Shoulder Bursitis Surgery
Overview
If you have shoulder bursitis you might already be experiencing pain, swelling, or tenderness when you lift your arm. Shoulder bursitis is often accompanied by tendinitis of tendons located adjacent to the affected bursa. When you move your elbow away from your body you may experience a “pinching” pain, too. Orlando Hand Surgery Associates can help relieve your shoulder pain with our shoulder bursitis surgery procedure.
How to Prepare for Surgery
To prepare for surgery we may ask that you don’t eat or drink anything after midnight the night before surgery. We also ask that you bring a large shirt with buttons or a zipper on the front so you won’t have to pull a shirt over your head. You might also prepare your home so you won’t have to reach your hand over your head during your upcoming recovery.
Procedure
This is a minimally invasive, outpatient surgery where a small camera and small instruments are inserted into the shoulder (called an arthroscope). We will remove the inflamed bursa, some of the bone, and any bone spurs to create a larger space for the rotator cuff tendons. You will be asleep anywhere from 30 minutes to up to two hours.
Recovery
Since this is an outpatient surgery, you can return home after you wake up. You will wear a sling for no more than two weeks. After two weeks, you will do physical therapy to help you return to the full activity which will range in time from six to eight weeks.
Efficacy
After the removal of the bursa, the chance of friction is decreased between the hard bone and softer tissues.
Complications
If you experience complications after surgery you might experience pain, however, this surgery usually reduces this pain by at least 90% in patients. As with all surgeries, you should be mindful of infections; minimally invasive surgeries see far fewer infections than surgeries with larger incisions. Some patients experience shoulder stiffness or damage to nerves of blood vessels.
Outlook
Shoulder bursitis is often accompanied by a frozen shoulder and shoulder tendinitis. Shoulder bursitis is associated with arthritis, gout, tendonitis, diabetes, and thyroid disease.