John C. Kagan MD – Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon

This Sunday, June 16, Dr. Kagan and staff will join families across the country in celebrating Father’s Day and thanking Dads – or other significant men in our lives, such as grandparents, step-fathers, uncles, teachersand mentors – for all they have done and continue to do for us.

This week, June 10-16, is also National Men’s Health Week and a perfect time to remind men to adopt healthier lifestyle habits, including eating healthy, exercising more, maintaining appropriate weight, not smoking and making sure they have an annual check-up with their physician.

Early detection is the key to preventing many illnesses and even has a role to play in greater awareness about orthopedic-related issues that affect men. As boomers push the boundaries for active, healthy aging, men of all ages are enjoying exercising, staying fit and participating in sports. This is a very positive trend, but at the same time, can put men at risk for sports-related overuse injuries that strain ligaments and tendons and stress joints and damage cartilage. Remind Dad to go easy on the joints and not ignore acute or chronic pain and tenderness.

Shoulder, hip and knee arthroscopic surgery are among the top 10 successful procedures in the U.S. every year. These procedures can be life-changing in reversing mobility and improving quality of life.

For more information about bone and joint health, visit www.kaganortho.com.

For people with severe shoulder pain, shoulder replacement surgery is usually the right choice once more conversation options such as injections and physical therapy fail to provide relief. Although not as common hip or knee replacement (about 900,000 patients every year versus 53,000 per year according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality), shoulder replacement is a very successful and effective procedure.

Who is  a candidate?

The typical candidate for shoulder replacement is someone whose shoulder joint has been severely damaged with osteoarthritis. Symptoms include shoulder weakness and loss of motion, pain that wakes them up at night and difficulty with even simple daily activities that require you to lift or use your arm.

What exactly is replaced?

The shoulder joint includes two bones: the upper arm bone, called the humerus, and the shoulder bone, or scapula. The tip of the humerus, which is shaped like a ball, fits into the part of the scapula that is shaped like a socket. During surgery, the ball of the humerus is replaced with a metal implant, and a plastic “cup” is inserted into the shoulder socket of the scapula. 

As the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons points out, patients with bone-on-bone osteoarthritis and intact rotator cuff tendons are generally good candidates for this procedure.

But patients who have osteoarthritis and a large rotator cuff tear that can’t be repaired by other methods, may find that traditional shoulder replacement may not be as effective. They may continue to have pain when they try to use their shoulder because of the poor condition of the rotator cuff muscles. Instead, those patients may benefit from a newer procedure called reverse shoulder replacement.

What is a reverse shoulder replacement?

Granted FDA approval in 2004, reverse shoulder replacement is done by “reversing” the implants.  This means attaching the metal ball implant to the shoulder socket and fixing the plastic socket to the end of the arm bone — the exact opposite of the traditional method.

Reverse shoulder replacement allows the shoulder joint to function using the deltoid muscles instead of relying oh the damaged rotator cuff muscles. The “delts” are the triangular muscles that form the rounded outer area on the upper arm.

Deciding who is a good candidate for shoulder replacement or reverse shoulder replacement requires the skill and knowledge of an experienced orthopedic surgeon, one who remains current with the latest technology. If you are having shoulder pain and would benefit from a consultation, call Dr. John Kagan at 239-936-6778 or go to www.kaganortho.com

A rotator cuff tear is a challenging shoulder injury that can cause a throbbing ache when you try to raise or lower your arm or lift an object. You might wake up at night in pain if you happen to roll over onto the affected shoulder while you’re sleeping.

What exactly is the rotator cuff?

According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the rotator cuff is a group of tendons that form a covering around the top of the humerus or upper arm bone. These tendons keep the arm in the shoulder socket by attaching the humerus to the shoulder blade. They allow you move your arm and shoulder in various directions.

What causes the rotator cuff to tear?

An activity that repeatedly overstresses the shoulder joint to the point of fatigue can tear one or more of the tendons, causing them to pull away from the shoulder bone. Avid tennis players, baseball pitchers and bodybuilders, as well as painters, carpenters and workers who lift heavy objects are particularly at risk. Falling onto a outstretched arm can also tear the rotator cuff.

But the normal wear and tear that affects the joints with age, such as bone spurs and poor blood circulation, can also weaken the tendons and make them more susceptible to tearing.

The first line of treatment may be ice, rest, anti-inflammatory medication and steroid injections. More severe injuries will need surgery to reattach the tendon to the humerus. Call the doctor if you’ve sustained an acute, traumatic injury or you have significant weakness, loss of function and pain.

To learn more about treating rotator cuff injuries, go to www.kaganortho.com/learn-more