Arthroscopic surgery provides the patient with much less surgical aggression, which leads to a considerable decrease in the risk of injuring the internal tissues or other structures of the shoulder; It also has a lower risk of complications and a shorter postoperative period.
At the Panama Clinic Orthopedic Center (COPAC), arthroscopic procedures are part of the specialties we offer, so that you can quickly recover the normal function of your musculoskeletal system.
Shoulder arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical technique that is currently frequently used to examine and treat many of the injuries and diseases that affect the joint structures of the shoulder.
In this procedure, we enter the glenohumeral joint through very small incisions through which the arthroscopic device is introduced, which allows both the internal visualization of the cavity, its components and tissues, as well as the verification of their resistance thanks to the arthroscopic instruments.
In this sense, with shoulder arthroscopy it is possible to discover other injuries that could not be detected in imaging tests, this helps us to establish an accurate diagnosis and apply the appropriate treatment. In addition to the observation and diagnosis of shoulder injuries, arthroscopy facilitates the surgical treatment of the joint problem found in the same intervention.
In shoulder arthroscopy, you will receive general anesthesia or regional anesthesia with sedation to keep you drowsy and pain-free. Inside the operating room, the surgeon will place you in a “sideways” position, placing the arm to be operated on in traction. Subsequently, the incisions are made, the arthroscope is inserted and the tissues are repaired with special instrumentation.
Arthroscopic surgery of the glenohumeral (shoulder) joint is commonly applied in rotator cuff repair, correction of impingement syndrome, and restoration of shoulder stability. At the end of the repair maneuvers, the surgeon will close the small incisions with sutures and a clean dressing.
Shoulder arthroscopy is a widely recommended technique to solve various problems of the glenohumeral joint, which usually cause pain and functional impotence, among them we can mention:
Tears or tears in the ligaments or labrum.
Damage to the head of the biceps brachii.
Shoulder instability or dislocation.
Rotator cuff injuries.
Bone spurs.
Inflammatory conditions caused by previous diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Extraction of loose bodies.
Enlargement of the subacromial space in the face of shoulder impingement syndrome.
At previous visits, the specialist will talk with you about your medical history, allergies, and medications you usually take. Additionally, it will evaluate the results of the necessary preoperative studies. It is likely that 2 weeks before surgery, the doctor will ask you to stop the consumption of blood thinners, tobacco and alcohol, because these delay healing.
If you are a diabetic person or suffer from heart disease, you should go to your treating doctor so that he or she can approve the surgical procedure or not. It is important to tell the specialist if you have a cold, fever, infection, or other health situation before surgery.
On the day of your shoulder arthroscopy, be sure not to eat or drink liquids for at least 8 hours before the procedure; Take the prescribed medication with sips of water and follow the rest of the instructions of the medical staff.
Complications from shoulder arthroscopy may include:
Allergic reactions to anesthesia or sedatives.
Infection (rare).
Residual pain.
Joint stiffness (frozen shoulder).
Nerve injuries.
Post-surgical chondrolysis.
The price of this type of procedure varies depending on the injury to be treated and the repairs to be performed; therefore, to establish a concrete budget you must attend a prior consultation with one of COPAC’s orthopedics and traumatology specialists.
The patient may experience discomfort and inflammation in the days following surgery, these will progressively disappear with the medications recommended by the specialist. The operated limb will be immobilized with a sling for a period of time from 15 days to 1 month; subsequently, the use of a sling will be combined with gentle bending and elbow extension movements in order to prevent joint stiffness.
It is important to keep the area dry and clean until the stitches are removed (7-10 days), keep the limb immobile until your doctor clears it, and take medication according to the prescribed dose.
It is normal to feel pain and notice the swollen area during the first week of the intervention, these symptoms will improve as the prescribed medications take effect.
Unlike the large post-surgical scars of open surgery, shoulder arthroscopy shows a fairly acceptable and hardly noticeable aesthetic result after the small incisions of this minimally invasive technique heal.
Shoulder arthroscopy is a relatively quick operation, as it does not require major tissue dissections; For this reason, the intervention in most cases lasts between 30 and 90 minutes.
The doctor will give you instructions on the rehabilitation treatment you should perform to fully recover joint function, this process can take about 8 weeks or more. As the weeks go by, the patient will be able to perform their usual activities again, such as driving. Counting all the stages, recovery from shoulder arthroscopy takes approximately 4 months.
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