| Arthroscopic shoulder surgery is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that repairs a
tear in the cup of the shoulder. For many individuals,
especially athletes who participate in sports requiring the frequent
use of overhead arm positions, an injury to the labrum (a cuff of cartilage
around the shoulder joint) can lead to pain, instability, flicking,
and popping. Expert surgeons at St. Mary offer a surgical technique
to effectively treat shoulder pain and return an individual to a healthy,
active lifestyle faster than ever before.
At St. Mary, surgeons make a small incision and use an arthroscope (or
videoscope) to treat the damaged joint. The arthroscopic technique
allows surgeons to go in between muscles, tendons, and other structures
within the shoulder to repair the joint. In the past, these
structures had to be cut in order to reach the joint. Special
implants called suture anchors are then buried into the bone to repair the
ligaments and labrum. Made of absorbable materials, the
anchors will disintegrate over time after the shoulder has healed.
By avoiding major incisions and damage to healthy tissue, this
procedure reduces recovery time and creates less trauma to the connective
tissue in the shoulder. Patients return to normal activity in half
the time compared to older techniques, and report a better range of motion
and faster rehabilitaiton with less stiffness and scarring. |
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