“Miracle” arthroscopic rotator cuff repair at FOI provides shoulder pain relief
Condition & treatment: Shoulder cuff repair surgery for a torn rotator tendon
FOI physician: Eddy L. Echols, Jr., MD
After years of hard work, the great promise of retirement is that you’ll finally have enough freedom to do all the things you love, travel far and wide, and spend more quality time time with family. Sometimes, though, enjoyment of your golden years can be interrupted by pain and loss of mobility. That’s what happened to Marilyn P. At age 66, a rotator cuff injury made it impossible to fully enjoy her hobbies—until a precise shoulder cuff repair by Dr. Echols of Florida Orthopaedic Institute brought pain relief and helped her regain full range of motion.
Keep reading to learn more about treating rotator cuff injuries later in life—plus, hear Marilyn tell the story of what it was like to receive customized shoulder care and physical therapy at FOI.
What is a torn rotator cuff?
A full-thickness tear, like the one that Marilyn had, is the most common type of rotator cuff injury. Tears—complete and partial—occur when your shoulder’s stabilizing tendons or muscles are damaged.
Torn rotator cuffs usually happen in people who perform repetitive overhead motions, like athletes, and those work work in physically demanding jobs, but they can also be caused by chronic deterioration that happens gradually over time from wear and tear or after a traumatic accident, like a car accident or hard fall to the ground on an outstretched hand.
Additionally, sometimes, as a part of getting older, you may have small bone overgrowths form around your shoulder joint. These “bone spurs” can rub against the rotator cuff’s tendon and cause a condition called shoulder impingement that puts even more pressure on the tendons and makes them more likely to tear.
Another complication with aging is that the blood supply to the rotator cuff decreases. When this happens, it’s harder for your body to repair your shoulder’s injured tendons.
In fact, around 62% of adults over the age of 80 will experience a torn rotator tendon.
What is a shoulder cuff repair?
A shoulder cuff repair, or rotator cuff repair, is a surgery performed by an orthopedic surgeon that’s done to fix a torn shoulder tendon in order to reduce pain, improve flexibility, and help a patient get back function.
How do you know if a repair is the right treatment for you?
Your doctor may recommend that you try more conservative care options first.
However, if pain from a tear is interfering with daily life, your physician may recommend a shoulder cuff repair. For some patients, the procedure can be the right choice and provide long-term benefits. It all comes down the the severity of the injury (and pain it causes), how much your function is limited as well as your lifestyle, current overall health, and goals.
If you’ve already had a shoulder cuff repair and that operation failed, a shoulder specialist may recommend a re-repair (or revision surgery), tendon transfer, or shoulder replacement surgery, for relief.
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Marilyn’s shoulder cuff repair story video transcript
Dr. Echols: Rotator cuff tears can manifest in several ways. They can sometimes show up as chronic, unrelenting pain or manifest with intermittent pain.
Marilyn: For me, it was just a gradual process. I don’t remember an accident or falling, but it got to where I couldn’t lift my arm above my shoulder level. It hurt whenever I tried to sew.
Dr. Echols: The cause of Marilyn’s pain was a rotator cuff tear. Your rotator cuff is actually the tendons that insert your arm bone, or the humerus, into your shoulder joint.
Marilyn: Almost exactly a year ago was my shoulder cuff repair surgery.
Dr. Echols: We were able to repair Marilyn’s torn rotator cuff injury arthroscopically.
Marilyn: I have a full range of motion again. I can lift my arm and do all kinds of wonderful things. I feel like it’s been a miracle.
Dr. Echols: With that shoulder cuff repair surgery, Marilyn was pain-free again. She regained her prior level of function and quality of life.
Marilyn: You know, I am actually a couch potato. But I have my plants, and enjoy taking care of them. I also love to sew and do a lot of handwork. I can do that again now because of Dr. Echols.I feel so good again that I don’t even think about my shoulder. Every once in a while I’ll stop and think, “Thank you, God,” because I’m so glad it works again, you know?
Published May 10, 2016. Updated December 30, 2024.
May 10, 2016