Shoulder Arthroscopy

Shoulder arthroscopy is a type of surgery used to diagnose and treat shoulder problems. Orthopedic Surgeon at Shreya Hospital, Ghaziabad repairs your shoulder through tiny incisions. It is a procedure, meaning you can go home the same day. Though full recovery can take weeks or months, exercise and physical therapy can help with healing.

Shoulder arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgery used to diagnose and treat shoulder problems. You might have arthroscopy for rotator cuff tears or shoulder impingement. Minimally invasive procedures require smaller incisions than traditional surgery. Each incision is about the size of a keyhole.

Your surgeon inserts a small camera called an arthroscope through a tiny incision in your skin. This camera projects pictures of your shoulder joint to a video screen. Your provider looks at these images to find the source of your injury. If you need a shoulder repair, the provider uses miniature surgical instruments to restore your shoulder’s mobility.

Reason behind doing Shoulder Arthroscopy

Shoulder arthroscopy helps healthcare providers find and treat shoulder pain that has not responded to nonsurgical treatments. Nonsurgical treatments for shoulder pain include physical therapy, medication, injections and rest.

Shoulder Arthroscopy is used to treat some conditions like:

• Biceps tendon injuries.
• Bone spurs.
• Frozen shoulder.
• Labrum tears, injuries to the tissue around your shoulder socket.
• Osteoarthritis.
• Rotator cuff tears.
• Rotator cuff tendinitis.
• Shoulder impingement syndrome.
• Shoulder instability, when your shoulder joint becomes loose or dislocated.

Shoulder arthroscopy is the second most common orthopedic surgery after knee arthroscopy. Orthopedic surgery treats joints, bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons. Rotator cuff surgery is one of the most common types of shoulder arthroscopy.

Before Shoulder Arthroscopy

• Blood tests.
• A chest X-ray.
• Electrocardiogram
• May need to stop taking some of your medications

Procedure

• You will be in a semi-seated position (beach chair position) or lying on your side.
• Your surgical team will shave hair (if needed) and clean your skin with an antiseptic solution. They may place your arm in a holding device to make sure it stays still.
• A healthcare provider may inject fluid into your shoulder. The fluid inflates your shoulder joint, making it easier for the surgeon to see.
• Your surgeon makes a small hole, usually about the size of a buttonhole, in your shoulder. They insert the tiny camera (arthroscope) into this incision.
• The camera projects images of your shoulder to a video screen. Your surgeon uses these images to find the problem with your shoulder.
• Your surgeon makes other small cuts in your shoulder and inserts tiny instruments.
• Once your surgical team finishes your surgery, they close the incisions. You may have stitches or small bandages, with a large bandage on top.

Shoulder arthroscopy is short term procedure, meaning you can go home the same day.

Advantages of arthroscopic shoulder surgery

You may have shoulder arthroscopy instead of open surgery (with a larger incision), depending on your specific concern. Compared to open surgeries, arthroscopic surgeries have less risk of infection and a shorter recovery time. Shoulder arthroscopy also tends to cause less joint stiffness and pain than open surgeries.