Shoulder Surgery

What is shoulder surgery?

Shoulder surgery is the surgical repair of a damaged, degenerated or diseased shoulder joint. It is a treatment for a variety of diseases and conditions in your shoulder joint. These commonly include rotator cuff tears, shoulder dislocations, and shoulder separations. Shoulder surgery can potentially help restore pain-free range of motion and full function to a damaged shoulder joint.

Your shoulder joint is formed where your upper arm bone (humerus), shoulder blade (scapula), and collarbone (clavicle) meet. Ligaments are tissues that connect these bones within your shoulder joint. A group of four muscles surround these bones to form your rotator cuff. These muscles are attached to your bones by tendons, which are tough pieces of connective tissue. Your shoulder joint also includes layers of cartilage, joint (synovial) fluid, and a bursa sac that helps cushion your joint.

Shoulder surgery is a common but major surgery with significant risks and potential complications. You may have less invasive treatment options available depending on your specific circumstances. You should consider getting a second opinion about all your treatment choices before having shoulder surgery.

Types of shoulder surgery

The types of shoulder surgery procedures include:

• Arthroplasty is the surgical replacement or resurfacing of a diseased joint. An arthroplasty involves removing arthritic or damaged surfaces of bone and replacing them with artificial material or an implant called a prosthesis. Shoulder arthroplasty can be a partial replacement or a total replacement of your shoulder joint. Your doctor may recommend shoulder arthroplasty for degenerative diseases of the shoulder, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Some fractures of the shoulder joint may also require joint replacement.
• Arthroscopy is surgery using an arthroscope. An arthroscope is a long, thin instrument that contains a small camera. It is inserted into the joint through an incision over or near the joint. The camera transmits pictures of the inside of your joint to a video screen viewed by your doctor as he or she performs your surgery. Your doctor may recommend arthroscopic shoulder surgery for shoulder dislocations, shoulder tendonitis, certain rotator cuff problems, soft tissue (muscle) repairs, frozen shoulder, and the repair of torn cartilage or ligaments.
• Rotator cuff repair is the surgical reattachment of a torn rotator cuff. It is a treatment for a torn tendon in your shoulder joint.
• Soft tissue repair is a procedure to treat damage to the muscles in your shoulder.

Other procedures that may be performed

In addition to shoulder surgery, your doctor may also perform one or more additional procedures. These include:

• Bone fracture or dislocation repair. Severe injuries may require surgical repair. These injuries include certain types of fractures of the collarbone, humerus, and shoulder dislocations.
• Bursectomy or bursa sac repair is a procedure that your doctor may recommend to treat a damaged bursa sac. Your bursa sac provides cushioning for your joint.

Why is shoulder surgery performed?

Shoulder surgery is a major surgical procedure that your doctor may recommend to treat a damaged, degenerated or diseased shoulder joint. Your shoulder joint consists of your upper arm bone (humerus), your shoulder blade (scapula), and your collarbone (clavicle). Your tendons are strong pieces of connective tissue that attach your muscles to your shoulder and arm bones. Your rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround your shoulder joint. Ligaments connect the bones of your shoulder joint and hold it together. A bursa sac lies between the bones and tendons in your shoulder to cushion the joint.

Your shoulder joint can be damaged by aging, disease, overuse or injury. This can result in a variety of shoulder joint problems. Your doctor may only consider shoulder surgeryfor you if other treatment options with less risk of complications have failed. Talk with your doctor about all your treatment options and consider getting a second opinion.