Serving the San Francisco Bay Area Knee and Shoulder Injury Specialist
Sometimes you don’t know how important something is until it stops working. Athletes know this very well, especially when their sports medicine doctor keeps them off the field to heal a small yet important body part. This is the case for the rotator cuff. Largely responsible for arm lifts and shoulder rotations, the rotator cuff also helps to stabilize the ball of the shoulder within the joint.
The advent of winter introduces a long list of challenges. Cold weather, blistering breezes, icy sidewalks, snow-filled roads, and for some people, shoulder pain. A shoulder surgeon or rotator cuff specialist may notice an increase in hospital visits during the cooler months. Some individuals experience pain in the upper body so severe that it’s unbearable. While the causes of ‘winter shoulder’ vary from person to person, ways to treat and prevent it can be applied to most cases.
Volleyball continues to be a popular sport among high school students. Unfortunately, repetitive movements in this sport, such as overhead motions like spiking and blocking, often lead to injuries among players. Below are a list of the most common injuries volleyball players experience and the best ways to treat them with sports medicine:
While many shoulder injuries can be addressed without surgery, major trauma like a tear in the rotator cuff will require a surgical procedure. Shoulders that undergo surgery usually need up to six months for complete recovery. Most shoulder procedures are not invasive and can be properly executed with the use of an arthroscope. The lengthy recovery period is not caused by the surgery performed by the shoulder doctor, but is based upon the human body’s ability to heal. It takes significant time for the tendon to recover and re-attach to the bone properly. Healing is a gradual process that varies by case, but there are a few things to be aware of during the post-op period to support the recovery process.
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About 14 million people suffer from shoulder pain each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including shoulder dislocations that can result in severe pain and prolonged symptoms. Seeing a shoulder dislocation doctor at the first sign of pain in your shoulder can help you cut symptoms short and restore the health and function of the shoulder joint.
The rotator cuff is the group of muscles and tendons responsible for moving and supporting your arm where it meets your shoulder. Whether you hurt yourself in baseball practice or wrenched your arm in a car crash, appreciate this: most of the time, a torn rotator cuff does not require surgery. A shoulder injury specialist will often just recommend that patients rest and engage in moderate physical therapy. Sometimes, though, surgery is unavoidable.
