ARTHROSCOPY

• Shoulder pain has long been neglected. It is one of the most recent developed subspecialty in Orthopaedics around the world. The last decade has seen major breakthroughs in recognising and treating shoulder problems. A better understanding of its anatomy, biomechanics and treatment modalities have resulted in significantly better results.
• One of the revolutions in treating shoulders resulted from the use of the arthroscope in this joint. Diagnosing and treating conditions with just two or three 4mm holes has reduced the injury to tissues, increased the accuracy of procedures and dramatically reduced the rehabilitation time

WHAT TO EXPECT

• Patients are admitted generally a day before the procedure and stay in the hospital for another day. The incisions are minimal. Patients are seldom in pain. After the surgery, they are kept in a comfortable shoulder sling which they use for 2-3 weeks depending upon the procedure. Our Physiotherapist visits them the very next day. A supervised rehabilitation regime is made according to the procedure performed. Discharge advice would include medication, physical therapy and use of the sling. The next visit would be generally scheduled after 14 days.
• Most patients return to their desk jobs within a week depending on the procedure performed. Graduated physical therapy under our supervision helps them recover rapidly such that most patients are able to pursue activities of daily living independently within a month. Sportpersons & manual labourers take slightly longer to perform heavy activities.
• Prior to the "Arthroscopy Era", patients were ill diagnosed and often took 2-3 months to recover from extensive open procedures. Arthroscopy of the Shoulder has helped diagnose poorly understood conditions and more importantly treat them efficiently.