Minimally invasive shoulder arthroscopy is a technique that can both diagnose and repair shoulder problems. LA Orthopaedic Specialists in Downtown Los Angeles, California, has doctors with expert skills in using shoulder arthroscopy to evaluate and treat different types of shoulder injuries. To take advantage of the benefits shoulder arthroscopy offers, which include minimal tissue damage and speedier recovery, call LA Orthopaedic Specialists today or book an appointment online.

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What is shoulder arthroscopy?

Shoulder arthroscopy is a form of minimally invasive surgery that can both help diagnose and assess shoulder problems and repair tissue damage.

The arthroscope is a flexible medical tube that has a miniature camera on one end. Your surgeon at LA Orthopaedic Specialists passes the arthroscope through a small incision in your skin and into your shoulder joint. 

With arthroscopy, there’s no need for your surgeon to make the large incisions typical of open surgery.

Why might I need shoulder arthroscopy?

LA Orthopaedic Specialists might recommend shoulder arthroscopy for conditions like:

  • Rotator cuff tears
  • Torn ligaments
  • Damaged cartilage
  • Shoulder instability
  • Torn biceps tendon
  • Tendonitis
  • Bone spurs 
  • Inflammation of the joint lining
  • Arthritis 
  • Shoulder impingement syndrome

In most cases, if you have one of these conditions, it responds well to conservative, nonsurgical treatments such as:

  • Physical therapy
  • Medication
  • Activity modification
  • Therapeutic injections of corticosteroids or platelet-rich plasma (PRP)

Your provider at LA Orthopaedic Specialists only recommends shoulder arthroscopy when less invasive methods aren’t producing results, or they need a more detailed look than imaging provides.

What happens during a shoulder arthroscopy?

Your shoulder arthroscopy takes place while you’re under a general anesthetic, or sometimes a local anesthesia and sedative combination to keep you relaxed and sleepy. Both approaches ensure you won’t feel pain or stress during your operation.

Your provider at LA Orthopaedic Specialists makes an incision in your shoulder that’s just large enough for the arthroscope. The camera on the arthroscope sends back a clear view of your shoulder joint to a monitor in the operating room. 

These images enable the surgical team to determine whether you need repairs to the tissues in your shoulder joint and, if so, what repairs you need. 

Your surgeon makes additional incisions if they need to make repairs and passes arthroscopic instruments into your shoulder to complete the surgery.

What repairs might I need during shoulder arthroscopy?

You might need to have irreparably damaged tissues cleaned out, followed by repairs of muscles or other soft tissues, cutting of restrictive ligaments, or shaving off of bone spurs. If you have ruptured tendons, your surgeon might need to reattach them with sutures or rivets.

When your shoulder arthroscopy is complete, your LA Orthopaedic Specialists surgeon stitches the incisions and covers them with a clean dressing.

As soon as your shoulder heals sufficiently, you can start on a program of physical therapy to rebuild your strength and range of movement.

If your shoulder problem isn’t getting better, call LA Orthopaedic Specialists today or book an appointment online to explore arthroscopy.