Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery Specialist

What is arthroscopic surgery?

Arthroscopic surgery is different than conventional or traditional forms of surgery. A traditional surgery uses large incisions to expose the area of injury, such as the shoulder joint. An arthroscopic procedure is performed through multiple small incisions through which the surgeon inserts an arthroscope. The arthroscope has a small camera attached to the end that allows the surgeon to see inside the joint. With an arthroscopic surgery, there may be less damage to the surrounding tissues during surgery. The surgeon can use arthroscopic tools perform many common shoulder surgeries, including reattachment of a torn tendon or ligament and treatment of some arthritic conditions.

When is arthroscopic surgery recommended?

Arthroscopic surgery can be used to treat many common shoulder conditions. Dr. Kaplan and Dr. Carlson may recommend using this technique to repair a rotator cuff tear, repair ligaments injured during a shoulder dislocation, or treat an arthritic or overuse condition. In some cases, arthroscopic shoulder surgery may lessen the recovery time or lead to less scar tissue following surgery. Not every shoulder condition can be treated with arthroscopic surgery, but when it is possible, it has some advantages over conventional open surgery.

What are the risks associated with arthroscopic surgery?

With smaller incisions and less damage to surrounding tissue, there are some risks of conventional surgery that are lessened with arthroscopic surgery. In certain cases, an arthroscopic procedure may pose less of a risk for wound healing complications after surgery, for example. However, patients still require anesthesia for arthroscopic surgery and there are other risks of all surgeries that cannot be completely eliminated, even with the most minimally-invasive techniques. If recommending an arthroscopic shoulder surgery, Dr. Kaplan and Dr. Carlson review the risks of the surgery in detail with each patient individually.