CU Orthopaedics has fellowship trained shoulder specialists with expertise in treating shoulder injuries. What most people call the shoulder is really several joints that combine with tendons and muscles to allow a wide range of motion in the arm from scratching your head to throwing a baseball. Their specialized training allows them the expertise necessary to evaluate and treat any problem around the shoulder from simple to complex.

Common Shoulder Problems

• Arthroscopy: Arthroscopy allows the surgeon to look inside the shoulder using small incisions and identify problems. The surgeon is often able to correct any problems using this procedure by removing loose unwanted tissue from the joint without any additional surgical trauma. Recovery time is usually short.
• Rotator cuff repair: Rotator cuff repair is a procedure that is performed to repair a tear to the rotator cuff, relieving the patient's pain and improving function of the tendons and muscles that move the joint. The surgery is usually performed on elderly patients complaining of discomfort and weakness in the deltoid region, which occurs with normal daily activities. The pain is often worse at night.
• Bankart procedure: The Bankart procedure is an operation that restores shoulder stability by tightening ligaments and repairing torn capsular detachments. It is often performed on athletes involved in throwing sports who suffer from recurrent dislocations and subluxations. The procedure allows the patient to return to throwing sports such as baseball, and contact sports such as football, wrestling, and hockey because the muscles and tendons are returned to their proper anatomic positions.
• Total shoulder replacement: Total shoulder replacement is a procedure involving the replacement of the head of the humerus (ball) and in the resurfacing of the glenoid (socket). This surgery is performed to provide pain relief for patients with severe arthritis in the shoulder joint, the major indication for the procedure. Total shoulder replacement is relatively new; therefore, improvement of function may result but is less predictable.