The shoulder is a complicated joint. It moves very freely, unlike a knee or elbow, because it has less bony stability. Instead, the surrounding muscles provide stability. Those muscles must be strong to help prevent injury—but injuries do happen. One of the most common shoulder injuries is impingement syndrome. The supraspinatus muscle, part of the […]
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that occurs when cartilage that cushions the joint wears down, causing pain and swelling as the ends of two bones rub together. Although you may be more familiar with arthritis in the knee and hip, it can also affect the shoulder. Although most of us know someone who has […]
The shoulder, with the greatest range of motion of any joint in the body, is also one of the most complicated structures in the body. (The shoulder actually includes four different joints.) Because of the shoulder’s wide range of motion, complications may arise when it can’t move around freely or when the complex system of […]
Can you resume playing golf after total shoulder replacement surgery? The answer may well be yes. To replace the shoulder, a ball-and-socket joint, the surgeon inserts a metal prosthesis to replace the “ball” (the end of the humerus) and resurfaces the inside of the “socket” (glenoid cavity) with high-density polyethylene. Any nearby bone spurs are […]
Fracturing the bone of your upper arm—medically known as a humerus fracture—can be a painful and frightening experience, especially because the most common cause of this type of fracture is a bad fall. It may seem like a severe enough break to require surgery, but, in reality, most humerus fractures can be treated by nonsurgical […]
Smoking is linked to heart disease, stroke and several forms of cancer, but its effects on orthopedic surgery outcomes are less widely known. If you are scheduled for rotator cuff or labral surgery, chances are that your physician has emphasized the importance of not smoking before the surgery. This will not only improve your overall […]
If you have already gone through rotator cuff surgery, the last thing you want to think about is doing it all over again. Unfortunately, many patients do suffer tears of the same tendons that caused them to need surgery in the first place. Most of the time, this is not the surgeon’s fault, nor does […]
Imagine holding a straw in your hand and squeezing the middle as you sip a beverage. You will notice that not much liquid is able to pass through the straw and reach your mouth. Essentially, this is what happens when you have a “pinched” nerve. A pinched nerve ensues when a nerve is compressed, and […]
Do you have a “SICK” scapula? No, not sick with a fever or a cold, but SICK—an abnormal condition of the shoulder blade. This condition is characterized by Scapular malposition: The scapula has moved to an abnormal position on the rib cage. Inferior medial border prominence: The scapula protrudes abnormally along the back. Coracoid pain […]
Your rotator cuff is a collection of muscles and tendons located where your upper arm meets your shoulder socket. Its primary purpose is to provide structural support to your body so that you can perform a wide range of arm movements, especially ones that involve overhead motion. These include manual labor activities—painting and carpentry, for […]
