More Effective Shoulder Surgery in San Diego

When shoulder injury or pain becomes too much to bear, it’s time to consider shoulder surgery. Here in San Diego, the offices of Dr. William Holland have proudly earned a spot at the forefront of specialized care such as this, offering an extraordinary focus on athletic injuries of every type.

If you have been trying to manage the searing pain of bursitis or the frustration of frozen shoulder, you won’t find a more detailed approach in Southern California. Dr. Holland takes pride in his philosophy of patience and communication, and has rightly earned a reputation as one of the best orthopedic surgeons for shoulder pain in California.

Orthopedic shoulder surgery in San Diego has come a long way since the days when such procedures were painfully slow to rehab. Today, advances in arthroscopic surgery, digital imaging and improved aftercare help many patients return to their regular lives within a few months. Dr. Holland offers followup care every step of the way, ensuring you achieve a better outcome than you’re likely to find from another shoulder surgeon.

For the very highest standard of orthopedic shoulder surgery in San Diego, please contact Dr. William Holland today.

Making Sense of Shoulder Surgery

One of the principal complaints that brings patients to my door is shoulder pain, especially chronic pain brought on by repetitive movements or athletic trauma. Although many symptoms can be relieved with rest, medication and exercise, there are some issues that remain so stubbornly painful that shoulder surgery is the only option.

Shoulder surgery can take many forms, depending on the source and cause of the injury. But the basics remain more or less the same for most procedures, as outlined in this simple description:

During conventional shoulder surgery, a large open incision is made in order to reattach the tendon to the bone where it pulled apart. Sometimes open surgery is performed through small incisions that makeup only a few inches. Dissolvable sutures that will not have to be taken out at a later time are frequently used to fasten the tendons. At the completion of the open surgery, the incisions are closed followed by the application of a dressing.

As an orthopedic surgeon in San Diego, I see a lot of injuries due to sports, exercise and even military service. Our approach is holistically oriented, which means we take each patient’s full lifestyle into consideration as we design a surgical plan that makes sense for you.

If you’ve been experiencing shoulder pain and want to speak with an expert orthopedic surgeon today, please contact my offices.

San Diego Shoulder Pain 101

Shoulder pain can take many forms, from radiating waves to uncomfortable tingles to utter agony. It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that the causes of shoulder pain can vary widely too, and may include such varied sources as rotator cuff injuries, glenohumeral disorders, and referred neck pain.

I have provided a brief overview of elbow pain on this website, but as an orthopedic specialist here in San Diego, I’m always looking for new ways to explain the details of shoulder pain to my patients nationwide.

This page includes a great diagram and plenty of granular descriptions of shoulder pain, including the various anatomical and orthopedic issues that can give rise to discomfort. This passage may prove especially useful – a checklist for diagnosis:

  • Is the pain arising from the shoulder, neck or elsewhere?
  • Are there any ‘red flag’ symptoms/signs? (See box ‘Red flag symptoms/signs’, below.)
  • Is the pain localised to the acromioclavicular joint: the ‘pointing sign’?
  • If yes, there is acromioclavicular joint disease.
  • Is there global pain and restriction of all active and passive movements? If yes, this suggests glenohumeral joint disorder (either ‘frozen shoulder’ or arthritis).
  • Does the patient show a broad area of pain: the ‘grasping sign’ suggestive of subacromial pain?

To receive a full examination, workup and treatment plan, contact the orthopedic surgeons at AOSM.net today.