Ask Dr. C Episode 20-Shoulder Instability

One of the things that I see all day in the clinic that I shouldn’t be seeing at all is unrecognized shoulder instability. It’s rampant. So what is it? Do you have it? What can be done about it? The Ask Dr. C Question “Severe traumatic anterior dislocation of my right shoulder years ago has…
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Shoulder Labral Tear Surgery: Pros and Cons (And Hidden Shoulder Instability)

I evaluated a patient this week who shows off the warts of our modern orthopedic care system; he was diagnosed with a shoulder labral tear and offered surgery. Why? His shoulder labral tear was the bright, shiny object, and nobody ever asked how he got the tear in the first place. As he considered shoulder labral…
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Do Shoulder Labral Tears Need Surgery?

Do shoulder labral tears need surgery? What happens if a labral tear goes untreated? Can you fix a labral tear through injections?  Let’s dig in. What is a Shoulder Labral Tear? The labrum is the lip around the socket where the ball of the shoulder bone fits. It provides stability along with the shoulder ligaments…
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Can A Torn Rotator Cuff Heal On Its Own Without Surgery?

Are you wondering, “Can a torn rotator cuff heal on its own without surgery?” This and others are common questions asked by many of the 40,000 patients each year that opt for surgery to repair their torn rotator cuff. The answers to these queries contribute to a patient’s decision on whether to have surgery, but…
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MRI of the Shoulder: A Great Tool or a Fool’s Errand?

I’ve blogged many times about our penchant as a medical care system to over-interpret MRI results. Because of the attention physicians place on these tests and the decrease of reliance on physical exam, patients often believe that their MRI report was written by the oracle of Delphi and contains explanations of all of the hidden…
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If You Have a Hip Labrum Tear, You May Also Have a Shoulder Labrum Tear?

Labral tears are always something that freak patients out. Why? Just the concept of something torn in your hip or shoulder is disconcerting. However, now a new study shows that if you have a tear in your hip labrum, you’re more likely to have one in your shoulder. Let’s dig in. Understanding Labrum Tears and…
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Rotator Cuff Stem Cells More Likely to Become Fat than Muscle?

Some patients with rotator cuff tears have a problem that most don’t know exists. Their rotator cuff muscle begins to atrophy and when this happens, surgical repairs are less likely to be successful. So what causes this issue is a big deal. Now, new research shows that the problem may lie more in the cells…
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Shoulder Dislocation Surgery Pros and Cons?

What are the shoulder dislocation surgery pros and cons? If you’ve dislocated your shoulder and you see a surgeon, most will argue that you need surgery to fix the bone trauma, labrum, and ligaments. However, do you really need this procedure? Here we’ll explore all of your options as well as newer nonsurgical orthobiologic options.…
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