| *** Live Surgery Video *** |
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| What are they? |
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| The rotator cuff is a group of 4 muscles with tendons that attach the ball joint (humeral head) of the shoulder to the socket (glenoid of the shoulder blade). When they are pinched between the 2 main bones of the shoulder over a long period of time, they can have a hole worn in them, or just tear. |
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| What causes them? |
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| It is this pinching of the tendons between the bones over time or from overuse, that can result in rotator cuff tears. They can also be caused by sudden injuries that jerk the arm up, out or back. |
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| Do they get worse or cause damage? |
| Many people live with rotator cuff tears and have no symptoms. Others have severe pain and weakness with small or even partial-thickness tears. Tears do often progress and get bigger if not treated. Rotator cuff arthropathy is a condition that is basically bad shoulder arthritis that can result from neglected rotator cuff tears. Also, the muscles of the rotator cuff can turn into fat or scar after long-standing rotator cuff tears. These are good reasons to have your doctor evaluate and treat shoulder pain or weakness earlier rather than later. |
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| What is the treatment? |
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| Therapy is effective for this condition. Medicines like aspirin, Tylenol, Motrin and other anti-inflammatories may help with the symptoms. An injection given in the shoulder by your doctor can often resolve this problem. Sometimes 2 or even 3 injections might be necessary. Surgery is very effective, as the pinching bones are smoothed out and the rotator cuff is repaired. |
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| Do I need surgery? |
| Many patients do not need surgery for this, as they often respond well to therapy, medicines and injections. |
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| What type of surgery are we talking about? |
arthroscopic views inside the shoulder |
If injections, therapy, and medicines don't work, surgery may be recommended. It is usually an outpatient surgery, meaning you go home the same day as surgery. It takes about an hour, and is done through 2 to 4 very short incisions which are often barely visible after they are healed. After the surgeon incises the skin, the bones are smoothed and the tear is repaired or reconstructed. The surgery is usually done with an arthroscope, which is a small pencil-sized camera that can look into the joint and be used with other small instruments to minimize the incisions used for surgery.
A high percentage of patients have resolution of the problem after surgery, and there are very few complications, making this a very safe and effective procedure. You will wear a sling for 3-6 weeks, and do therapy for 2-3 months to regain motion, strength, coordination, and endurance of the whole arm. |
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| Is surgery safe? |
| Your surgeon will discuss the risks with you, but it is a very safe and effective procedure. |
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How long would I be out of my job after surgery?
You will be sent home with a sling. We use several methods of post-operative pain relief that are very effective. You should move your wrist, hand, and fingers the day of surgery, as this helps prevent and reduce swelling and stiffness. The stitches are removed in the office in less than 1 week. Jobs with clerical or light-type of work can be resumed within 1-2 weeks, heavier duty-type jobs such as manual labor can take as long as 5-6 months to resume. Many people have returned to their jobs the day after surgery - it really depends on the job type more than anything.
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