Shoulder Reconstruction

David Carney made a successful return to football this week after under going a shoulder reconstruction 9 weeks ago. The Sydney FC speedster was a welcome return starting off the bench and scoring a goal to the relief of the coach and supporters.

Shoulder Reconstruction surgery is usually reserved for people that have recurrent dislocations of the shoulder or elite athletes who need to use their shoulder for contact and collision sport. It is for this reason that elite level rugby players or up and coming juniors will tend to forgo the season after a shoulder dislocation and opt for surgery and 6 months of rehabilitation.

Shoulder reconstruction surgery involves having a general anaesthetic and can be done using an open or arthroscopic (key-hole) approach. Shoulder surgeons will tighten the shoulder capsule and/or repair cartilage in the shoulder to make the joint more stable. A period of 6-12 weeks in a sling is needed to protect the repaired capsule.

Open shoulder reconstruction traditionally has been used as the treatment of choice in elite level shoulder repairs, but more recently the advances in arthroscopic surgery have decreased the re-dislocation rate of this procedure. A redislocation rate in shoulder reconstruction surgery sits around the 5% mark, but is dependant on surgeon and technique. A shoulder that is not operated on after a dislocation and the patient returns to a collision sport will usually produce a redislocation rate approaching 100%.

Once surgery is undertaken, a rehabilitation program is mandatory with frequent visits to a physiotherapist to improve range of motion, strength and scapular control. Fortunately for David Carney, a shorter rehab period was needed. Lets hope the only tackling he undertakes is with his feet.