Shoulder Pain

Why might I need surgery for shoulder pain?

You might need surgery for shoulder pain if you suffer a serious injury to the bones and soft tissues or the joint breaks down beyond repair.

Most shoulder pain develops from causes like:

• Fractured bones
• Joint dislocation
• Labral tear
• Bursitis
• Tendinitis
• Rotator cuff tears
• Shoulder impingement
• Chronic shoulder instability
• Arthritis

Most causes of shoulder pain respond well to conservative treatments like rest, physical therapy, and medication. Some require injectable treatments, including steroid injections, viscosupplementation (hyaluronic acid injections), or orthobiologics.

When is surgery appropriate for shoulder pain?

If you've been following a non-surgical treatment plan and it's not relieving your symptoms, it might be time to consider surgery. The Burlingame Orthopedics team could recommend:

Rotator cuff repair

The rotator cuff consists of connected soft tissues that keep the shoulder joint in place and give you a wide range of motion. If you overstretch the rotator cuff or suffer a shoulder dislocation, you might strain or tear the rotator cuff.

Biceps tendon surgery

Your bicep is the large muscle on your arm between your shoulder and elbow. The tendon at the top of your bicep connects the muscle to your labrum, the cartilage lining the socket part of the shoulder joint. Damage to the tendon is a common problem, both with and without rotator cuff injuries.

Your provider can either sever the tendon (tenotomy) and let your body manage without the attachment (which can be surprisingly successful) or reattach the end of the tendon to another part of the joint.

SLAP repair

SLAP (superior labrum from anterior to posterior) tears affect the edge of the labrum that lines the socket part of your shoulder joint. Your provider can reattach the labrum and fix it into place.

Subacromial decompression

This surgery helps with shoulder impingement, where the rotator cuff tendons rub against other parts of the joint. It increases the space between your rotator cuff and the acromion at the top of your shoulder.

Shoulder arthroscopy

Shoulder arthroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure for diagnosing and treating shoulder problems like impingement and rotator cuff tears. Your surgeon inserts a tiny scope with a camera through a small incision to view high-definition images of the affected joint on a monitor. They repair damage when necessary.

When would I need joint replacement surgery for shoulder pain?

You might require shoulder replacement surgery if you have severe arthritis and the joint isn't replaceable. Shoulder replacement involves cutting away the damaged section of the ball end of your upper arm bone and the socket (glenoid). 

For certain conditions like severe rotator cuff tears where arm movement is a problem, your provider can perform reverse total shoulder replacement, swapping the position of the new ball and socket. 

Burlingame Orthopedics offers cutting-edge CT scan-guided shoulder replacement to provide superior precision and accuracy during surgery.

If you need treatment for shoulder pain, call Burlingame Orthopedics to learn more or request an appointment online today.