Identifying — and Relieving — Shoulder Pain Through Arthroscopy

Shoulders are among the joints that you don’t pay much attention to until something goes wrong. Only then do you realize how much you rely on your shoulders for any number of daily functions, from eating to driving to reaching for your phone.

If you're dealing with a shoulder issue that’s long on pain and discomfort, but short on answers, it might be time to consider shoulder arthroscopy, which is the second-most commonly performed orthopedic surgery (just behind knees) in the United States.

When it comes to shoulder pain, the team of experienced orthopedic surgeons at New Braunfels Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine considers arthroscopy to be a true workhorse, both in diagnosing and treating common shoulder issues.

Here’s a look at some of the many benefits of shoulder arthroscopy for identifying and relieving shoulder pain.

When digital imaging falls short, arthroscopy can step in

When you first come to see us for shoulder pain, one of our experts sits down with you to review your symptoms, your medical history, and your lifestyle. From there, we turn to advanced imaging to get a look at what’s going on inside your shoulder. 

While X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and ultrasounds are all useful diagnostic tools, they sometimes can’t get the complete picture. Damaged tissues can hide from imaging, but they can’t hide from a first-hand look inside.

With shoulder arthroscopy, we can get this up-close look at the internal structures in your shoulder without resorting to open surgery. Instead, we make very small incisions, through which we insert a high definition camera that provides us with a 360-degree and magnified view of your joint.

Shoulder arthroscopy as a treatment tool

Not only can shoulder arthroscopy provide us with a definitive diagnosis, we’re often able to make repairs at the same time.

For example, one of the most common shoulder injuries is a rotator cuff tear — 30% of adults over age 60 have such a tear. Through arthroscopy, we can confirm that there’s damage in this important connective tissue with our camera. From there, we can insert specialized tools to perform the necessary repairs to your rotator cuff during the same procedure.

While shoulder arthroscopy is a frontline treatment for rotator cuff injuries, we can also treat:

• Biceps injuries
• Shoulder labrum tears
• Frozen shoulder
• Shoulder impingement
• Dislocations
• Arthritis
• Bone spurs

No matter what's ailing your shoulder, the odds are very good that we can remedy the issue with shoulder arthroscopy.

When conservative efforts to relieve shoulder pain fail

With most shoulder injuries, the team at New Braunfels Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine typically recommends more conservative treatments to start, such as:

• Rest
• Physical therapy
• Anti-inflammatory medications
• Interventional injections
• Regenerative medicine

If these measures fail to bring you relief, shoulder arthroscopy is a logical and effective next step, one that can deliver excellent results.

If you’d like to learn more about shoulder arthroscopy and whether this minimally invasive approach to shoulder pain is right for you, we invite you to call our office in New Braunfels, Texas, at 830-341-1386 or use our online form to request an appointment today.