What You Need to Know About Rotator Cuff Surgery

Not all rotator cuff injuries will need rotator cuffwill undergo one of various surgical methods. However,
surgery. In fact, a vast majority of rotator cuff injuriesthe three most common surgical procedures are as
only need a rehabilitation period to fully heal. There arefollows:
several factors that can indicate if surgery or exercise1. Open Repair Surgery - With this method all tendons
and rest can heal your rotator cuff injury. Here areof the rotator cuff are easily seen, which is a good
those determining factors:advantage. But this entails a large incision and a painful
- Degree of the symptoms. Minimal symptoms that arerecovery that may take several months, if not longer.
bearable for the patient may be cured with nonsurgical2. Semi-open Repair Surgery - This surgical procedure
treatment methods. Constant, extreme pain mayinvolves the use of the arthroscope and making a
indicate a more prevalent tear and be a cause forshort incision to get access to the tear. This way the
surgery for the patient.doctor will be able to clean out the bone spurs or any
- If the patient responds well to anti-inflammatorydamaged tissue. The recovery may not be as long as
medications, and physical therapy, surgery may not bethe open repair type.
needed.3. Arthroscopic Repair Surgery - This most recent
- Smaller rotator cuff injuries such as partial tears ormethod of repairing rotator cuff tears is made by the
slight separation of the rotator cuff ligaments can besurgeon looking into a small camera where he can see
monitored with non-surgical options, while large tearshis repair via a television. Small incisions will likewise
will have to be given surgical attention.have to made here.
Because not all rotator cuff injuries are the same,Recovery from these surgeries may vary from
those rare cases that do require rotator cuff surgerypatient to patient and on the particular method used.