Rotator cuff tears are commonly encountered shoulder problems and often present with non-specific pain. A skilled and experienced orthopedic surgeon, such as Dr. Sumit Dewanjee at FXRX in Phoenix, has special expertise in the diagnosis and management of rotator cuff injuries with minimally invasive surgery.

If you have been through surgery for tendon repair, you should know that your shoulder goes through 3 phases of healing before it recovers fully.

Inflammatory Phase

The inflammatory phase occurs during the first week after surgery. The platelets facilitate clotting to stop any bleeding. Chemicals are sent throughout the body to attract inflammatory cells to the site of surgery.

Proliferative Phase

The proliferative phase of tendon healing is also the new cell formation phase from the first week to 2-3 weeks after surgery. The inflammatory cells produce scar tissue and the original clot is replaced with new blood vessels. This scar tissue becomes the building block for more permanent repair tissue that would form in the next phase.

Maturation Phase

The maturation and remodeling phase occurs about 3 weeks after your surgery. The scar tissue is starting to get replaced by more mature, repair tissue. This phase may last at least 12 weeks but may go up to 26 weeks.

The knee joint includes several important components that allow movement involved in getting up, walking, pivoting and many more movements that your knee helps you make throughout the day. Often taken for granted, these movements can become a challenge if the meniscus is torn.

The menisci are two small discs of cartilage that lie between the thigh bone and the shin bone to even out the pressure in the knee while standing or walking.

A meniscus tear can be caused by an injury or day-to-day wear and tear. Meniscus tears near the outer edge have a better chance of healing.

What are the common symptoms of torn meniscus?

The most common symptoms of a meniscus tear include:

• Pain over the inner half of the knee that worsens with pivoting or deep squatting
• Swelling on the upper and outer part of the knee
• Motion, such as deep knee bending an pivoting is often limited
• A feeling of instability or the knee giving out
• Locking, catching or popping of the knee

How would I know if I have a torn meniscus?

Simply having knee pain does not indicate a torn meniscus. If some of the symptoms listed above have continued for more than a week, it may be a sign of a torn meniscus. An orthopedic surgeon is the best person to evaluate the pain and other symptoms.

To learn more or to consult the best orthopedic surgeon in Phoenix, AZ, Dr. Sumit Dewanjee, call FXRX Inc. at 480-449-3979. As a leading orthopedic surgeon who is an expert in arthritis and fracture treatment in Phoenix, Dr. Dewanjee has performed hundreds of successful knee and shoulder arthroscopies and other treatments.

Arthroscopic surgery is a surgical process where the cartilage in the tendons in your joint are reviewed by a surgeon and repaired. The process begins with a small incision around your kneecap through which a small tube is placed. This tube contains a small camera. The camera is used to reach small areas of your joint in search for the affected region. The camera will show images of the inside of your kneecap to the surgeon on the video monitors inside of the operating room. This allows the Arizona orthopedic surgeon to review the inside of your joint in search for the damaged area.

Once the damaged area is located the knee specialist in Phoenix uses a camera for guidance while they make a secondary incision through which miniature surgical tools are inserted and used to fix the problem. The process of arthroscopic surgery offers significantly faster recovery times compared to open surgery and the incision spots are both quite small. Once this process is complete the Arizona orthopedic surgeon is able to stitch up the incision and work with you to create a recovery plan.

This is a surgical process recommended after you have attempted all other nonsurgical treatment options with no success. If you have exercised all nonsurgical options and your knee joint continues to remain in flames or damaged this surgical option may be your only resort. A doctor will review your medical history and evaluate your current medical health prior to recommending a surgeon. This knee specialist Phoenix will speak with you about the process and what will happen before, during, and after. You might have to get blood work and a regular checkup completed by your primary care physician in order to verify your health. You should also make sure that while speaking with the Arizona orthopedic surgeon you discuss any medications or herbal supplements that you are currently taking. In some cases you may be asked to stop taking these items two weeks before the surgery takes place.

What happens before the surgery?

Before the surgery takes place the hospital will contact you to speak with you about what is expected in terms of your arrival time, what items you should wear, and what items you should and should not drink and eat. All advice offered must be followed. Should you have any questions the hospital staff will be able to answer them.

A local nerve inhibitor will be applied to your knee joint in order to inhibit the nerves in the region which send pain signals to your brain. The area will become numb but you will still be awake. If you prefer to not be awake during the process you can opt for general anesthesia in addition to the local inhibitor. If you have both forms of anesthesia you will help offset the amount of pain that you feel after the surgical procedure is complete.

Your orthopedic surgeon in Phoenix AZ will likely give you a plan for physical therapy. It is imperative that these recommendations be followed as they will help you to retain flexibility and improve strength in the joint.

Many types of shoulder injuries are treated by noninvasive means. However, with some cases of severe arthritis, the damage to the joint is so extensive that a complete surgical replacement becomes necessary. Over the course of treatment, you and your doctor will need to be able to determine when that time has come.

Symptoms of severe arthritis: Pain and stiffness are the main indicators of damage. In the shoulder, like with other joints, this eventually causes severe limitation of range of motion. There can also be a feeling of grinding or catching as the tip of the humerus—the ball in the joint socket—moves around.

Top Orthopedic Surgeons In Phoenix

Tests that might be done: X -rays are commonly done to start evaluating the level of damage. Especially if there’s a record of past testing, this will give a sense of changes or abnormalities in the bone and cartilage. Doctors will have patients perform certain activities to check for strength and range of motion.

Activity modification/interference: One main determination in what level of treatment the patient needs is how badly the pain and stiffness are interfering with everyday activities. This can depend partly on the patient’s lifestyle—for example, someone working a job with lots of lifting and carrying might be more affected at a lower level of pain.

In some cases, activity or lifestyle modification can help to mitigate and compensate for pain. However, if attempts to work around the symptoms become impractical or are causing significant problems in the patient’s lifestyle, it is a sign that surgical replacement may be necessary.

Physical therapy progress: For many types of shoulder injuries, this is a preferred form of first-resort treatment. Often, doctors will consider shoulder replacement if the patient is not making expected progress in physical therapy, or if the pain and damage are too severe even for basic exercises.

Upsides to shoulder replacement: Typically, this is effective in helping patients carry out ordinary tasks with significant reduction in pain. Most patients are said to regain about two-thirds of normal shoulder movement. It also prevents further deterioration of the joint.

It is considered to have high potential for effectiveness, with failure rates estimated to be quite low. Stretching exercises and other physical therapy begins about six weeks after surgery, continuing at a higher level around three months after surgery.

The typical lifespan of the replacement parts is long enough that patients older than 60 will typically not need another replacement later on.

Downsides to shoulder replacement: As with other surgeries, there is some risk of infection or difficulty with healing, and some risk from anesthesia. Postoperative infection risk is estimated at around 2 or 3 percent, and is more common in patients who are immunosuppressed from corticosteroids, or who have other ongoing health risks.

Often, shoulder replacement patients will eventually need further surgery, since the artificial joints have an average lifespan of around 10 to 15 years. This makes them a less attractive option for younger patients.

Also, while it does improve on current function, it won’t restore your condition to where it was before there was any damage. There may still be severe stiffness and low range of motion.

Rare potential complications include injury to the nerves or fracture of the upper arm bone, either during or after surgery. Nerve injuries typically improve, however. Slightly more common is dislocation, often from the soft tissue being stretched too far too soon after surgery.

For severe arthritis that hasn’t responded to other forms of treatment, including physical therapy and medication, try consulting with top orthopedic surgeons in Phoenix about what kinds of more extensive treatment might be a good option.