An innovative medical device makes shoulder surgery easier
Anthony Ferencik has felt the agony of a torn rotator cuff not once, but twice.
In the second instance, he hit a jump with his four-wheeler, landed awkwardly and felt the tendon rip as he hung on to the handlebars. After that, he says, “the pain became excruciating. I could barely lift my arm over my shoulder. I’d fall asleep at night and constantly wake up in pain whenever I shifted.”
Ferencik, who lives in Elk Grove, needed a second round of surgery to repair the new tear in his shoulder, but he wasn’t looking forward to the complicated procedure and its lengthy rehabilitation. When he discussed his options with Harry Khasigian, MD, an orthopedic surgeon affiliated with Methodist Hospital, he learned about an update in rotator cuff surgery— using a special system called the Opus Magnum—that would make the procedure easier and more effective.
How shoulder surgery works
The rotator cuff is made up of muscles and tendons that stretch over the shoulder’s ball-and-socket joint. “Rotator cuff tears are common for anyone who does repetitive overhead activities, like tennis players and pitchers, painters or construction workers,” says Dr. Khasigian. Some people recover with rest and physical therapy, while others need arthroscopic surgery to clean out the area.
Larger tears can be mended surgically by reattaching the tendon to the bone using sutures tied through the tendon and connected to anchors drilled into the bone. “Sewing a tendon to a bone is complicated, and it’s very awkward to perform surgery in this area,” explains Dr. Khasigian.
Surgery simplified
The Opus Magnum system simplifies this procedure. During Ferencik’s minimally invasive surgery, Dr. Khasigian used two special gunlike apparatuses to automate what he used to do by hand: grasp the tendon, stitch sutures into it, insert tiny implants, or anchors, into the bone and tie the sutures to the implant, effectively reattaching the tendon to the bone.
“The Opus Magnum makes this surgery a lot faster and causes less trauma to the shoulder area and tendon,” say Dr. Khasigian, “so tissue heals faster and patients have less pain and can start rehabilitation earlier. This device has made a big difference.”
“The results were tremendous for me, and I now have a full range of motion,” says Ferencik. “I do all kinds of outdoor recreation, from riding horses to four-wheelers, and I look forward to doing them without pain.”
GOT SHOULDER PAIN?
If you have shoulder pain when you reach down or over your head, talk to your primary care physician, who may refer you to an orthopedic surgeon. To find a qualified physician or surgeon, use our online physician directory or call Methodist Hospital’s tollfree physician referral line at 888.800.7688.
