Our shoulder is the most flexible joint in our bodies, but flexibility also means that our shoulder susceptible to injury, especially during sporting activities. Much like knee arthroscopy, shoulder arthroscopy allows your doctor to insert a very small camera into tiny incisions to examine the joint in the least invasive way possible. This procedure helps orthopedic surgeons make more accurate diagnoses and develop better methods and plans for individual treatment.
A rotator cuff tear is a common source of disability among active and inactive adults alike. In most cases, tears occur in the supraspinatus muscle, but other parts of the cuff may be involved. The rotator cuff is the network of four muscles and several tendons that form a covering around the top of the upper arm bone. Depending on the extent of the damage, the rotator cuff may require surgery to regain full function of the joint.
While shoulder replacement is less common than knee or hip replacement, its effectiveness is similar. More than 50,000 people have shoulder replacement surgery each year, according to AAOS, which removes and replaces the damaged portions of the joint. The surgery can either replace just the head of the humerus bone or replace both ball and socket of the joint.