Shoulder pain is a common cause of work-related and recreational injuries. During computer use, the thumb-in, stoop-shouldered postures people hunch into are not designed to support a rounded head and forward neck position. Many people also have weak, fatigued rotator cuff muscles that can never fully recover from years of misuse. Dr. Kevin Kruse, a minimally-invasive Arlington shoulder surgeon in Texas, has a practice that is known for healing shoulder problems. He treats many patients with regular aches, stiffness, and pain caused by poor posture and limited shoulder flexibility.
Types of Shoulder Pain
1. Stretched Rotator Cuff
A rotator cuff injury occurs when only the tendons in the rotator cuff tear. It tears the tendons from their attachment to the bone. In its place, scar tissue forms between the two tendons and skin that may pull down or irritate nearby nerves. The most common tendon tears are at the Glenohumeral joint, where it attaches to a bone called the glenoid. When this trauma occurs, the pain radiates down your arm and chest.
2. Frozen Shoulder
A frozen shoulder is another cause of pain requiring repair surgery. When this occurs, an electrical signal from a nerve gets blocked from entering the tendon in the shoulder or from traveling back down to the brain, where it would tell your brain you were moving the arm normally. It can happen after the injury has healed, and pain will radiate near the bottom of the arm. The frozen shoulder requires surgery to repair the damaged nerve. When the repaired nerve is stimulated, it will allow a muscle contraction, which allows you to move your arm again.
3. Rotator Cuff Impingement
Rotator cuff impingement occurs when the tendons that move the shoulder overuse the tendon in their poor posture of slumping in front of a computer or bad sleeping habits. The rotator cuff muscle tendon tightens and inflates, causing pain and swelling. It is a chronic condition that will not go away without treatment. When this trauma occurs, your shoulder may feel stiff or weak, making raising your arm or lifting objects painful. You may feel the arm hanging lower than it used to or dangling down at your side instead of sitting closer to your body.
4. Shoulder Instability
Shoulder instability occurs when there are changes in its normal alignment, which can cause pain and the range of motion to be decreased or lost. It can occur over time due to prolonged overuse with baseball pitchers or weight lifters. This instability occurs more often in those with previous injuries, including those from unhealthy positions over time. The injury can affect the nerves in your arm, causing reduced sensation and pain.
5. Facet Joint Syndrome
Facet joint syndrome occurs when the connection between your spine and surrounding muscles is inflamed in the back of your neck, causing pain to radiate down into your shoulder and arm. The pain occurs from forward bending and twisting motions that stress the joints, which becomes painful after sitting for prolonged periods without good posture. As a result, a patient with facet joint syndrome has trouble working all day at a computer or even enjoying everyday life without pain.
Procedures By Arlington Shoulder Specialist Kevin Kruse
1. Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair
Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair uses surgical instruments, like a camera and a small tool, to fix the problem. This surgery is done arthroscopically, which means that the doctor will make several small incisions and insert tubes with lenses attached to see the inside of the shoulder. The procedure can be done on an older patient who has had previous shoulder injuries that have caused damage to the tendons in their shoulders.
2. Reverse Shoulder Replacement
Shoulder replacement surgery is done when the movement in the shoulder has been reduced due to osteoarthritis. The posterior approach for reverse shoulder replacement surgery uses a different route for the surgeon to insert his surgical instruments and remove damaged tissue.
3. Rotator Cuff Repair
Dr. Kevin Kruse also offers shoulder repair surgery to patients suffering from chronic pain due to poor posture and soft tissue damage from years of misuse. It allows a patient to regain their arms and shoulder full function with less pain.
4. Facet Joint Syndrome Surgery
Dr. Kevin Kruse, an Arlington shoulder surgeon, specializes in facet joint syndrome, which causes sharp, shooting pains down the back and neck of your shoulder or arm. Repetitive movements can also cause facet joint syndrome over time which causes inflammation of the nerves in your spine. Facet joint syndrome surgery removes damaged tissue and allows new nerve fibers to grow around these damaged nerves.
5. Shoulder Transplant Surgery
Shoulder transplant surgery is used to replace a shoulder with artificial pieces of plastic or metal. Around 93 percent of all shoulders are replaced with this surgery because many people have no other option.
6. Shoulder Arthroscopy
Dr. Kruse uses his skills as an orthopedic surgeon to help a patient with shoulder pain caused by an injury, arthritis, or even a tumor. Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure in which surgeons insert surgical instruments through a small cut into your shoulder to help remove damaged tissue and relieve the pain. The entire procedure can be done in less than an hour, and you will recover quickly with minimal pain and scarring.
7. Shoulder Replacement
The shoulder surgery total joint replacement procedure can also be referred to as an arthroplasty, which is a procedure in which the doctors remove the damaged part of your shoulder and replace it with artificial parts. The surgery can be performed on a younger patient who has experienced trauma that causes the shoulder to become severely injured, or any patient at any age who desires to get rid of their pain and regain normal arm and shoulder function.
Arlington, TX shoulder surgeon Kevin Kruse has a practice that believes in providing a patient with the best care possible to help them regain their arms and shoulder function. With a new technology called forward-looking imaging, Dr. Kruse can help diagnose any trauma or condition in your arm and shoulder without sending you to orthopedic surgeons out of his practice.