Baseball, tennis, golf, and swimming are known culprits of rotator cuff tears. The rotator cuff comprises a group of muscles and tendons that hold the rounded top of your upper arm bone securely in the shoulder socket, enabling the shoulder to rotate.
If you have a series of small tears or one large tear in your rotator cuff, your orthopedic doctor will likely try to address the issue via nonsurgical means first. Generally, you’ll only consider surgery if you have a complete tear that isn’t healing or is causing chronic shoulder pain.
Let’s talk about what your orthopedic surgeon may do to treat a torn rotator cuff, and where you can go for a professional evaluation and possible treatment for your shoulder.
Orthopedic Treatment for a Shoulder Injury
If you have shoulder pain that warrants medical attention, your orthopedic surgeon will perform various steps in the diagnosis and treatment process – including the following:
Evaluation
Your doctor will first thoroughly examine your shoulder. The physician will evaluate the range of motion in your shoulder and look for any signs of tenderness and swelling.
Imaging Scans
Next, your physician may request that you undergo imaging, such as an X-ray. Your doctor will use this visual information to check for any bone spurs, signs of arthritis, or other causes of shoulder pain.
Other than an X-ray, an ultrasound may be performed to look at your muscles and tendons in the shoulder. Your doctor may also recommend that you have an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan to view very detailed images of your shoulder. One of the reasons why many patients prefer ultrasound and MRI is that they do not utilize radiation for the scan.
Nonsurgical Treatment
If your shoulder pain is indeed caused by a rotator cuff tear, your orthopedic surgeon will first explain how to try simple at-home treatments that may work. Resting the area, putting ice on the shoulder for several minutes a few times a day, and compression may all help to alleviate the pain and swelling.
Shoulder Surgery
If the injury is serious enough to warrant surgery, your orthopedic surgeon will likely perform arthroscopy. During this outpatient procedure, the surgeon will make small incisions into your shoulder area and remove any bone spurs, repair damaged tissue, and reattach any tendons that have separated from the bone. The end of the arthroscope has a fiber-optic camera function through which your surgeon can view real-time images of the inside of your shoulder during the procedure.
Surgery Center in North Naples
Here at the North Naples Surgery Center, our state-of-the-art outpatient facility serves patients throughout the area. Our surgery center harnesses the latest technology, and we are conveniently located in the brand-new Executive Medical Center.
If you have any questions, or if you are a physician who is interested in obtaining privileges, contact North Naples Surgery Center today by calling us at (239) 591-2803 or by filling out our online contact form. We look forward to seeing you!
