Understanding Shoulder Injuries and Why You Need Surgery

The most flexible parts of the body are the shoulders. Typically, you use your shoulders to do almost everything like dressing, driving, eating, brushing your teeth, and more. In short, you heavily rely on your shoulders to do various activities. This makes the shoulders vulnerable to injuries such as separation, fracture, bursitis, and arthritis. If your shoulders suffer severe injuries, you might need more dedicated treatment or shoulder surgery to rectify the problem. If all the treatment options don’t work, you might need shoulder replacement surgery. Before we look into why you must have shoulder surgery, let’s look at the two main types of shoulder injuries.

Shoulder Separation or Dislocation

If you experience shoulder swelling, pain, weakness, bruising or limited motion, it is a sign that you have a shoulder injury. A shoulder dislocation happens when the ligaments connecting the shoulder blade with the collarbone tear or stretch. The treatment for should dislocation or separation depends on the severity of the injury. So, if you have a shoulder injury, ensure an experienced orthopedic doctor well evaluates it. In a severe case like dislocation, you have no other choice than to see a specialist. A great force causes a shoulder separation, and there are many factors that can result in this. Such include falls, sports injuries, convulsions and seizures, and vehicle accidents.

Shoulder dislocation might need moderate treatment like pain medications and a sling to keep providing support to the arm. However, if the pain does not go away and no recovery is experienced, the doctor might recommend surgery.

Shoulder Arthritis

Shoulder arthritis comes as a result of damaged tissues and other structures supporting the shoulders. This causes incapacitating pain, and the joint may lose its function. This kind of damage is already advanced, and the patient might need a shoulder replacement. Shoulder replacement helps in replacing the damaged parts to help the shoulder regain its function.

Why You Need Shoulder Surgery

If you have severe injuries where the tissues are completely damaged and the collarbone displaced, the doctor will recommend surgery. Before you go for the surgery, here are reasons to help you understand the importance.

To Avoid Further Damage

One reason why surgery is important is to help further damage of the shoulder. For instance, it is easy to treat shoulder arthritis during the first stage using conservative treatment. However, if the problem advances, only surgery can help. So, to avoid further damage and loss of the function of the shoulder, it is best to have surgery.

To Prevent Atrophy of the Muscles

If you have a shoulder injury that causes weakness, pain, and numbness, you might often withdraw from using the shoulder. Not using the shoulder for a long time causes muscle atrophy which poses different challenges during recovery. So, ensure you have the surgery as soon as possible.

To Prevent Chronic Injury

Having a shoulder problem that does not go away can be very distractive. Shoulder replacement helps in treating a degenerative problem known as osteoarthritis. So, surgery helps in preventing more problems that limit the motion of the shoulder.

In Conclusion!

It is crucial to know when you have a shoulder injury and when you need surgery. Different things can cause shoulder problems, such as dislocation and arthritis. So, if the doctor recommends surgery for severe injuries, understand the importance first.