Shoulder Care

We will help relieve your shoulder pain

The shoulder is one of the body’s most flexible joints, allowing the arm to move in almost any direction. But when any part of the shoulder’s complex structure becomes damaged, movement can be difficult and painful.

The skilled orthopedic specialists at Cape Cod Healthcare’s Total Joint Center are experienced at diagnosing and caring for common and complex shoulder conditions, including:

Diagnosis and treatment with MSK

Ultrasound (US) images of the musculoskeletal system provide pictures of the bones and soft tissue though out the body. This technology allows the radiologist to exam multiple joints in high resolution. It is an important tool used when diagnosing common ailments like bursitis and rotator cuff injuries. It is particularly effective in detecting diseases or conditions of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, fingers, ankle and foot.

In contrast, MRI provides a clearer picture of the entire joint, including bone abnormalities, cartilage and deep ligaments.

MSK US is a pain-free, non-invasive test that uses both technologies together. MSK US and MRI can be used separately or in combination.

When combined, MSK US is used to examine:

• Rotator cuff tendon injuries
• Shoulder bursitis
• Inflammation of the acromioclavicular joint
• Osteoarthritis of shoulder, hip, knee, ankle and hand.
• Achilles tendon tear
• Plantar fasciitis
• Plantar plate tear

MSK US as a treatment option

It can be used to guide therapeutic needle injections. This technology is also used to aid treatments for soft tissue or bone injuries:

• Therapeutic injection of hand, foot, ankle, knee, hip, elbow, wrist, fingers, shoulder joints
• Therapeutic injection of subacromial/subdelotid bursa
• Therapeutic injection of trochanteric bursa
• Therapeutic injection of ileopsoas bursa

Treatments for shoulder conditions

Our orthopedic specialists offer comprehensive care for shoulder conditions, beginning with careful diagnosis and a conservative approach. They’ll work with you to develop a customized care map designed to achieve the best possible outcome for your specific shoulder condition.

Treatments may include:

• Anti-inflammatory and pain medications
• Complementary medicine
• Massage
• Physical therapy
• Steroid injections
• Surgery, including shoulder replacement

Minimally invasive surgery

The board-certified orthopedic surgeons at CCHC are specially trained in arthroscopy and other muscle- and nerve-sparing procedures that use smaller incisions for faster recovery times and less pain.

• Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair
• Arthroscopic bone spur repair
• Arthroscopic acromioplasty for rotator cuff impingement
• Anterior shoulder dislocation repair
• Unstable shoulder reconstruction
• Total shoulder replacement (shoulder arthroplasty)
• Reverse total shoulder replacement

Reverse total shoulder replacement surgery

This innovative surgical technique available at CCHC reverses the more typical ball-and-socket shoulder joint procedure. Reverse shoulder uses the deltoid muscle to provide arm movement, rather than the torn rotator cuff. This makes the shoulder much more stable and offers relief to patients without a functioning rotator cuff who had few other treatment options in the past.