Treating Shoulder Dislocation / Subluxation (Instability) and Associated Pain with Minimally Invasive Arthroscopy
Last updated Thursday, May 29, 2008
SummaryWhat are the key points about arthroscopic labral repair/capsulorraphy for cartilage and ligament tears in the shoulder? Edited By: Winston J. Warme,
M.D
Tears to the labrum cartilage and shoulder
ligaments are common shoulder injuries, caused by a single traumatic event or
by sustained overuse or wear of the shoulder joint. Such tears make the joint
vulnerable to recurrent slipping, dislocation, and accompanying pain.
Cartilage repair and capsulorraphy
(ligament repair and tightening) for tears is readily accomplished via
arthroscopy, in which the surgeon manipulates instruments through a thin tube (cannula)
inserted through a few small (1 cm) incisions in the patient’s skin. This
allows the active person to experience a minimum of pain after surgery and get
back to work quickly.
Recovery is fairly rapid, over a
period of four weeks for most daily tasks – though athletes must wait several
months before resuming weight training for sports activities. The surgery has a
high success rate – in the 90 percent range. The arthroscopic technique presents a less-invasive alternative to the “open” approach, which for years has been the standard technique for all shoulder surgeries. In this approach, the surgeon makes a longer (10 cm) vertical incision to the patient’s shoulder, above the armpit. The bigger incision gives easy visual access to the joint and surrounding tissues – but requires the surgeon to divide tendons to gain instrument access to the joint.
With arthroscopic repair, a series
of three or four small (1 cm) incisions around the shoulder gives a surgeon
minimally invasive access to the injured tissues. Fewer surgeons have
significant experience with this technique, as it is more technically
demanding. Data suggests that, for many shoulder procedures, an arthroscopic
approach yields similarly positive patient outcomes as the open approach.
The bonuses of arthroscopic technique, if it is
appropriate to the patient’s injury, are less postoperative pain and scarring. Additionally, no tendons are divided so the
risk of late tendon weakness or failure is avoided. Surgery for Cartilage and ligament tears in the shoulder at the University of Washington If you are interested in making an appointment to discuss this procedure, you can request an appointment using our online referrals website. To request a referral online, please click here. You can also call 206-598-4288 (outside the Seattle area: 800-440-3280) to make an appointment.
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