By Sharon on Tuesday, January 01, 2002 - 08:41 pm:

I was just wondering if any one else has had a shoulder capsular shrinkage for multidirectional instability (Anterior and inferior) and had complications etc afterward. I had this procedure done on 28th August 2001 and since the surgery have had problems with 1 dislocation (while still immobilised, trust me !!) and now for about the last 2 months everytime my shoulder or body moves I can feel my shoulder CLUNK right through my body and I know this shouldn't be happening and it is a real instability feeling, almost like a subluxation but I didn't think was possible after this procedure. I am seeing my surgeon again on 14th Januray 2002 and am hoping that he can help me. Any help from anyone else would be greatly appreciated.

By Greg on Wednesday, January 02, 2002 - 04:12 pm:

There is one important questions I have for you that will more than likely explain whether this procedure will be a long term success for you or not. That question is: do you have EDS? If the answer is yes, then from the many sources that I have read say that this procedure ultimately will fail for EDS patients as the ligament will eventually return to its original size. If the original size is EDS-size, then that would spell more problems for your shoulder. My most effective treatment for multi-instability has definitely been prolotherapy. I have also had bankart repair on one of my shoulders, but that surgery only addresses one direction of stability. I a now havng prolo on the other aspects of that shoulder to address the other two directions of instability. Best of luck to you.

Greg

By Sharon on Wednesday, January 02, 2002 - 06:18 pm:

Greg,
i have been told that i have an EDS like disorder but do not fit the international diagnostic criteria for EDS as I have no stretchy or doughy skin. By the way Prolotherapy is not available in Australia as far as i know and I alsosuffer from another condition called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy which would preclude me from attempting prolotherapy anyway as it is a chronic pain condition of the sympathetic nervous system.
My surgery was only 3 months ago but I am thinking that it has failed already. I guess I will find out more when I see my surgeon in two weeks.
Thanx for your input.

By Hilary (Hilary) on Thursday, January 03, 2002 - 03:35 pm:

Hi Sharon,
I had a left shoulder capsular shrinkage surgery for multidirectional instability in August of 99. I was immobilized for a full month in a very uncomfortable brace that I had to wear 24 hours a day. By the end of the month I had almost no range of motion in my shoulder so it took a lot of physical therapy to work throught the scar tissue to get the motion back. I have to say I'm fairly pleased with the results of my surgery. I don't have the pain that I had before and I only lost a little range of motion. I do feel some pain in colder weather though and have some scar tissue that could be removed. I am concerned that my shoulder will "stretch" out again but I try not to do anything overhead and I avoid heavy lifting. I need the surgery on my right shoulder now, but I'm putting it off as long as I can. It was a good three months to recover from the surgery and probably six months before I really felt better.

I'm curious, how long were you immobilized for?

~Hilary

By Sharon on Thursday, January 03, 2002 - 05:01 pm:

Hilary
I too was immobilised for 4 weeks in an immobiliser sling but my problem is not with loss of motion (well I have lost nearly all external rotation and cannot put my arm behind my back) but my main problem is that it seems to sublux continously everytime i move my arm or my body (if my arm is still) it does this a lot more than before the surgery (I did dislocate more pre-surgery) but this constant subluxation feeling (it clunks all the time whenever my arm or body moves)is driving me nuts as it hurts in the moment that it clunks and it clunks about every 1/2 a minute etc. I know that rehab takes a long time and for me with my further complication of RSD it takes even longer but I dont think this constant feeling of subluxation is normal after an anterior and inferior capsular shrinkage 3 months post-op. It concerns me a lot, as it should be stable now and I personally dont think it is. It is almost worse even though it has only dislocated once post op and pre op it dislocated at least once a day, but if I am subluxing so often I am concerned that it will yet again escalate into full dislocations and at the new frequencey of these subluxations. I am also concerned that if it has failed that I will have to undergo the full open reconstruction to repair it as this is just imposible, and then I will be back to square one with rehab/pain etc.

Thanx for letting me get my worries out and have a bit of a winge!
Thanx for all help too it truly is appreciated.

By Hilary on Thursday, January 03, 2002 - 05:26 pm:

Sharon,
I'm so sorry to hear that your shoulder is continuing to sublux after your surgery. Unfortunately your shoulder condition now sounds like mine before my surgery. It used to sublux and clunk all the time. I would be interested to hear what the doctor tells you when you see him next. It sadly doesn't sound like it was as successful as it should be. Did he/she have experience with this surgery before you? I'm wondering also where your RSD is, is it in the same arm as your shoulder?

Well, hang in there and do everything you can to make sure that you get all of the medical attention necessary so that you feel better. Oh, and feel free to whine anytime! It really helps to let it out and it's even better knowing that other people out there can relate to how you are feeling.

By Sharon on Thursday, January 03, 2002 - 06:23 pm:

Hilary,
Yes my RSD is in my affected arm/shoulder. My surgeon had a lot of experience doing this form of surgery (he is an orthopaedic professor who specialises in shoulders)he reckons he also had experience with RSD and collagen disorders (but I am unsure of this now; as some of the things he wanted to do after my surgery are contraindicated in RSD and EDS etc). Thank you so much for talking with me and letting me know how your surgery went. I am looking forward to speaking with my surgeon on the 14th of January, to see what if anything can be done about this.

By Sharon on Monday, July 29, 2002 - 07:40 am:

I saw surgeon again recently and he says that i now have a Frozen shoulder and an impinged shoulder too (trust my body to go from loose and floppy to frozen and impinged ) Oh well we can't complain and must laugh and the weird and wonderful things our bodys put us through !!
Just to top this off it seem I have injured my knee again too (I get my MRI results tomorrow and will post more when I get the results)
Keep Happy one and All and remember thee are others who understand (and aren't we all greatful for that !)

By jaren price on Wednesday, March 19, 2003 - 06:58 pm:

Please read this! In the last year, I have had over 160 shoulder dislocations, and yes I have EDS. My 1st ortho had little experience with EDS, and did and arthroscopic procedure. It worked for 2 weeks, and then it started dislocating again...in my sleep, when I put it over my head, you name it. Then I saw an orthopedic surgeon at UCLA, Dr. Hame, who has toally reconstructed my shoulders back to "new"...meaning no dislocatiuons...yet I hope. She immobilized me in a brace that kept my arm 90 degrees infront of my shoulder, at an angle where no force could possibly dislocate your shoulder, in any way. I had to wear this for 24 hours for 8 weeks. This was pure hell, but i the end after physical therapy, I havent dislocated. It is not like a "normal" shouler, meaning compared to the pop w/out EDS. It is still stretchy and gets more stretchy everyday. I have to watch what I do, and lift weights to strengthen the muscles around the joint to compensate. If the muscles around the joint are strong, dislocation is harder. I still have a fear that it will happen again, but I am doing everything I can to avoid it.

By lexie on Monday, October 27, 2003 - 06:20 pm:

WOW! I am reading my own history here! I had an e-tack on the left shoulder that lasted three months max. i had an open reduction with two of the capsules tightened. It's called capsular shift I think. That shoulder is now useful and i can use the arm well. The brace was as you describe out in front at an angle 24/7, and pure hell! I too need it on my right and being right handed I just can't see surviving the recovery! I am facing patella problems now that are making a whole new definition of hell. Anybody had surgery on the knee?