People are exercising more and working more jobs that involve repetitive shoulder motions, leading to an increase in shoulder injuries, according to MedlinePlus, a website from the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. A treatment option for these injuries includes shoulder arthroscopy; however, the surgery is not without risks. Damage to the nearby area of the neck and the carotid arteries in the neck is possible. Consult with your physician before making any decision regarding surgical treatment.
Procedure
Shoulder arthroscopy is a kind of surgery which uses an arthroscope -- a very small camera -- to look at or repair tissue in the joint of your shoulder. The surgeon will make a small incision in your skin and insert the arthroscope. Typically, arthroscopy is performed under general anesthetic, so you would be unconscious throughout the procedure. MedlinePlus adds, though, that sometimes, only regional anesthesia is used -- in this case, you would be awake for the procedure, but your shoulder area would be anesthetized so you would not feel any pain.
Risks
Any surgical procedure carries inherent risks. Possible risks associated with anesthesia include breathing problems or allergies to medicines. Surgical risks include bleeding, blood clot formation or post-surgical infection. Shoulder arthroscopy carries several specific risks -- these include failure of the shoulder repair to heal, continuing shoulder stiffness, shoulder weakness or injury to a nearby blood vessel or nerve. You can minimize the risks associated with shoulder surgery by following all pre-surgical and post-surgical advice and treatment suggested by your surgeon and primary health-care provider.
Carotid Injury
The carotid arteries are a pair of large blood vessels which run up and down your neck, functioning to supply blood to your brain. Although it is uncommon for a shoulder arthroscopy to affect the carotid arteries, it is possible that an arthroscope may injure or nick an artery during a procedure. An article in the January 2007 issue of the "American Journal of Rhinology" offers a report on carotid injury during sinus surgery and notes that although it is relatively rare, it can be managed on an emergency basis by using a balloon to stop the bleeding.
Neck Injury
MedlinePlus features patient guidelines for shoulder arthroscopy that indicate that this kind of surgery carries a very small risk of damage to the nerves, organs and tissues surrounding your shoulder joint. It is possible that during a shoulder arthroscopy, nerves or tissues which connect the neck area to the shoulder may be damaged by the motion of the arthroscope. Make sure to discuss all risks of the procedure with your doctor so you can identify them should they occur and you can make a more informed decision as to whether the procedure is right for you.
