SHOULDER ARTHROSCOPY

Q: I dislocated my shoulder after falling while skiing. Unfortunately, my shoulder has come out twice more since then and I have been told I will require surgery. What does this entail? A:

Patients who suffer multiple shoulder dislocations are candidates for instability repair surgery. The essential structural injury that occurs with a shoulder dislocation is a disruption of the capsular ligaments and labrum that keep the ball and socket linked together. Instability repair involves reattaching the injured ligaments and in most cases the labrum to restore that stable linkage. Instability repair is performed arthroscopically through small incisions with the aid of video technology. The technical aspects of instability repair involve placing small screws in the socket (glenoid) where the capsular ligaments and labrum normally attach. There are rare cases where theses screws may need to be placed in the ball (humerus) as well. The screws are called suture anchors and are made from a special form of biodegradable plastic that the body will naturally absorb over time. The suture anchors are armed with high strength sutures that are then placed through the torn capsule and labrum tissue, and through a variety of pulley-type techniques the tissue is returned back to the bone at the location of the anchor. Patients are placed into a specialized sling which they are expected to wear for 4 to 6 weeks after surgery. The sling can be removed for bathing and changing clothes and for appropriate physical therapy, but no purposeful, active movement of the shoulder is permitted as this can compromise the healing process. Physical therapy following instability repair involves a very gradual process of stretching and progression to simple shoulder function over a period of several weeks. The goal is to slowly restore mobility to the shoulder without prematurely and excessively stretching the repair. Overall recovery and return to full activity including sports occurs over 4 to 6 months. To learn more about shoulder instability surgery visit ohioshouldercenter.com Eric M. Parsons, M.D. Ohio Shoulder Center for Arthroscopy Lake Orthopaedic Associates, Inc. 36060 Euclid Ave., Suite 104 Willoughby 440-942-1050 9500 Mentor Ave., Suite 210 Mentor 440-352-1711 www.ohioshouldercenter.com