A dislocated shoulder is a tricky opponent, and the younger you are, the trickier it can be. When a dislocation occurs (often from falling at on your hand or from high-impact sports), shoulder ligaments are injured in the process. Unfortunately, these ligaments do not heal well, often leaving you at high risk for future dislocations. […]
You had surgery to correct a problem in your shoulder, so it is a cruel stroke of irony to discover that the surgery has caused pain, stiffness, and arthritis to develop. In the past, shoulder surgeries, especially those like the Magnuson Stack or the Putti-Platt procedures, were designed to stabilize the repaired shoulder by limiting […]
There is some disagreement among physicians about when shoulder dislocation should be treated quickly with surgery and when the problem should be managed more conservatively, at least at first. Obviously, every case is different. Generally, young athletes – especially males under 20 years who want to return to a competitive sport that involves overhead movements […]
You may hear the term “fatty infiltration” for the first time when you see a physician about a rotator cuff injury. After you tear the tendon in your shoulder, a large gap remains between the tendon and the bones, keeping the shoulder muscle from performing its usual actions of shortening and lengthening. The body attempts […]
The rotator cuff is a complex of four muscles and the tendons that attach them to the three bones that make up the shoulder joint. A tear in any one of the tendons is extremely common and can cause pain, weakness and limited range of motion. Tears in rotator cuff tendons develop in two ways. […]
Rotator cuff tears are common, and recovery can take a long time. But do all rotator cuff tears need to be surgically repaired? After reviewing 137 studies on the outcomes of rotator cuff treatments, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a division of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, said no. The […]
“Frozen shoulder” is the casual term for adhesive capsulitis. The shoulder capsule is a protective layer of strong connective tissue, normally flexible, that surrounds the joint. When sti ff bands called adhesions develop within the tissue, the result is restricted movement. In addition, the quantity of lubricating liquid (synovial fl uid) within the joint may diminish, making […]
If your shoulder is prone to recurrent dislocations, a surgery known as a Bankart procedure is often used to stabilize the joint. However, that surgery often fails because the repair is not strong enough or the shoulder socket is damaged. In that case, a shoulder bone graft may be required. In a shoulder bone graft, […]
Are you an avid swimmer now sidelined by swimmer’s shoulder? You have plenty of company. Swimmer’s shoulder can develop from overuse, a change in your stroke or an increase in the intensity or duration of your swimming activity. Swimmers tend to have above-average flexibility and range of motion in the shoulder—that’s great for swimming. But […]
For most of us, the idea of “fighting fat” is nothing new. But fat is not just an enemy of your waistline. It’s an enemy of your muscles, too—especially when you are recovering from rotator cuff surgery. When the rotator cuff tendon is torn, a gap between the tendon and bones is formed. Your body […]
