BALTIMORE, Md. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Rotator cuff injuries lead to impaired function of the shoulder, and when the injury is severe, doctors need to build up tissue or bone as a sort of anchor for the tendons, known as cuff augmentation.
Randy Owings’ lifeblood is his family and his 32-year career – caring for champion horses. He does it all: rides tractors, bales hay, totes feed buckets — all very physical, but it was a friendly pickup lacrosse game that took him down.
“My shoulder went dead. It wasn’t hard, I mean, I hit him and when he rolled, I put my left shoulder into him,” Owings recalls.
That move triggered pain that ripped through his shoulder.
Shoulder specialist at Mercy Medical Center, Gregory Gasbarro, MD, explains, “He tore what’s called the rotator cuff, which are a group of four muscles and tendons around the ball and socket joint of the shoulder. So, they sit on the outside of the ball and they’re really important for not only the motion of the ball and the socket, but also stability and centering the ball and the socket.”
Of the four tendons gripping it, Owings tore three.
“It’s like the sleeve of a shirt, he almost went all the way around the sleeve,” Dr. Gasbarro adds.
Rotator cuff injuries prevent patients from raising their arms overhead.
Dr. Gasbarro opted for cuff augmentation surgery, using Owings’ own bicep in reattaching his tendons with this instrument, which leaves the white part behind like a drywall screw.
Re-injuring can be an issue, so post-surgery, Owings had to rest. Four months of tendon-bone healing made the fix solid enough to withstand forces across the joint so it wouldn’t rip again.
“He’s back to doing maintenance work on the horse farm,” Dr. Gasbarro reassures.
Rotator cuff surgery is very slow to heal, with post-surgical pain lasting up to six months. Patients are advised to be diligent about physical therapy to regain complete use of their arms.
Contributors to this news report include: Donna Parker, Producer; Kirk Manson, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
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Source:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8291-rotator-cuff-tears-overview
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: CUFF AUGMENTATION GETS RANDY BACK ON THE HORSE FARM
REPORT: MB #5231
BACKGROUND: Your rotator cuff allows you to lift your arms and reach upward. Each year, millions of people in the United States go to their healthcare providers because of a rotator cuff problem. A rotator cuff tear is a common cause of pain and disability among adults. There are two main causes of rotator cuff tears: injury and deterioration. An injury to the rotator cuff, such as a tear, may happen suddenly when falling on an outstretched hand. It may also develop over time due to repetitive activities. Rotator cuff tears may also happen due to aging, with deterioration of the tissues.
(Source: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/rotator-cuff-injury)
DIAGNOSING: The most common symptoms of a rotator cuff tear include: pain while resting, particularly if lying on the affected shoulder, pain when lifting and lowering your arm or with specific movements, weakness when lifting or rotating your arm, and/or crepitus, or a crackling sensation, when moving your shoulder in certain positions. Doctors can diagnose a rotator cuff tear by performing a physical exam, X-rays, or an MRI.
(Source: https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases–conditions/rotator-cuff-tears/)
NEW TECHNOLOGY: Providing an efficient, simple approach to augmenting partial- and full-thickness rotator cuff tears, the CuffMend system incorporates human dermal allograft for mechanical strength and to support healing. Doctors insert the graft using the graft spreader and then securely fixate the graft using TissueTakTM tendon anchors for medial soft-tissue fixation and Knotless PushLock® anchors for lateral bony fixation. Scientific literature has demonstrated that rotator cuff augmentation with acellular dermal matrix can be effective.
(Source: https://cdn.arthrex.io/image/upload/ba18f100-1307-4dba-ab02-35759f49b0cd.pdf)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Dan Collins
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