ulder the pain
moving your shoulder.
At frst, the pain may be mild and
occur only with movement. But,
over time, your shoulder may hurt
even when you’re not moving it.
Treating a tear
Shoulder pain doesn’t always mean
a rotator cuf tear. To diagnose
a rotator cuf tear, your doctor
will review your symptoms and
examine your shoulder. Sometimes
x-rays or a magnetic resonance
image (MRI) can provide valuable
additional information.
An MRI scan at Memorial
Health Center can help pinpoint
the size and location of a tear. It
also can tell your doctor whether
the tear is acute (sudden) or
chronic (longstanding).
If the tear is small or is the
result of wear and tear, nonsurgi-
cal treatments may work just fne.
Tey won’t heal the tear, but they
may relieve your symptoms well
enough that you can carry on
with your daily activities.
Nonsurgical treatments may in-
clude:
➜
Rest and limited overhead
activity.
➜
Temporary use of an
arm sling.
➜
Medication to reduce
infammation.
➜
Physical therapy
and strengthening exercises.
If none of these work or if the
tear is acute, surgery may be the
best option. Bone & Joint surgeons
and physicians are on staf at
Memorial Health Center to ofer
you the convenience of surgical
procedures in Medford.
When surgery is needed
In general, there are three types of
surgery used to repair torn rotator
cuffs. Some can be done without
an overnight hospital stay.
Open repair.
This traditional
technique uses a large inci-
sion to open the shoulder area.
Sometimes the deltoid muscle,
which covers the shoulder joint, is
detached for easier access.
Mini-open repair.
This surgery
is similar to an open repair except
that smaller incisions are made
and the deltoid is often disturbed
less.
All-arthroscopic repair.
Small
instruments and a lighted scope
are inserted through tiny inci-
sions. The surgeon works while
viewing the area on a monitor.
A success at Memorial
David Vaara, of Medford, recently
had surgery to fix a tear in the
cartilage surrounding his shoul-
der socket and to clear away dam-
aged tissue near his rotator cuff.
“I’m a phys ed teacher and vol-
leyball coach, I do a lot of bow-
hunting, and I’m still a baseball
pitcher at 46 years old,” Vaara
says. “My shoulder had been
bothering me for a while. I had the
procedure to get rid of the pain.”
William Wessels, MD, Bone &
Joint orthopaedic surgeon and
sports medicine specialist, per-
formed the surgery at Memorial
Health Center in Medford.
“My shoulder feels great now,”
Vaara says. “The nurses took awe-
some care of me before and after
the procedure, and every person
I encountered was so nice and
respectful. Everyone did their jobs
so well. I’m extremely happy with
the entire experience, from the
surgery right down to my rehab at
Medford Therapy & Fitness.”
Rehab after repair
After surgical repair of your rotator
cuf, your shoulder needs rest and
relaxation to heal.
But then it’ll be time to get your
shoulder moving again, and you can
expect your doctor to refer you to a
rehab program
such as those
provided at
Memorial
Health Center’s
therapy centers
in Medford and
Prentice.
You’ll likely
start slowly,
giving your
shoulder a
passive workout (where gravity, a
therapist or a machine moves your
shoulder for you). Gradually, however,
you’ll progress to a more active
(using your own shoulder muscles)
stretching and strengthening routine.
Your formal rehab program may
last several months. However, you’ll
need to turn the exercises you learn
into a lifelong habit.
“Tat’s one of the most important
things you can do in order to have
a good post-surgery outcome,” says
Linda Connelly, physical therapist at
Medford Terapy & Fitness.
The key steps for a successful
recovery from rotator cuf repair include:
1
Enroll in a rehabilitation
program.
2
Follow through with the program
as directed.
3
Incorporate the exercises into
your regular routine.
4
Avoid heavy lifting and extreme
movements, which could lead to
re-injury.
Repaired rotator cufs can tear
again, Connelly says. It’s more likely
to happen when the frst tear
was chronic—caused by years of
degeneration—as opposed to an
acute, or sudden, tear. One of the
advantages of going through rehab
is that you may have a better chance
of maximizing your function and
minimizing your risk of recurrent pain.
cuff tear
Linda Connelly,
PT
Wellaware • Memorial Health Center
11