Shoulder arthroscopy is a surgical procedure used to repair tissues in or around the shoulder joint, and it falls under the classification of arthroscopic surgery, and this method has witnessed great development in Turkey.
What is shoulder arthroscopy?
Shoulder arthroscopy is a minimally invasive technique that allows orthopedic surgeons to access and treat the shoulder joint through only very small incisions.
Shoulder arthroscopy is the second most common orthopedic procedure after knee arthroscopy.
Shoulder arthroscopy is commonly used to treat and repair shoulder ailments including rotator cuff tears, labral tears, degenerative arthritis, and adhesive capsulitis.
Endoscopy has many advantages compared to the open procedure, including the better view it gives to the surgeon, in addition to the advantage of smaller wounds with lower rates of infection, and the possibility of recovery and return to normal life faster.
What is arthroscopic surgery?
Arthroscopy is a term derived from the Greek words “arthro” meaning joint and “skopein” meaning looking. Arthroscopic surgery is a modern, minimally invasive procedure that surgeons use to look inside a joint to diagnose and treat joint problems.
Shoulder arthroscopy is a procedure in which an endoscope (an instrument containing a camera lens and a fiber-optic light system) is inserted through small holes of no more than 0.5 cm in the patient's skin. The endoscope is then connected to a TV screen that displays the structures inside the joint in the operating room.
What are the alternatives to shoulder arthroscopy in diagnosis and treatment?
Arthroscopy using a magnifying view allows the surgeon to see and explore the internal structures of the joint to diagnose the severity or type of injury.
At first, arthroscopy was only used as a diagnostic tool, but now we can treat injuries that may cause joint pain or movement problems with arthroscopy.
Computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to diagnose some joint diseases, but they may not show early damage to the joints, or the injury may never appear because of its location.
Is arthroscopic surgery an appropriate option for you?
If you suffer from pain or stiffness in the knee or shoulder joint, arthroscopic surgery, or as it is called arthroscopic surgery, may be an option for you.
Arthroscopic surgery became known to the public for the first time through its use in the treatment of sports injuries suffered by athletes, for example Meniscus tear In basketball players, a runner's knee is torn or a cruciate ligament is torn during marathons, or Shoulder Tendonitis At tennis players or baseball pitchers.
Now, it is estimated that 80% of physicians use arthroscopy to perform surgical treatment. Arthroscopy is beneficial because it is generally easier on the patient than open surgery and requires a shorter recovery time.
It is a symptom that patients often come across Bimaristan CenterIn which shoulder arthroscopy is useful in diagnosing or treating the condition:
- knee pain
- shoulder pain
- Ankle and hip pain
- knuckles
- swelling
- difficulty movement
- stability weakness (dislocation)
- Medical conditions that do not respond to conservative treatments (such as rest, ice, compression, and elevation) and do not improve with physical therapy
To find out if shoulder arthroscopy is suitable for you, do not hesitate Contact us, Bimaristan center is your family is in Turkey.
What are the benefits of an arthroscopy?
Compared to open surgery (which requires a large incision to access the area of interest), laparoscopic surgery offers several benefits:
- Less pain: The wound is small and the surgical tools are smaller, so the pain becomes less.
- Reduced cost: Knee or shoulder arthroscopy can often be performed on a machine on an outpatient basis, without the need for an overnight stay in the hospital.
- Recover faster: Less trauma and faster recovery period than open surgery.
- Better vision: Arthroscopic surgery provides the surgeon with an enlarged image and an improved view of the inside of the joint.
- It is performed under local anesthesia.
- Small and invisible scars.
What are the shoulder diseases that can be treated arthroscopically?
Shoulder arthroscopy is used to examine the shoulder from the inside, to determine the cause of pain and to diagnose it. In addition, this procedure enables us to treat many diseases and injuries of the shoulder, including:
- Rotator cuff tear
- Shoulder impingement syndrome
- frozen shoulder
- Shoulder osteoporosis
- Biceps tendon ruptures at the shoulder
- Shoulder instability
- Recurrent shoulder dislocation
- shoulder fractures
- Dislocation of the acromioclavicular joint
- Nerve pressure above the shoulder
- calcific tendinitis
Note: Shoulder arthroscopy can also be used with open surgery in some procedures, depending on the evaluation and diagnosis of a specialist doctor. The doctor may bring the edges of the torn tendon together, then connect the tendon to the bone with metal or plastic threads or screws. The doctor may also clean the damaged tissue or inflamed or removed. Therefore, shoulder procedures take about one hour in outpatient clinics and are performed under general or local anesthesia, as determined by the doctor.
Some cases are not treated with shoulder arthroscopy and require a procedure Shoulder joint replacement.
For more about joint surgery and advanced surgeries in Turkey, you can also read on our website about Robotic knee replacement.
Complications of shoulder arthroscopy
Despite the high safety rate in this operation, especially in Turkey, this operation carries with it many risks, often due to the anatomical position of the shoulder joint or the position of the patient during the operation.
Among these complications:
- Bleeding at the joint site or in adjacent areas.
- Inflammation or infection at the surgical site (wound) due to lack of sterilization.
- Injury to the shoulder joint or its cartilage.
- Stiffness in the joint The joint is not fully healed.
- An allergic reaction to equipment, materials, or medication.
- Transmission of infection to the chest or brain, depending on the position of the patient.
What after shoulder arthroscopy?
The recovery period varies from person to person, but most patients go home the same day and take a few weeks to a few months to recover after the procedure.
The doctor advises patients who have had shoulder arthroscopy to:
- Complete rest for the joint and avoid moving it or carrying weights on it until it is healed.
- Putting ice on the affected joint.
- Take painkillers if there is severe pain that the patient cannot tolerate.
- Wear a sling while the shoulder joint is healing.
In addition, the orthopedist may recommend physical therapy to help strengthen the shoulder joint and surrounding muscles and restore range of motion for a good outcome.
Athletes may need sports rehabilitation under the supervision of a specialist doctor to maintain their fitness and return to sports as soon as possible.
After 15 days of shoulder arthroscopy, the stitches are removed, then the patient can take a shower, but he should not strain his shoulder because the shoulder here has not fully healed.
With the help of a physiotherapist who guides the patient to do exercises to strengthen the joint and prevent his muscles from atrophying, the normal function of the joint will return within about three months, depending on the type of joint injury, the success of the operation, and the patient’s response to the physical therapist.
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