When To Get Shoulder Surgery

Shoulder surgery is a last option, but one which many thousands of people in Southern California opt for each year. The reason is simple: not every type of shoulder pain goes away on its own, and there are limits to what painkillers and analgesics can do.

Shoulder pain can arise for any number of reasons, from injury to bursitis to arthritis. Some of these issues are likely to heal over time, while others may involve lasting wear and tear whose effects are more or less permanent – and unrelenting:

Mild cases of shoulder pain can often be effectively treated conservatively, with options including rest, physical therapy, corticosteroid injections and anti-inflammatory medication. If conservative strategies fail, then surgery may be an option.

Shoulder surgery can take many forms, depending on the needs of each individual patient. At my San Diego orthopedic surgery offices, we take the time to review a full history and draw up a surgical plan that suits your lifestyle and medical history, and has the greatest chance of success. The results may be slow to appear, but they are also long lasting: shoulder surgery is a permanent fix for a wide array of common complaints.