Arthroscopic shoulder surgery has many advantages, including reduced pain and blood loss and a faster return to an active life. If you need help with a painful shoulder problem, Babak Samimi, MD, and David Eldringhoff, MD, at Samimi Orthopedic Group use advanced shoulder arthroscopy to diagnose and treat your condition. Find out how you can benefit from their expertise in shoulder arthroscopy by calling one of the Los Angeles area offices in Brentwood, West Covina, or Sherman Oaks, California, or booking an appointment online today.
Shoulder arthroscopy allows Dr. Samimi to see inside your shoulder joint without having to make large incisions in your body.
The arthroscope, an instrument with a light and tiny camera, fits into the joint through a small cut. It sends back magnified images of the inside of your shoulder to a screen in the treatment room.
There are two ways that Dr. Samimi uses shoulder arthroscopy. Firstly, it's an excellent diagnostic tool, allowing him to view all the cartilage, bones, tendons, and ligaments in your shoulder in great detail.
Secondly, Dr. Samimi can use the arthroscope to guide him when repairing damaged tissues within the joint. He makes between one and three more small entry points through which he passes different arthroscopic instruments, then uses the video images to complete the repairs.
Dr. Samimi uses shoulder arthroscopy to treat a range of problems, including:
Using shoulder arthroscopy, Dr. Samimi brings the edges of the damaged rotator cuff tendon together and fixes them in place with suture anchors.
To resolve shoulder impingement, Dr. Samimi cleans out damaged tissue in the joint and may perform subacromial decompression.
Subacromial decompression involves cutting the coracoacromial ligament and shaving off some of the acromion, where bone spurs can develop.
Dr. Samimi can repair common causes of shoulder instability such as Bankart injuries, SLAP lesions, and stretched or damaged ligaments.
The biceps tendon attaches to the top of your upper arm bone and may tear along with the rotator cuff. Using arthroscopic techniques, Dr. Samimi can reattach the tendon to the bone.
Using arthroscopic techniques has some significant advantages over open surgery. These include:
Because of these advantages, Dr. Samimi prefers to use arthroscopic techniques rather than open surgery unless the patient's condition requires an open approach.
To learn more about shoulder arthroscopy and how it can relieve your shoulder pain, call Samimi Orthopedic Group. Schedule a consultation by phone or book an appointment online today.
