Shoulder Impingement Surgery - Don't Worry About It

by Nick Browning⁽²⁾
http://www.shoulder-pain-guide.com

Having recently undergone surgery for a shoulder impingement I thought that I should write about how things went in order to help ease any worries of anyone who is facing a similar procedure

Shoulder impingements can happen for a number of different reasons and which treatment will depend on the cause of the injury.

Within the shoulder is a narrow passage, known as the subacromial space, that lies between the head of the upper arm bone or humerus and the acromion on the scapula (shoulder blade)

The tendons of the Supraspinatus muscle run through this channel. The Supraspinatus is one of the four muscles that make up the rotator cuff which pull the arm into the shoulder joint, to stabilize the joint and help with arm rotation.

Under normal circumstances the tendon slides back and forth through the subacromial space without difficulty. If you develop impingement syndrome this channel can become restricted making it too small to take the tendon, resulting in an impingement or pinching of the tendon as we move our arm.

This could be caused by an injury to the tendon that makes the tendon become inflamed, it might be due to changes in posture brought about by age or it can be caused by bone spurs that can develop on the underside of the acromion, which can make the acromial space narrower.

However it is caused, a shoulder impingement is an extremely painful condition that will simply deteriorate in time. The pinching causes friction, which causes inflammation, worsening the impingement. This develops into a vicious circle of pain and inflammation with your joint becoming more painful and weaker with each passing day.

There are a number of conservative treatments for impingement syndrome which can be tried before using surgery. Most shoulder impingements can be significantly improved or even cured completely without surgery.

Prior to surgery I had tried anti-inflammatory drugs and even a course of steroid injections without any success, so my doctor suggested surgery.

My surgery day arrived and I went to the local hospital on a Friday morning. The surgeon explained that the surgery would take around about an hour. There would be two small cuts on my shoulder. an Athroscope would then be inserted into the incisions in order that the shoulder joint could be inspected to confirm the diagnosis.

The surgeon would then cut away a small piece of bone from the bottom of the acromion to enlarge the size of teh channel and release the impingement. While the operation was going on, he would inspect the shoulder joint and do any other minor repairs whilst I was under anaesthetic. It all sounded very straight forward…..and it was. The operation went well. Just over an hour after going under the anaesthetic I woke up to find my wife seated at my bedside reading a magazine, feigning indifference.

A little while later the doctor called in to say that he had made three incisions. Two were for the normal operation, and one extra to repair the labrum which was slightly damaged. There were no complications and providing I had recovered from the anaesthetic, I could go home later that day.

I was given a sling for the first couple of days but it was explained that I needed to keep my arm as mobile as I could. I was also given some exercises to do after the weekend. I was booked in to see a physiotherapist a few days later

The first night at home was a little difficult because my shoulder was quite bruised and sore from the surgery but I had been prescribed some painkillers which helped with the pain and let me get a good night's sleep.

Unbelievably, I was back at work the following Monday without any side effects and managing to use my arm reasonably normally. My shoulder joint, which had been very painful for months, felt much better. The relief from the pain of the impingement was almost immediate. I began my physiotherapy that week and within just six felt that my shoulder was back to normal.

My recuperation period was much quicker than average. It is reasonable to expect recovery to take anything from two to six months. How well you carry out your physiotherapy regime will have a dramatic impact on how long it takes to get better. Exercises are usually aimed at strengthening therotator cuff muscles. You will begin with gentle low resistance exercises aimed at maintaining shoulder mobility, gradually increasing resistance to strengthen the muscles.

This type of surgery succeeds in improving shoulder movement and relieving pain in over ninety percent of cases. If it is suggested to you as a treatment for a shoulder impingement, grab it with your one good arm.

If you have been advised to have rotator cuff surgery or would like more information on shoulder decompression surgery visit:- http://www.shoulder-pain-guide.com

Article submitted Friday, February 03, 2012 & read 24 times.

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