Shoulder arthroscopy - Dr. Michael Lehmann

Shoulder arthroscopy - conservative and safe

Arthroscopies nowadays have a valuable role to play in the diagnosis and treatment of shoulder problems. On the one hand, they allow the joint to be examined in detail from inside using a miniature video camera and the previously assumed diagnosis to be confirmed. On the other, many injuries can be treated very conservatively with arthroscopic procedures, since only small holes are required in the skin or joint capsule.

High quality through performance medicine

Well-conducted shoulder arthroscopies require the operator to have a high degree of skill and experience in the field of shoulder conditions, of the type found among doctors practising in specialist shoulder centres. At the Athletikum Group, around 800 shoulder arthroscopies are carried out each year.

Before you undergo shoulder arthroscopy, find out how many such procedures your doctor carries out a year.

What can a shoulder arthroscopy be helpful for?

Arthroscopies can be useful for a number of shoulder problems, such as calcium deposits, impingement problems, tears of the rotator cuff, shoulder instabilities, restrictions of shoulder movement (frozen shoulder) and also in the early stages of osteoarthritis of the shoulder.

Are shoulder arthroscopies painful?

The shoulder arthroscopy itself is carried out under gentle and shallow general anaesthesia in combination with a pain block (partial anaesthesia), and therefore does not cause any pain. Even after the procedure, there are no or very few problems, since no major procedures are required of the type that are performed in open shoulder surgery. The joint can therefore be put back in use again very early. Scars are barely visible. Virtually all shoulder arthroscopy procedures can be carried out as day cases.