If your shoulder has been hurting for months and nothing seems to fix it, you’ve probably run into the phrase “arthroscopic shoulder surgery” somewhere along the way. It sounds like a big deal. The good news is that it’s one of the gentler ways to fix a shoulder, and most people who have it done are surprised by how small the incisions are.
So what does the procedure actually involve, what can it fix, and how do you know when it’s time to stop pushing through the pain and get checked out? Here’s a rundown.
What arthroscopic shoulder surgery actually is
Arthroscopic means the surgeon works through a few small openings instead of one long cut. The tool that makes this possible is called an arthroscope, which is a thin tube with a tiny camera on the end. Your surgeon slides it into your shoulder through an incision about the size of a buttonhole, and the camera sends a live picture to a monitor in the operating room.
Watching that screen, the surgeon guides small instruments through one or two other little openings and repairs whatever is causing the trouble. Because the cuts are so small, there’s usually less pain afterward and a faster start to healing than the older open surgery, where the shoulder had to be opened up with a much larger incision.
People also call it shoulder arthroscopy or minimally invasive shoulder surgery. They all mean the same thing.
What it can fix
Several shoulder conditions respond well to this technique. The ones we treat most often include:
- Rotator cuff tears. The rotator cuff is the group of muscles and tendons that hold your shoulder in place and lift your arm. When one of those tendons tears, the surgeon can reattach it.
- Labrum tears. The labrum is a rim of cartilage that keeps the ball of your shoulder sitting snugly in its socket. Tears here (you may hear the terms SLAP tear or Bankart tear) can be trimmed or repaired.
- Impingement and inflamed tissue. Sometimes tissue in the shoulder gets pinched or swollen and rubs with every movement. The surgeon can clean out or remove that irritated tissue.
- A shoulder that keeps slipping out of place. If your shoulder dislocates over and over, the surgery can tighten things back up so it stays where it belongs.
- Biceps tendon problems and some cartilage or arthritis issues.
Surgery isn’t right for every shoulder problem, and even when it is, the arthroscopic approach isn’t always the best fit. Dr. Deramo can only make that call after examining you and reviewing your imaging.
How the surgery works, step by step
Here’s roughly what happens in the operating room. You’re given anesthesia so you feel nothing. The surgeon positions your arm, adds a little fluid into the joint so everything is easier to see, and makes the small openings. The camera goes in first, then the instruments. Once the repair is done, the openings are closed with a few stitches or small adhesive strips and covered with a bandage.
Most people go home the same day.
Signs it might be time to consider it
Surgery is almost never the first move. A good surgeon will usually want you to try the gentler stuff first, things like rest, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, and sometimes a cortisone injection. For a lot of people, that’s enough.
You might be at the point of considering surgery if:
- The pain has stuck around for months and isn’t getting better with rest or physical therapy.
- It hurts at night and keeps waking you up.
- You’ve lost strength in the arm, or you can’t lift or reach the way you used to.
- Your shoulder keeps popping out of place.
- An injury caused a tear that a physical therapist or doctor has told you probably won’t heal on its own.
If a couple of those sound familiar, that’s not a diagnosis on its own – it’s a good reason to come in for a real evaluation instead of guessing.
What recovery looks like
The small incisions heal quickly, usually within a week or two. Getting your shoulder back to full strength takes longer, and this is the part people tend to underestimate. Depending on what was repaired, full recovery often runs anywhere from three to six months, sometimes more for bigger repairs.
Physical therapy is a big piece of it. The surgery fixes the structure, and the therapy rebuilds the strength and motion around it. People who stick with their therapy tend to do better than people who skip it, so plan on that being part of the deal.
Why the minimally invasive approach is worth it
Smaller cuts mean less damage to the healthy tissue around the repair. Patients typically deal with less pain afterward, fewer complications, and can usually start rehab a bit sooner – which helps, since a stiff shoulder only gets harder to loosen up the longer you wait. Surgery still isn’t something to rush into, but bouncing back from it is easier than it used to be.
Getting your shoulder looked at in West New York
Every shoulder is a little different, and the only way to know what’s actually going on in yours is to have someone examine it and look at the imaging. At Deramo Orthopaedics & Wellness Center, Dr. David Deramo can talk you through whether arthroscopic surgery makes sense for you or whether you’ve still got non-surgical options worth trying first.
You can read more about the conditions and treatments we handle on our Shoulder page, or call our West New York office at (201) 510-9999 to set up a visit.
Our West New York office is at 5300 Bergenline Ave, Suite 302, West New York, NJ 07093. Please don’t send medical details through email or a web form, since those aren’t secure ways to share health information. A phone call is the safest way to get started.
This article is for general information and isn’t a substitute for a medical evaluation. Only a doctor who has examined you can tell you what your shoulder needs.