Rotator Cuff Surgeon Los Angeles

Rotator Cuff Specialist

Shoulder Specialist and Rotator Cuff Surgeon in Los Angeles, CA

As a shoulder specialist, Dr. Mark Getelman visits with countless patients living in the greater Los Angeles, California area each year who report shoulder pain, weakness, instability and other bothersome symptoms. With his offices in Van Nuys and Westlake Village, he is easily accessible. Shoulder injuries are quite common and may be caused by a traumatic event, overuse or the natural aging process. One of the most commonly injured structures within the shoulder is the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff allows the shoulder to rotate upward, inward and outward. Consistently recommended by former patients and his peers in the orthopedic and primary care communities, Dr. Getelman is considered one of the rotator cuff surgeons in Los Angeles.

An Overview on Shoulder Function

The shoulder is classified as a ball-and-socket joint and is the most mobile joint in the human body. The head of the humerus (upper arm bone) is the ball portion and the scapula (shoulder blade) is the socket portion. A complex system of bones and soft tissue structures work in unison to provide shoulder stability and motion during everyday, work and athletic activities.

The rotator cuff is an often injured soft tissue structure composed of four muscle-tendon units that surround the shoulder joint and act like a “cuff” on a shirt sleeve. This structure plays an important role in shoulder function and stability.

An injury to the soft tissues within the shoulder joint often causes patients to experience pain, swelling, instability, stiffness and loss of mobility. Many patients, especially athletes and laborers, often ignore injury symptoms in order to continue their sport or job duties. It is highly recommended that patients with ongoing symptoms visit a shoulder specialist so the injury can be diagnosed and treated before it leads to a chronic and often disabling condition.

Shoulder Specialist Diagnosing and Treating Shoulder Injuries

Many shoulder injuries occur to the soft tissue structures within the joint, including the ligaments, tendons and muscles. Athletes and workers who perform repetitive overhead motions are at a higher risk of injury, especially involving the rotator cuff.

Dr. Getelman, shoulder specialist in Greater Los Angeles, specializes in these shoulder conditions:

• AC joint injury
• Biceps tendon tears and dislocations
• Dislocated shoulder
• Frozen shoulder
• Pectoral tear
• Rotator cuff injury
• Shoulder impingement
• Shoulder instability
• SC joint injury
• SLAP and labral tears
• Shoulder fractures and arthritis
• Snapping scapula

Rotator Cuff Surgeon in Los Angeles Offers Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures

Dr. Getelman typically begins treatment of a shoulder injury with non-surgical measures. If the shoulder injury is too severe or does not heal with non-operative treatment, a minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery may be recommended to return full shoulder function.

Dr. Getelman offers these arthroscopic shoulder procedures:

• AC joint repair
• Arthroscopic glenoid and rotator cuff augmentation
• Dermal Matrix Allograft
• Superior Capsular Reconstruction
• Bankart repair
• Biceps tenodesis
• Cartilage restoration
• Dislocated shoulder surgery
• Bone Block and Latarjet procedure
• Rotator cuff repair
• Shoulder arthritis decompression and debridement
• Subacromial decompression

Los Angeles rotator cuff surgeon, Dr. Getelman is actively involved in research on various rotator cuff repairs. He is recognized as one of the world’s most respected rotator cuff authorities on single row arthroscopic rotator cuff repair as it compares to a double row option, as well as dermal matrix allograft for rotator cuff augmentation and reconstruction. He also offers PASTA repair, and the newest innovative surgical options of superior capsular reconstruction, bioinductive bovine augmentation and the orthospace-bioabsorbable balloon.

If you live in the Van Nuys, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks and Los Angeles, California communities and are searching for a shoulder specialist, contact the orthopedic office of Dr. Mark Getelman. As a rotator cuff surgeon in Los Angeles, Dr. Getelman strives to return patients to normal activities as quickly as possible following a shoulder injury.