Shoulder arthroscopy
Keyhole surgery with a camera to diagnose and treat shoulder injuries, including arthroscopic debridement.
- What it is
- Arthroscopy lets the surgeon see inside the joint through a camera a few millimetres wide and treat the injury with fine instruments, without opening the shoulder. It causes less tissue damage than open surgery and is the approach the doctor uses for most of his shoulder procedures.
- When it is indicated
- It is indicated for rotator cuff tears, instability, labral and biceps lesions, acromioclavicular pathology, stiffness, synovitis, degenerative labral lesions and loose bodies that do not improve with conservative treatment.
- How it is performed
- It is performed under anaesthesia, usually as day surgery. Through two or three portals the damaged structure is repaired with anchors and sutures, or the damaged tissue is debrided.
- Recovery
- Most patients wear a sling for the first weeks and follow a staged physiotherapy programme. Total time depends on the lesion treated and the activity the patient wants to return to.
- Procedures the doctor performs
- Arthroscopic debridement of chondral lesions, synovitis and degenerative labral lesions
- Removal of loose bodies
- Anchor-and-suture repairs of the labrum, capsule and tendons
Other procedures
- Rotator cuff repair
- Shoulder instability and recurrent dislocation
- SLAP tears and biceps pathology
- Acromioclavicular joint injuries
- Shoulder stiffness and adhesive capsulitis
- Shoulder cartilage and arthritis
- Complex rotator cuff reconstructions
This content is general information. It does not replace a medical assessment: every case is evaluated in consultation with physical examination and imaging.