Why is Shoulder Arthroscopy Required?

If you are suffering from immense shoulder pain that does not get cured in spite of medications, injections and non-surgical treatments, the doctor may recommend shoulder arthroscopy. Generally, due to age and injury, shoulder muscles get ripped and that can cause severe pain. Inflammation of shoulder joint may cause stiffness, pain and swelling. There are several reasons why a person becomes a candidate for shoulder arthroscopy surgery. Below mentioned are some of the common reasons which make the doctor recommend you to undergo this surgery:

Damaged or torn ligaments and cartilage ring (labrum)
Damaged or torn bicep (muscle located in the front of upper arm) tendons. There are two tendons attached to the bicep muscle. One attaches the bicep muscle to the bones of the shoulder while the other attaches the muscle to radius bone at the elbow. If any of these tendons get broken or torn, surgery is required to fix them.
Shoulder instability that can be explained as shoulder joint becoming loose and sliding too much or getting dislocated.
Loose tissue which causes pain and needs to be removed
Broken or damaged rotator cuff
Inflammation or bone spur around rotator cuff
Damaged or inflamed lining of the shoulder joint that may be caused due to rheumatoid arthritis
Arthritis of clavicle (collarbone)
If you are experiencing problem to move your shoulder around, it could be because of less space. Hence, surgery could be performed to make more room for shoulder joint to move effectively around.

Procedure of shoulder arthroscopy is conducted using the following steps:

Anesthesiologist will administer general anesthesia before the surgery that will make the patient numb and unconscious during the surgery. The patient may have surgery either lying on one side keeping the the shoulder to be operated exposed or sitting in deckchair position.
An incision (small cut) or incisions will be made on the shoulder joint through which arthroscope will be inserted. The tiny camera attached to arthroscope will enable the surgeon to view interior of shoulder joint.
The images will be examined by the surgeon to look out for damaged portions. Then, special instruments are inserted in the incision to repair the damaged portion of the joint. Damaged tissues that restrict shoulder movements and cause pain will be removed.
The incisions will be closed either with stitches or adhesive strips. Doctor will also wrap dressing and bandage around the shoulder.

If surgeon has to perform open surgery depending upon the extent of damaged portion of the joint, he/she will let you in advance to get your consent and tell you about the risks associated with open shoulder surgery.

Risks And Complications

Every surgery comes with its fair share of risks. Below mentioned are few risks and complications associated with shoulder arthroscopy:

Anesthetic risks and surgery risks in general include breathing problems, blood clots, infection, bleeding, allergic reactions towards medicines, etc. Also, it’s quite normal for the patient to feel uncomfortable for a day after the surgery till the effect of anesthesia completely fades away.
Risks of shoulder arthroscopy comprise shoulder stiffness, injury to the nerve or blood vessel in or near the shoulder joint, weakness in the joint or inability to move shoulder joint effortlessly. Repaired tissues or parts of the shoulder bones fail to heal and surgery fails to relieve symptoms which prompted patient to undergo shoulder arthroscopy.

Shoulder arthroscopy is a good treatment approach for patients suffering consistently from intense shoulder pain. Also, the procedure is a less invasive one which makes it less painful and shortens recovery period.