This is an interesting question. Most of the time, when your shoulder is tight and you’re not moving, it’s because of a scar in the glenohumeral joint. People can have scapulothoracic bursitis and some scar tissue there. The best way to start is just with therapy and working on stretching and strengthening. Occasionally, a cortisone…
You should expect a life-changing procedure that dramatically improves your quality of life. Every surgeon and practice is unique in what they allow you to do and what they do not. We are unique in performing a very quick procedure with accelerated rehab. We don’t have people wear slings after surgery. You’re given a sling…
Absolutely. We have patients go home to live alone all the time. You can start moving your arm immediately—dressing, doing your hair, using the restroom, feeding yourself, and driving your car. All those things are perfectly safe and patients can do them within two days after the surgery. People have this picture in their mind…
What is the expected recovery from shoulder replacement surgery? It is doing excellent on all planes. When you look at the human shoulder, what do people want from it? Well, they want motion, strength, and no pain. They don’t want it to hurt, ever. Shoulder replacements are very good at improving motion, amazing at improving…
The answer is in 99% of patients, yes. This is a common misconception that I get all the time. Some other doctors, even surgeons, say, “Oh, there’s no way your rotator cuffs are torn.” You can move your arm. Tons of people can move their arms with rotator cuff tears. It’s like 99%. Some people…
No, you don’t. Most orthopedic surgeons are bigger doctors. A lot of us are former athletes. I think it’s just because you play sports in high school or college, and the doctors you’re exposed to are orthopedic surgeons. Because a lot of athletes have injuries. When you attend medical school, the kids tend to be…
I would say which one’s better and how are they different. Both Total Shoulder Replacement and Reverse Shoulder Replacement are excellent surgeries with excellent outcomes if done by a specialist who does a lot. For me, a lot is typically the data, saying 50. I would say nowadays, even pushing like 100 a year, as…
This will vary depending on what surgeon does your surgery and what they tell you. In my practice, the way we treat patients is different. We are much more accelerated than 99% of surgeons. For us, after two weeks, the sling is completely optional. You can move your arm around. I’m okay with early active…
When we’re doing shoulder surgery and reattaching muscles slash tendons, muscles become tendons. We’re reattaching tendons in surgery back down to bones that are torn. Sometimes, we have to release tendons and reattach them to do shoulder replacements. It typically takes about three months for them to heal hard into bone before we feel comfortable…
The answer is yes. We make little poke holes in the shoulder. There are 3 or 4 little pokes, and then there is one stitch to close the poke hole. You can come into the office in ten days and take those out. It’s pretty quick. I have a lot of patients who fly in…
