from a reassessment. The combination of physical exam and a "lidocaine injection test" may fostere a shared decision to intervene again.