Your shoulder is a complex joint that is capable of more motion than any other joint in your body. It is made up of three bones: your upper arm bone (humerus), your shoulder blade (scapula), and your collarbone (clavicle).
Ball and socket. The head of your upper arm bone fits into a rounded socket in your shoulder blade. This socket is called the glenoid. A slippery tissue called articular cartilage covers the surface of the ball and the socket. It creates a smooth, frictionless surface that helps the bones glide easily across each other.
The glenoid is ringed by strong fibrous cartilage called the labrum. The labrum forms a gasket around the socket, adds stability, and cushions the joint.
Shoulder capsule. The joint is surrounded by bands of tissue called ligaments. They form a capsule that holds the joint together. The undersurface of the capsule is lined by a thin membrane called the synovium. It produces synovial fluid that lubricates the shoulder joint.
Rotator cuff. Four tendons surround the shoulder capsule and help keep your arm bone centered in your shoulder socket. This thick tendon material is called the rotator cuff. The cuff covers the head of the humerus and attaches it to your shoulder blade.
Bursa. There is a lubricating sac called a bursa between the rotator cuff and the bone on top of your shoulder (acromion). The bursa helps the rotator cuff tendons glide smoothly when you move your arm.
Your doctor may recommend shoulder arthroscopy if you have a painful condition that does not respond to nonsurgical treatment. Nonsurgical treatment includes rest, physical therapy, and medications or injections that can reduce inflammation and allow injured tissues to heal. Inflammation is one of your body's normal reactions to injury or disease. In an injured or diseased shoulder joint, inflammation causes swelling, pain, and stiffness.
Injury, overuse, and age-related wear and tear are responsible for most shoulder problems. Shoulder arthroscopy may relieve painful symptoms of many problems that damage the rotator cuff tendons, labrum, articular cartilage, and other soft tissues surrounding the joint.
Common arthroscopic procedures include:
Less common procedures such as nerve release, fracture repair, and cyst excision can also be performed using an arthroscope. Some surgical procedures, such as shoulder replacement, still require open surgery with more extensive incisions.
Your orthopaedic surgeon may ask you to see your primary doctor to make sure that you do not have any medical problems that need to be addressed before your surgery. Blood tests, an electrocardiogram, or chest x-ray may be needed to safely perform your surgery.
If you have certain health risks, a more extensive evaluation may be necessary before your surgery. Be sure to inform your orthopaedic surgeon of any medications or supplements that you take. You may need to stop taking some of these prior to surgery.
If you are generally healthy, your arthroscopy will most likely be performed as an outpatient. This means you will not need to stay overnight at the hospital.
The hospital or surgery center will contact you ahead of time to provide specific details about your procedure. Make sure to follow the instructions on when to arrive and especially on when to stop eating or drinking prior to your surgery.
Before the operation, a member of the anesthesia staff will talk with you about anesthesia options. Shoulder arthroscopy may be performed using regional nerve blocks which numb your shoulder and arm. This numbing medicine is injected in the base of your neck or high on your shoulder. This is where the nerves that control feeling in your shoulder and arm are located. In addition to its use as an anesthetic during surgery, a nerve block will help control pain for a few hours after the surgery is completed. Many surgeons combine nerve blocks with a light general anesthetic because patients can become uncomfortable staying in one position for the length of time needed to complete the surgery.
Most arthroscopic procedures take less than an hour, however, the length of your surgery will depend on what your surgeon finds and what repairs are required.
In this article we will concentrate on surgery to stabilise the ball and socket joint of the shoulder (known as the glenohumeral joint). Shoulder instability can be caused by a variety of things such as a traumatic injury, underlying hypermobility, shape of the bony socket
Instability of the acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) usually occurs as a result of ‘high-energy’ trauma. Depending on the degree of instabilty treatment may require physiotherapy with or without surgical intervention. Early surgery aims to allow the ligaments torn during
Arthroscopic subacromial decompression is a keyhole operation which aims to restore shoulder function and relieve pain. The speed of recovery will depend on a number of factors. Good quality rehabilitation is the key to a successful outcome.
Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair surgery is keyhole surgery of the shoulder. Not all tears are amenable to repair. The speed of recovery
Shoulder arthroscopy is keyhole surgery of the shoulder. It can be used to assess and treat a number of different conditions
A frozen shoulder is a relatively common problem. It is usually a self-limiting condition but can take several years to resolve. Posttraumatic or postsurgical frozen shoulders are often more difficult to treat. There are
The shoulder is one of the most mobile joints in the body. Instability of the shoulder can occur for a variety of reasons. Depending on the instability pattern treatment may require surgery, physiotherapy or both.
A functional rotator cuff is important in maintaining normal shoulder function. Tears of the cuff tendons can cause pain, weakness and functional limitation. An accurate diagnosis usually requires imaging of the shoulder
The acromiclavicular joint (ACJ) is situated betwen the collar bone (clavicle) and part of the shoulder blade (acromion). Pain from the ACJ can occur for a variety of reasons. Pain is typically localised to the region of the joint. Treatment may require a localised injection, surgery, or both.
Calcific tendonitis is a condition where calcium deposits develop in the rotator cuff tendons. It is usually a self-limiting condition but can take time to resolve. If movement is lost a frozen shoulder can develop. Treatment options include shock wave therapy, surgical decompression and ‘needling’.
5000
1000
10000
750
