Research Articles

A review of current literature identified positive and negative factors regarding rotator cuff repair healing. Negative healing factors include larger tears, excessive fatty tissue in the repair, mus ...more
Pain can be a good thing. For one thing, it is protective. It is a normal response of the body when there is an injury. The body uses pain to protect itself while it is healing. But in time, the heali ...more
The scapula (more often referred to as your "wing bone" or shoulder blade) is a key reason why your shoulder and arm move and glide smoothly and easily. Not only does the scapula give the shoulder mus ...more
Sometimes patients don't get the expected results after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Instead of pain relief, increased shoulder motion, and restored function, they experience persistent pain and/ ...more
Traumatic injury to the shoulder with recurrent dislocation can be caused by a Hill-Sachs lesion or defect. This lesion is a fracture of the round head of bone at the top of the humerus (upper arm bon ...more
Large, full-thickness tears of the rotator cuff can be very challenging for patient and surgeons alike. Loss of motion and loss of strength leads to loss of function for the patient. Finding a way to ...more
Today's patients with shoulder arthritis are fortunate to have several surgical options. If necessary, a total shoulder replacement can be done. But even better is a procedure called shoulder resurfac ...more
Injuries traumatic enough to dislocate the shoulder can also cause other additional damage to the surrounding soft tissues and bone. Recognizing how often this happens is important in making sure surg ...more
Imagine you are in your late teens or a young adult in your 20s. You have a simple arthroscopic surgery on your shoulder for a rotator cuff tear or unstable shoulder joint. Three months later, the ent ...more
Star Trek lovers are familiar with the "Vulcan nerve pinch", a technique used by Dr. Spock to cause someone to lose consciousness. The technique was to pinch a pressure point at the base of the victim ...more
In today's medical world, physicians are moving more and more toward treatment that is evidence-based. For the patient, this means there is reasonable "proof" that the proposed treatment is going to w ...more
Shoulder problems are common with a wide range of symptoms and treatments. One diagnosis that continues to challenge orthopedic surgeons is called multidirectional instability. This diagnosis is defin ...more
Dr. William J. Robertson of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston offers the results of his own study of surgery for acromioclavicular (AC) joint pain. Comparisons were made in terms of results (sh ...more
Having one shoulder dislocation is scary enough. But imagine having the shoulder pop out of the socket again -- or again and again. Recurrent shoulder dislocations is the subject of this study. Orthop ...more
Can't raise your arm up overhead without pain? Only able to go so far without that old familiar shoulder pain showing up? Only able to move the arm out to the side or forward up to a certain point and ...more
The acromioclavicular (AC) joint has come back into sharp focus in recent days. Because of changes in surgical technology, new advances have been made in the surgical treatment of this problem. You mi ...more
When is surgery indicated for a rotator cuff tear? Usually surgery is scheduled when the patient has completed a rehab program and is still experiencing significant pain and loss of motion. If loss of ...more
Every year more than 35,000 people in the United States have a total shoulder replacement (TSR) for painful, limiting osteoarthritis. What are these patients' expectations? Are they satisfied after su ...more
Surgeons everywhere are grappling with the fact that rotator cuff repairs aren't always successful. In this review article, surgeons from the well-known San Antonio Orthopaedic Group in Texas discuss ...more
The list of things that can cause mechanical shoulder pain is long and getting longer. By mechanical we mean anatomic factors such as compression or degeneration. The term mechanical shoulder pain lea ...more
Austrian surgeons lend their expertise to the question of why there is such a high failure rate after rotator cuff surgery. In an analysis of 95 patients over an 11 year period of time, they found an ...more
Tendon healing after rotator cuff repairs is a slow process. After surgery, patients are in a special abduction sling (looks like a square-shaped pillow under the arm). They have to wear this contrapt ...more
Surgeons know that massive (very large) rotator cuff tears are at great risk of retears. Studies show a retear rate as high as 94 per cent. Not all of those retears are symptomatic but that is still n ...more
Surgeons around the world are trying to solve the mystery of rotator cuff tear failure after surgical repair. In this study, researchers at the Seoul National University College of Medicine in Korea j ...more
Shoulder replacements (called shoulder arthroplasty) are not done as often as hip and knee replacements. But more and more older adults are taking advantage of this available surgery. As with any join ...more
Shoulder problems labeled shoulder impingement syndrome often make it difficult to raise the arm overhead. Patients are able to raise the arm forward or out to the side to a certain point. But then th ...more
More adults staying active and working longer before retiring can mean a greater risk of rotator cuff (RTC) disease and tears. Improved technology and surgical tools have led to an increased number of ...more
The debate over whether arthroscopic surgery is superior to open incision for the shoulder continues. In this fresh look, records from the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) were used to loo ...more
Adhesive capsulitis, sometimes called a "frozen shoulder" still baffles physicians and scientists alike. No one knows what really causes it -- or how to treat it. Women, age over 40, and shoulder inju ...more
Shoulder dislocations are not uncommon. Most dislocate forward (called an anterior dislocation). Less often are the posterior shoulder dislocations. As the name suggests, a posterior shoulder dislocat ...more
Have you ever heard of scapular winging? If not, you might recognize it if you saw it -- it's the way the shoulder blade sticks out when it's not where it's supposed to be. And it's supposed to lie fl ...more
Shoulder joint replacement surgery (also called shoulder arthroplasty) is a great treatment for many people with shoulder pain from arthritis. But patients who don't have enough muscle function to sta ...more
If the shoulder dislocates one time, it may be possible to rehab the muscles and regain normal motion and strength with no further problems. But a second or third (or more) dislocation leads to an uns ...more
In this study, orthopedic surgeons from Germany take a closer look at an unusual rotator cuff tear. The rotator cuff is formed by the tendons of four muscles: the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres m ...more
In this article, a surgeon from the University of Michigan Medical School presents a review of a shoulder condition known as posterior instability. The term posterior instability tells us the shoulder ...more
There are many different causes of shoulder pain. Any problem inside or around the joint can create pain. One of the more common sources of shoulder pain occurs when there is some type of pathology of ...more
Trying to decide if you should have that rotator cuff surgery done? The findings from this study might help you. Many adults who have a rotator cuff tear consider waiting to see if the shoulder will h ...more
Some Information on the Rare Problem of Coracoid Impingement Raising your arm up over your head can be a piece of cake. Smooth, easy flow of motion is effortless. But to accomplish this movement, the ...more
Surgeons have found that reducing pain after shoulder surgery helps speed up recovery. As a result, more aggressive pain control measures are now in use. One of those methods is to inject a local anes ...more
Athletes who injure their shoulders aren't the only ones to have rotator cuff tears (RCTs). Age-related degeneration is also a factor, especially for adults over age 60. Researchers are trying to unde ...more
Normal shoulder movement and function requires that all parts of the rotator cuff are intact and working together. If even one of the four muscle/tendon units that make up the rotator cuff is damaged, ...more
The place where your collarbone meets the breast bone is called the sternoclavicular (SC) joint. Another name for the breast bone is the sternum. The anatomical term for the collarbone is clavicle, he ...more
When the shoulder dislocates repeatedly, it's time to get some serious help. That's when the surgeon steps in and provides a stabilization procedure. Special suture anchors are used to repair damage t ...more
It seems like everybody knows someone who has had a rotator cuff problem. With over half a million news rotator cuff injuries or tears each year, it's highly likely you may find yourself in this same ...more
Severe fractures of the clavicle (collar bone) can be tricky to treat. Advances in digital X-rays, surgical tools, and techniques have made it possible to now treat this problem surgically. Years ago ...more
Young, active adults with shoulder problems may not want a shoulder replacement as the solution to their pain and loss of motion. And, at the same time, they may not be a good candidate for such a pro ...more
Along with hip and knee joint replacements, shoulder replacement has become increasingly popular for people with pain and loss of motion from arthritis. But the shoulder is a bit different from the hi ...more
Why are some rotator cuff tears (RCTs) painful while others are not? And what makes them convert from a pain free (asymptomatic -- without symptoms) to a symptomatic tear? If we knew the answers to th ...more
Many adults (mostly women) between the ages of 40 and 60 years of age develop a strange case of shoulder pain and stiffness called adhesive capsulitis. You may be more familiar with the term frozen sh ...more
In this article, a medical student, chief resident (orthopedic surgeon), and associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Brown University team up. Together, they review the current evidence about tre ...more
What To Do When Your Rotator Cuff Surgery Fails Rotator cuff tears are a common cause of shoulder pain, stiffness, weakness, and loss of motion and function. Treatment starts with conservative (nonop ...more
In this report on clavicular fractures, surgeons from Tulane University in New Orleans review the various surgical options available and when to use them. Surgeons will find this information helpful g ...more
Best Way to Surgically Treat Complex Shoulder Fractures When it comes to complex fractures of the humerus (upper arm) in older adults, surgeons really have their work cut out for them. There are so m ...more
The Role of Shoulder Surgery in the Development of Osteoarthritis Many studies have been done in gaining understanding of shoulder dislocations. For example, surgeons have asked the question: can the ...more
Broken collarbones (fractured clavicles) are fairly common among adolescents. They make up about 15 percent of all fractures in this age group. Most of these fractures happen in the midshaft region an ...more
When it comes to middle-aged adults with shoulder injuries, surgeons are sometimes left scratching their heads puzzled over what to do. Should a full-thickness (complete rupture) of the rotator cuff b ...more
Have you ever wondered how some people can put their leg behind their head or use their clasped hands together like a jump rope? How can anyone move like that without dislocating a joint? Most likely ...more
Orthopedic surgeons continue to seek evidence to guide all aspects of patient care. In this document, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) offers 16 guidelines for clinical practice in ...more
Any time the rotator cuff is torn and surgery is required to repair or reconstruct the damage, patients are placed in a sling postoperatively to protect the healing tissue. Patients are then given a s ...more
Thinning and tearing of the rotator cuff is a common problem with aging. Efforts to find out how and why this happens have not pinpointed the exact cause or location of these tears.In this study from ...more
Physical Therapy in Newburgh and Orange County New York for Shoulder Do you suffer from painful snapping of your shoulder blade, when you move your arm? This article discusses some of the causes of s ...more
Are you contemplating whether you should have surgery repeated for a rotator cuff tear? This article reviews the outcome of repeated surgery for rotator cuff tears. The effectiveness of the surgery se ...more
Are you an athlete who is required to throw something in an overhand motion? This article is concerned with the conditioning, rehab, and prevention of shoulder injury in athletes who throw overhand. B ...more
Have you suffered an anterior shoulder joint dislocation recently, or do you suffer from recurrent shoulder dislocation? This article, outlining the outcome of shoulder surgical repair versus conserva ...more
Evaluating pain and problems in the shoulder is different when the patient is older. The underlying causes aren't the same as in active, younger adults. Older adults have more degenerative disease or ...more
Have you suffered a direct blow to your shoulder in football? If so, you may find this article of interest. It is a case report of a football player who sustained a serious shoulder injury, and stress ...more
The focus of this review article is a specific shoulder injury known as a SLAP tear. SLAP stands for superior labral anterior-posterior. It refers to an injury affecting the labrum, a fibrous rim of c ...more
The shoulder is a joint that takes on a big burden. It needs to be able to take on a heavy load and still be able to move around freely as we need it to. When pain strikes the shoulder, however, it ca ...more
Do steroid injections help with shoulder pain or not? This question has been debated and studied for quite some time. There is some evidence that certain soft tissue disorders respond well to steroi ...more
Arthroscopic surgery, surgery where the doctor makes a few tiny incisions and uses long, narrow instruments to perform the surgery, is an increasingly popular option when it is possible. Shoulder surg ...more
The suprascapular nerve along the back of the shoulder can get stretched or compressed enough to cause serious damage. This condition is called suprascapular neuropathy. The result can be shoulder pai ...more
The scapula (shoulder blade) is an amazing anatomical structure. It is suspended over the ribs between the spine and the arm by only two ligaments. There isn't a real joint between the scapula and the ...more
Many people at all ages and stages of life can and do develop shoulder pain. A common condition causing significant shoulder pain seen in patients across the lifespan is called subacromial impingement ...more
A fall onto the tip of the shoulder can disrupt the ligaments and capsule holding the acromioclavicular (AC) joint together. The result can be a dislocation of the AC joint. Sometimes this injury is r ...more
Despite all the focus on childhood obesity, there are still a large number of teens involved in physical activity and exercise. For example, last year, more than seven million high school students par ...more
Frozen shoulder is the layperson's term for a medical condition called adhesive capsulitis. What is it? Well, the answer to that question is not entirely clear. There's inflammation of the tissues in ...more
If you want to know how experts with years of experience treat SLAP lesions, this is the article for you. SLAP stands for superior labrum, anterior and posterior. It refers to a torn rim of fibrous ca ...more
Many studies have shown that patients hurt on-the-job and covered under Workers' Compensation (WC) have worse results after rotator cuff repair compared to those who do not have WC claims. The reasons ...more
There are some new studies on the condition commonly known as frozen shoulder. They have added information to what we know about how this condition develops and how to treat it. In this report, surgeo ...more
The shoulder is a well-used and important joint. It allows you to move your arm at will and then bears the weight of objects you pick up, as well as the weight of your arm if you are reaching up or be ...more
In this report, orthopedic surgeons for The San Antonio Orthopaedic Group in San Antonio, Texas review the latest research on subscapularis tendon tears. They provide background on anatomy, etiology ( ...more
There's a common belief that research published today is already outdated before it goes to press. To combat that problem and help keep us up-to-date, frequent, short-term reviews of published researc ...more