There are things you can do to prevent problems and even fix them if they exist.
It's important to take the right steps to prevent the pain, discomfort and all around inconvenience that shoulder conditions can present.
To best understand how you can prevent the need for surgery for rotator cuff repair, it helps to understand a few of the major issues that can have normally active people lying on their backs and being wheeled into an operating room.
Some common issues that can present the need for surgery include:
- Frozen shoulders - In this very unusual condition, the shoulder itself locks up.
This is generally due to the buildup of scar tissue around the rotator.
Surgery can correct this, but it is often possible to use other remedies to break through the problem and restore range of motion. - Tears - Surgery for shoulder repair quite frequently follows accidents that lead to cuff tears.
How extensive the surgical procedure will need to be to repair a tear will depend on the tear itself.
Laser surgery is not at all uncommon in minor tears.
Unfortunately, open surgery is sometimes required even for minor tears.
For example:
- Take care during activities - cuff tears frequently happen during sports and other physically strenuous activities.
Try to take care and avoid overextending the shoulders to prevent tears.
Unfortunately, not all tears are consciously preventable, but some are.
Minor tears can sometimes heal over time and with therapy.
Major tears, however, commonly require surgical repair. - Seek alternatives for frozen shoulder - Frozen shoulder surgery can often be prevented through the use of physical therapy, at-home exercise, anti-inflammatory medications and other similar treatments.
If preventing the need for surgery for shoulder repair is the plan, exhausting all other options first is a very good idea.