Specialized services for people with shoulder pain
The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in your body, allowing it to move in many different directions. It helps you lift and rotate your arm, as well as reach overhead. Unfortunately, this greater range of motion can allow the shoulder to be less stable.
The goal of our physicians is to make the shoulder more stable without losing function whether the approach is surgical or non-surgical.
Causes of Instability
- Trauma or Injury. These occur most commonly in young people who participate in active sports. Dislocations or injury often involve a high-energy impact or may result from a fall onto an outstretched hand.
Research shows that the younger and more active the person is when they first have a dislocation or subluxation, the more likely it will be that recurrent instability will develop. - Repetitive Motions. People who participate in activities that require the same overhead motion over and over can develop shoulder instability. These can include swimmers, gymnasts, baseball players and workers such as carpenters, painters and masons.
- Genetic Factors. Some people are born with loose shoulder joints and their surrounding ligaments, tendons and muscles and can be pre-disposed to instability.
Treatment
The board certified surgeons at the Kennedy Center will evaluate each case individually. Often physical therapy combined with sports-specific rehabilitation can strengthen the muscles surrounding the shoulder joint and make it more stable.
For patients who don’t respond to conservative therapy and treatment, arthroscopic shoulder stabilization may be recommended. This is an outpatient procedure that involves making small incisions in the shoulder to repair capsule that was torn away from the socket or tighten a capsule that is too loose in the shoulder joint.