Considering An Alternative to Subacromial Decompression Surgery?

You’d think that if you had been recommended shoulder surgery for subacromial ‘impingement’ pain that it would prove to be of superior benefit over and above all other treatment options. Makes sense, right? I mean, you’d think so wouldn’t you? But does it? Does surgery provide superior outcomes to specific shoulder physiotherapy for subacromial ‘impingement’ pain? Well, let’s see what the evidence that is freely available suggests… You’ll have to excuse my lack of Australian patient data but to illustrate my point I am using data from the NHS in the England. In the 2001, there were 2523 subacromial decompressions … Continue reading

How to Survive Shoulder Surgery

how to survive shoulder surgery

So you’ve decided to go under the knife… Getting the best out of your shoulder surgery doesn’t happen by accident. Whether you’ve undergone a subacromial decompression, rotator cuff repair or arthroscopic shoulder stabilisation, there are many factors which come together to increase your potential for a great post surgical result.   Some of the most important factors are: The quality of your tissue – poor quality tissue may lead to repair failure The size of the tear – larger tear size may lead to repair failure Your biological health status or ability to heal (e.g. smoking negatively affects your tissues … Continue reading

Rotator Cuff Tears Do Not Heal

Warning: Rotator Cuff Tears Do Not Heal! Rotator cuff pathology is potentially the most common cause of shoulder pain. It is estimated that approximately 65% of shoulder consults conducted by orthopaedic surgeons and nearly 33% of all orthopaedic injuries are related to the rotator cuff. Research studies have demonstrated that significant rotator cuff disease increases with age. In fact 100%, that means everybody, over the age of 70 years will have some form of rotator cuff disease. Studies show that the prevalence of rotator cuff tears greatly increases over the age of 50, reporting that more than 50% over the age … Continue reading