Shoulder & elbow surgery in Bromley

Your shoulders and elbows play an important role in many of your everyday activities and movements. Whether you are brushing your teeth, pulling on a pair of socks, preparing dinner or driving your car, your shoulders and elbows are actively involved in making these things possible.

Given the incredible function and movement the shoulder and elbow give to your arm, it is no surprise that any type of damage to them – whether through injury, disease or age-related wear and tear - can have a significant effect on daily life.

The Consultant Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons at The Sloane Hospital provide expert assessment and treatment for all shoulder and elbow conditions, helping people out of pain and back to better movement and function once more. They would be delighted to help you too.

The shoulder and elbow are both incredibly complex joints, and it is not surprising that even a small problem in them can cause symptoms. Common symptoms include:

• Pain
• Stiffness
• Weakness
• Feeling of instability
• Recurrent shoulder dislocations
• Pain at the end of the collarbone (clavicle)
• Unusual noises when moving the shoulder (like pops, grinding or clicks)

There are many conditions that can cause these symptoms, including:

• Osteoarthritis – causes the smooth cartilage lining the joint surfaces to break down, causing pain and stiffness in the joint. In its more advanced stages, joint replacement surgery may be required.
• Frozen shoulder – a common condition that can occur without any obvious cause. Progresses through three distinct phases (freezing, frozen, thawing) and causes pain and stiffness in the shoulder.
• Rotator cuff injury / tendon tear – the rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons surrounding the shoulder that help to keep it securely in position. Damage to the rotator cuff causes pain in the shoulder, often more noticeable when the arm is moved out to the side of body.
• Tennis Elbow – caused by overuse of the muscles involved in twisting motions.
• Golfer’s Elbow – caused by overuse of the muscles involved in gripping movements.
• Shoulder dislocations – if your shoulder dislocates once, it is more likely to dislocate again in the future. If frequent dislocations occur, you may need surgery to stabilise the joint.
• Bursitis - inflammation of a fluid-filled sac (bursa) in your elbow or shoulder. Can cause pain.
• Bicep tendon rupture – often causes a sharp pain at the shoulder or elbow, and you may develop bruising.
• Sports injuries – very common, ranging in severity from a relatively mild sprain to more significant damage to the bones or joints

The experienced Consultant Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons at The Sloane Hospital can help with all of these symptoms and conditions. If you would appreciate expert-led treatment, why not book your appointment online now?

Many shoulder and elbow problems can be treated without the need for any type of surgery. Non-surgical (conservative) treatments can often be very effective at relieving symptoms and resolving the problem. These treatments may include:

• Pain relief medication (analgesia)
• Physiotherapy
• Joint injections

If non-surgical treatments do not relieve your symptoms, surgery may be an option. Keyhole surgery (arthroscopy) can be used for many shoulder and elbow conditions. Using only very small cuts in the skin, pain and scarring is reduced and recovery is faster. For other operations, open surgery may be needed.

Rotator cuff tears can be repaired using keyhole surgery.

A frozen shoulder will resolve naturally over time, although this can sometimes be many months. Physiotherapy and/or joint injections can often help relieve symptoms and manage the condition until it resolves, but some people may not respond to these treatments. In these cases, hydrodilation (injection of a fluid into the joint space in order to break up scar tissue) or a keyhole surgical release can be helpful.

Where osteoarthritis in the shoulder or elbow is causing significant pain and restriction of movement, joint replacement surgery may be advised. Shoulder replacement surgery and Elbow replacement surgery can be done to replace the worn, damaged joint with a new artificial joint (prosthesis). There are different ways these can be done, and your consultant will discuss the most suitable option for you.

Whatever treatment you require, whether surgical or conservative, your consultant will tailor treatment to your specific requirements and what will give you the best result. They will always explain the options to you so that you can make an informed choice about treatment.

When you first meet with your consultant, they will ask you in detail about your symptoms.

They will carry out a physical examination of the affected area, and often of the whole arm, from shoulder to fingertips to help them assess the extent of any problem and to narrow down possible causes.

This may be all that is needed to make a diagnosis and plan treatment, although additional investigations may be required. Most commonly, this will be an X-ray of the shoulder or elbow to look for abnormalities in the bones. For soft tissue problems, such as a rotator cuff tear, ultrasound or MRI scan are extremely helpful. These can all be arranged for you on-site if required. be arranged. For some conditions nerve conduction testing may be helpful, and this is easily arranged.

Once the results of any tests are back, your consultant will meet with you again to discuss them with you and to talk through suitable treatment options.

Many of our patients live in and around Beckenham, while others travel from other parts of Kent or South East England to benefit from the expertise of our consultants.

You may be referred to us by your GP, physiotherapist or private medical insurance provider, or be recommended to us by a friend or family member. You can also choose to self-refer to get help sooner.

We treat people with private medical insurance and self-pay patients.

When you choose The Sloane Hospital for your shoulder or elbow treatment, you will benefit from:

• Access to a leading expert, ASAP – the Consultant Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons at The Sloane are highly experienced and cover the spectrum of shoulder and elbow treatments, from simple to complex. We can arrange an appointment for you without delay.
• Convenient appointments – with appointments with a leading expert available throughout the week, you will be able to book a time that’s convenient for you. We can also provide remote consultations by telephone or video call if required.
• An experienced team – your consultant is aided in their work by a team of healthcare professionals, including radiologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, anaesthetists and nurses. Fast access to this wider team ensures you will always see the most appropriate specialist for your needs. If referral is needed to another specialist, for chronic pain management for example, this is easily done.
• Superb aftercare – If you do need any type of shoulder or elbow surgery, access to a guided rehabilitation programme is vital in helping you to recover function, movement and strength in your arm and shoulder. Our experienced team will support you after treatment, guiding you through exercises and physical therapy to help you recover at a sensible pace.

For peace of mind and known expert care for your shoulder or elbow problem, why not book your appointment online today?