Rotator Cuff surgery for Susan - Spencer, IA

The shoulder is the most flexible joint, so when I was able to only move my arm straight out to the side and straight out to the front without pain, I knew something wasn't right.  (Funny how you turn 50 or 60 or 70 and immediately following your birthday, something like this happens.  Is that a reminder to you of how old you are?) Following x-rays and an MRI, it was determined that one of four tendons, which make up the rotator cuff, has ripped loose and needs to be pulled back down over the head of the arm bone (humeral head).  The doctor will use a Dremel type drill to drill into my humerus(arm bone) to anchor a little plastic type "special fastener" which will provide the doctor something to attach the end of the tendon to with sutures. This plastic anchor piece will dissolve between 2-4 years following the surgery.

 

  There were several bone spurs in the shoulder, also. Those will be removed during the surgery, too.

Bone spurs form when the area becomes inflamed from osteoarthritis or tendinitis. The inflammation stimulates the cells to deposit bone in this area, eventually forming a bone spur.  Kind of like a stalactite in a cave.  The minerals accumulate to form a stalactite or in this case a bone spur. So what shoulder wouldn't hurt with a stalactite in it?  As you can see from the above photo, the bone spurs are usually located between the collar bone and the tendons.  Therefore, they continuously scratch and rub or in some instances tear the tendon because they are wedged between the narrow space.

The procedure is called Arthroscopy because a long, thin, lighted instrument will be used.  The arthroscope will be inserted into the shoulder area through very small incisions.

So that's what we'll be doing the next couple of weeks.  We planned to leave the NW Iowa area this coming Thursday, but looks like that won't happen until mid-Sept.  Lots of physical therapy will be needed following the surgery.  Maybe Bob can take a speed course in physical therapy and he can be my therapist while we are on the road? We'll see if that happens.