Source: News Medical
Repairing torn shoulder muscles in elderly patients is often discouraged because of fears of complications. But a new study conducted at Rush University Medical Center has shown that minimally invasive, or arthroscopic, surgery can significantly improve pain and function.
The study has just been published online in Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery and will appear in the October issue.
“In people over the age of 70, pain is the main issue, and pain relief is a fairly reliable outcome after surgery,” said orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Nikhil Verma, who led the study. “Patients do not require that their shoulder function be fully restored. They just want the pain to be gone.” Verma is assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at Rush.
With that requirement, Verma said, “age is not a contraindication” for the surgery.