The shoulder is anatomically designed to be the most flexible joint in the body. A healthy shoulder can move to the side, front and back of the body. While the make up of the shoulder allows flexibility, it also makes it prone to injury. A majority of shoulder problems are treated conservatively; however a patient with an advanced shoulder condition or injury may need surgery. A patient undergoing shoulder surgery should be aware of the possible complications.
Infection
A surgeon may choose to perform arthroscopic surgery, in which small incisions are used for a camera and small surgical tools, or he may choose to perform open shoulder surgery, states MayoClinic.com. Regardless of the type of surgical procedure, infection of the surgical wound, shoulder joint or systemic infection in the patient is a possible complication. This occurs because bacteria on the patient’s skin, surgical tools or surgeon can enter the wound site and cause an infection. Left untreated, infection can spread into the shoulder joint or spread through the bloodstream to other parts of the body. Thus, a patient should immediately let his surgeon know if he has redness, warmth, swelling, excessive pain or drainage from the wound site. Fever, chills or night sweats are signs that an infection may have spread to other parts of the body. Early treatment is necessary to prevent further complications.
Nerve Damage
A patient undergoing shoulder surgery may experience nerve damage, states the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS). This is a possible complication because nerves pass from the neck through the shoulder and into the arm. Thus, shoulder surgery increases the risk of damage to an arm nerve resulting in numbness, tingling, pain or weakness of the arm or hand. In this case, a patient should immediately let his surgeon know of the symptoms he is experiencing. Surgery may be necessary to repair the damage.
Excessive Bleeding
Excessive bleeding is a possible complication of shoulder surgery, according to the AAOS. This occurs because shoulder surgery increases the risk of damage to blood vessels in the shoulder, which can bleed excessively if damaged. Furthermore, patients taking aspirin or other blood-thinning medications are at risk of excessive bleeding after shoulder surgery. Therefore, a patient should let his doctor know of any blood-thinning medications he is taking so they can be discontinued before surgery. After surgery, he should look for signs of excessive bleeding that include swelling, excessive pain in the shoulder joint and excessive oozing of blood from the surgical site.
Member Comments