Question:
My name Is Chris I am a 20 yr. old student living in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I was born In Canberra, Australia. Since birth I have had voluntary sublox in both shoulders. At age 16, I had both shoulders checked out by a surgeon. With a simple touch or push, my shoulder bone could be moved in and out of place. He told me that my rotator cuff muscles were extremely loose, and either physical therapy or surgery would be needed to tighten the muscles. Physical therapy was not enough, so my surgeon said he would like to do the operation when I reached age 20, when my body was fully-grown. Now that I have reached that age, what is the best way to go about talking with a physician about my problem? And what is he/she most likely to do?
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| Dr. Bailie |
Dr. David S. Bailie chairs the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea (Hospital) in Scottsdale, Arizona, and he sees patients from all walks of life at The Orthopedic Clinic Association (TOCA) in Scottsdale, Arizona. A graduate of the University of Michigan, the Indiana University School of Medicine and was a post-graduate fellowship in Sports Medicine and Arthroscopic Surgery at Baylor Sports Medicine Institute in Houston, Texas. , Dr. Bailie specializes in all sports medicine injuries and arthroscopic surgery, including shoulder reconstruction.
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Answer:
No question this needs treatment. If a well-supervised PT program has failed, surgical stabilization is the next step. However, with “loose Joints” these procedures often fail over time if an exercise regimen is not followed FOREVER. The only other option for continued dislocations that are debilitating is shoulder fusion (arthrodesis). Obviously the latter should only be considered when all else fails.
Read more about arthrodesis.
Read about one man's experience with shoulder fusion surgery.
