Shoulder & Elbow Surgery

OrthoColorado Hospital shoulder surgeons are able to treat many shoulder conditions through arthroscopic procedures. Arthroscopy involves inserting a small camera and instruments through small incisions to view, diagnose, and repair the shoulder joint, surrounding ligaments, and tissues. These minimally invasive techniques decrease post-operative pain and allow for a faster recovery.

The most commonly torn tendon in the human body is a muscle called the supraspinatus. It’s one of the tendons that make up the rotator cuff. The treatment for a rotator cuff injury will vary depending on whether or not the tear is degenerative or acute and the severity of the tear and pain. For those patients with acute tears, there is a small window of time to reattach an acute tear in a robust fashion. The majority of rotator cuff repairs that require surgery at OrthoColorado Hospital are fixed through the arthroscope, but for those patients with extreme tears or damage, our surgeons perform shoulder replacements and a newer procedure where the superior capsule is reconstructed.

Superior Capsule Reconstruction is only performed in a small number of hospitals throughout the country. OrthoColorado Hospital was one of the first centers to offer the procedure.

If shoulder pain caused by impingement is not resolved through physical therapy and nonoperative treatments, surgery may be considered to create more space for the rotator cuff. This may entail removing bone spurs. OrthoColorado Hospital specialists have extensive experience removing inflamed tissue and the portion of the acromion bone that is causing pain and irritation to the rotator cuff.

At OrthoColorado Hospital, we take on the most difficult cases. Many surgeons are not willing to perform revision shoulders. Our team is committed to bringing patients with failed shoulder replacements relief. We have had the opportunity to treat and offer relief to many individuals from around the United States who were suffering with poor results from prior shoulder joint replacements.

The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint surrounded by muscles and ligaments that help it move in many directions. Our shoulder specialists replace the damaged ball with a new ball of cobalt chrome that is attached to a stem and the damaged socket with a plastic one to give patients a smooth and full range of motion. The procedure is exceptionally effective at minimizing pain and maximizing function.

OrthoColorado Hospital offers a breakthrough to patients suffering with large rotator cuff tears and/or previously unsuccessful shoulder replacements. For these patients, a regular total shoulder replacement would fail. Our surgeons perform reverse total shoulder replacements where the socket and metal ball are switched so that the metal ball is attached to the shoulder bone and a plastic socket is attached to the upper arm bone. By reversing the components, the patient uses the deltoid muscle instead of the damaged rotator cuff to lift the arm.

OrthoColorado Hospital shoulder surgeons are experts at providing stability to individuals who repeatedly dislocate their shoulders. If the patient is young (teens, 20s and 30s) and the injury is only a labral tear, our specialists can often repair the tear arthroscopically. Most of these patients will have a full range of motion after surgery.

Unfortunately, each time the shoulder dislocates, additional damage can occur to the joint. At OrthoColorado Hospital, our specialists provide surgical relief to patients who dislocate their shoulder repeatedly. The instability of the shoulder joint can become so severe that dislocations can occur while a person is sleeping or even when they sneeze. To give stability and range of motion back to the people with severely damaged shoulders, our surgeons may perform what is called a Latarjet surgery. The complex procedure requires an open surgery that involves harvesting bone and tendon from the shoulder blade and transferring it to the side of the shoulder socket.

OrthoColorado Hospital specializes in arthroscopic elbow surgeries. Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive way to perform surgery inside the elbow joint without making a large cut. Instead, our surgeons create a few small incisions around the elbow. A small tube with a camera and light is inserted into one of the incisions while small instruments are inserted into the other incisions to remove damaged tissue, smooth rough surfaces in the joint, repair damaged tendons and more. Because arthroscopic surgery is less invasive than traditional open surgical procedures, patients who choose elbow arthroscopy at OrthoColorado Hospital experience faster healing, lower infection rates, and reduced pain and scarring.

The elbow surgeons at OrthoColorado Hospital perform more total elbow replacement surgeries than any other hospital in Colorado. Elbow replacement surgery is rare and should only be performed by a surgeon who performs the surgery regularly. We offer this surgery to patients with severe arthritis or a serious fracture. The procedure replaces the damaged parts of two elbow bones with artificial components. The two parts are then connected using a hinge pin that gives the joint stability. OrthoColorado Hospital is one of the few places that performs the surgery with the triceps tendon intact, making the recovery for patients much easier. OrthoColorado Hospital also performs limited elbow replacements for patients who only need one surface of the joint replaced.

When one or more of the three bones that make up the elbow are fully out of place, the broken bones have cut through the skin (open or compound fracture) or the elbow joint is no longer functioning, our elbow specialists can help. OrthoColorado Hospital is a leading provider in the treatment of elbow fractures, from simple to complex. Our experienced surgeons will restore the broken bone to its original position and apply a fixation device, such as pins, plates or screws, to hold the bone or bone fragments in place while they heal.

At OrthoColorado Hospital, we recommend surgery to repair a partial or full distal biceps tendon tear be performed within three weeks of the injury. A torn bicep tendon at the elbow will not grow back to the bone and heal. The minimally invasive surgery to reattach the tendon is performed through a small incision in the elbow.

Tommy John Surgery Tommy John surgery (named for the first baseball pitcher to have the surgery) to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is highly specialized. OrthoColorado Hospital surgeons are recognized as experts in Tommy John surgery. UCL injuries are common among baseball players or other athletes who play throwing sports. When this ligament tears completely, the only option that will allow the athlete to continue playing their sport is to reconstruct the ligament. During this procedure, the UCL is replaced with a tendon graft taken from elsewhere in the body. At OrthoColorado Hospital, the tendon is placed from side-to-side and secured with several specialized implants in order to allow for a more aggressive rehabilitation.