Superior Capsular Reconstruction Surgeon
Are you an athlete who participates in sports that involve throwing overhead? If so, you may be at risk of tearing your rotator cuff. When a rotator cuff tear cannot be repaired by traditional methods, a Superior Capsular Reconstruction (SCR) may be recommended. Superior Capsular Reconstruction surgeon, Dr. Mark Getelman provides diagnosis and both surgical and nonsurgical treatment options for patients in Los Angeles who have sustained a rotator cuff tear. Contact Dr. Getelman’s team today!
Superior Capsular Reconstruction as a
Rotator Cuff Tear Treatment
The shoulder is considered one of the largest and most complex joints in the human body. The shoulder’s anatomy is composed of numerous ligaments, tendons and muscles that allow a wide range of motion, including the rotator cuff. When a rotator cuff tear occurs from an injury, during sports activity or from an accident, the shoulder may experience decreased function. In certain patients, a rotator cuff tear can be very large and over time may atrophy and become irreparable months after a traumatic event or more commonly with a degenerative tear. Van Nuys, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks and Los Angeles, California orthopedic shoulder surgeon, Dr. Mark Getelman specializes in several of the State of the Art reconstruction options including Biologic Augmentation, Dermal Allograft Augmentation and Superior Capsular Reconstruction (SCR) for patients suffering from an irreparable rotator cuff tear.
What is an Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tear?
The rotator cuff contains four tendons, the subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus and teres minor. These four tendons work together, along with a number of muscles, to keep the humeral (upper arm bone) head concentric within the glenoid (shallow socket in the shoulder blade). When a tendon becomes torn from its attachment site, it causes patients to experience shoulder pain and limited function. With chronic tears, the rotator cuff atrophies and the humeral head cam migrate up from the socket leading to increased pain and weakness. Some large chronic tears can become scarred or the muscle can be irreversibly replaced by fat, leading to a stiff muscle that cannot contract.
An irreparable rotator cuff tear is characterized as a tear that Dr. Getelman cannot surgically reattached back to its original insertion location.
What is Superior Capsular Reconstruction?
When a rotator cuff tear cannot be repaired by traditional shoulder surgery methods, Dr. Getelman may recommend a fairly new technique called Superior Capsular Reconstruction (SCR).
Superior Capsular Reconstruction was introduced in 2007 as a shoulder surgery designed for patients suffering from an irreparable rotator cuff tear where shoulder arthritis has not set in. The goal of SCR is to reconstruct the superior capsule, upper part of the shoulder joint’s capsular lining, by utilizing a thick dermal patch. Using an arthroscopic approach performed by Dr. Getelman, the dermal patch is attached to the humeral head on one side and the top of the glenoid on the other side, as well as to the rotator cuff tendons in the front and back.
Superior Capsular Reconstruction has been effective at restoring mobility and improving function to a patient with an irreparable rotator cuff tear. Dr. Getelman will discuss the many potential benefits of this and other rotator cuff reconstruction options at a patient’s consultation.
To determine if Superior Capsular Reconstruction (SCR) is the ideal repair for your irreparable rotator cuff tear, please contact the Van Nuys and Westlake Village, California orthopedic office of Dr. Mark Getelman, shoulder surgeon.