Shoulder Dislocation

The shoulder is held securely in place by the ligaments, capsule, and muscles that surround the joint. Whenever these structures are weak or injured, shoulder instability and dislocation can occur. If enough force is applied to the shoulder when the arm is in a vulnerable position, the humerus or ball can pop out from the shoulder socket. This is called a shoulder dislocation.

The head of the Humerus is the ball and the cup-like glenoid is the golf tee. The edge of the tee is a rubbery ring, called the labarum that adds extra support to the joint. The shoulder is held securely in place by the ligaments, capsule, and muscles that surround the joint.  Shoulder dislocations are typically very painful, and if a medical professional is present when it happens, they may be able to put it back in place while at the field, before the muscle’s spasm.

If not, it is typically necessary to have it put back in at the emergency room, where the muscles can be relaxed with medicine. To confirm the degree of your shoulder injury, you’ll need a specialist to examine your shoulder. The expert will perform a physical exam and use imaging like x-ray and MRI to evaluate the severity of the injury. For less severe dislocations, adequate rest and physical therapy is needed to heal the shoulder injury.

For severe dislocations with more damage, surgery is frequently the best option. Your surgeon will help determine the best choice for you.  The surgeon will test to make sure your shoulder is stable before the surgery is finished. After surgery you will be in an arm brace that always stays on except during physical therapy and bathing. Two weeks later, you will begin physical therapy. After about 6 weeks you can remove the brace. On average our athletes return to non-contact sports after 5 to 6 months. For contact sports it is typically 6 – 9 months depending on your surgeon’s discretion.

Shoulder Replacement

Total shoulder replacement aka total shoulder arthroplasty is a joint replacement surgery that’s designed to treat end-stage shoulder arthritis which is when the cartilage lining of the joint has been eroded away.

The best candidate for a total shoulder replacement is someone who has end-stage arthritis where they basically have no cartilage left in their joint in order for a total shoulder replacement to work well. A patient also needs to have a good bone on the socket side of their joint as well as a functioning rotator cuff shoulder.

Arthritis can be treated by a number of different means and the type of treatment that’s best for each person is dependent on how bad their symptoms are, how bad their arthritis is, and what their goals of treatment are. For less severe arthritis that is less into matic treatments such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and activity modifications can be very effective. For more severe cases a steroid injection may help provide some more long-lasting relief.  When all of those non-operative treatment measures have failed to improve symptoms adequately that’s when a total shoulder replacement is a reasonable option to consider.

Recovery for a total shoulder replacement can be different from person to person but is usually around 3 to 4 months before return to full function range of motion exercises that start almost immediately after surgery and patients are allowed to use their arm and simple activities throughout their day a couple days after surgery.  One of my favorite things about total shoulder replacement is the great difference I see in patients functions a lot of times people will come into the office and they can barely get their arm above their head and barely reach around their back and after they’ve recovered from their total shoulder replacement they can go back to throwing a ball and doing all the things that they love to do.

Frozen Shoulder Treatment

Want to know how to treat frozen shoulder? Dr. Harish Ghoota here talks about frozen shoulder. It is a common term used by doctors and patients. It is nothing but a painful & stiff shoulder. There are many reasons for painful & stiff shoulder like rotator cuff, inflammation of capsules, arthritis in shoulder & many more. Basic Treatment which recommended physiotherapy, exercise, joint injections and surgeries.

So when Dr. Harish Ghoota see a frozen shoulder as a shoulder specialist the first thing which I he would like to find out is why is this shoulder frozen, why is it stiff, and why is it painful and for that one very useful investigation, very useful test is MRI scan. So he would not hesitate to ask for MRI scan in a patient who has a significant pain feel and stiff shoulder. Because treatment of this shoulder is different for different causes so unless he know what has caused it he cannot treat it correctly. So please do get MRI scans if you are advice because many shoulder problems can be diagnosed or can be found only if you do the MRI scan.

Now coming to the treatment of course.

If you treat the cause accordingly your shoulder will recover better. There are a number of different treatments which are.  So one common treatment in the shoulder is physiotherapy.

Apart from physiotherapy we have joint injections where we inject certain anti-inflammatory medicines in the shoulder which help the shoulder to become pain-free faster and to get the range of motion the flexibility faster. Many patients of painful and stiff shoulder can be completely cured by arthroscopic surgery so it’s not even an open surgery, we just make small holes to put the arthroscope or a telescope inside the joint and looking on the camera screen. We can treat the problem which is causing the pain and stiffness and the patient recovers much faster than he would without the surgery or with other kind of open surgeries.

Rotator Cuff Tear

Rotator Cuff Tear is one of the most common reasons behind shoulder pain. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons essential for the coordination and power of the shoulder joint problems that occur when part of a rotator cuff becomes irritated or damaged as a result of injury, overuse or simply wear and tear over time. Symptoms of a rotator cuff injury include: weakness during overhead activities such as combing hair, reaching to the side, cracking when moving the arm, stiffness and pain at night, and difficulty lying on the shoulder. Tears affecting the full thickness of a rotator cuff are typically visible in MRI. If you are suffering with the symptoms of rotator cuff, discussing your options with a shoulder surgeon is recommended.

In some circumstances waiting too long can lead to muscle retraction and weakening beyond repair.  The good news is that some individuals with a rotator cuff tear can feel improvements in pain, motion and strength without surgery.

A proper diagnosis is necessary to ensure the repair of a rotator cuff. In certain cases, the rotator cuff tendon and muscles can shorten if surgery is delayed, which makes it more difficult or even impossible to repair. This diagnosis can only be done with MRI and a consultation with an orthopaedic surgeon.

AC joint Dislocation Treatment

The acromioclavicular (AC) joint along with ligaments connects your collarbone and shoulder blade. An injury to the AC joint is a shoulder separation or AC joint Dislocation. Dr. Harish Ghoota explain what it is, the common symptoms, and how we treat it!

The AC Joint is located at the top of the shoulder. Most people can get AC joint dysfunction because it’s one of the most degenerative joints in our body. Falling directly onto the shoulder can injury the ligaments that stabilize the AC Joint.

Some of the common symptoms of AC joint dysfunction are activity related pain with overhead activity, popping  in the shoulder joints, inability to move your arm over your head also a nerve can be pinched where you get numbness and tingling in your deltoid.

Nonsurgical Treatment

Nonsurgical treatments, such as a toss, ice packs, and medications can often help manage the pain. Rarely, a doctor may use more complicated supports to help reduce AC joint motion and pain. Many patients, even with very severe injuries, are often managed effectively without surgery.

Surgical Treatment

Surgery can be considered if pain perseveres or the distortion is severe. An orthopaedic surgeon trim back the end of the collarbone so that it does not rub against the shoulder blade bone.