Torn rotator cuffs don't happen to just professional athletes. Every year, 5 million Americans visit the doctor with the painful shoulder problem. Even after rehab, there's a high risk of re-injury, but a new kind of surgery could change that.
Dan McMackin and his Labrador retriever, Kayla, spend hours practicing for retriever competitions. During a recent training session, Dan fell and landed on his shoulder.
The injury put them both on the sidelines. "It sounded like a towel ripping,'' Dan said. ''That was my rotator cuff. I couldn't move my shoulder at all, not even an inch."
When the rotator cuff is torn, that ball will tend to ride up out of the socket. The other shoulder muscles can't raise the arm effectively.
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Spero Karas uses a minimally invasive technique to repair and stabilize injured shoulders. After making a small incision, he secures the tendon to the bone at two sites instead of one.
"It reconstructs normal anatomy,’’ the doctor said. ''These repairs are stronger when you test them, so biomechanically it is more difficult to pull the repair off."
Studies show that means better healing and less chance of re-injury. Six months after surgery, Dan was thrilled.
Dr. Karas says in most cases, the rotator cuff surgery can be done using the minimally invasive approach.
Patients are able to begin rehab sooner and more aggressively after surgery. Full recovery takes about a year.
