At Home with Dr Christian Jessen - 339

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| PROMOTION|

'The shoulder is a very
mobile joint, allowing
you to undertake
a wide variety of
activities - but
this also means it's
susceptible to injury'
that they find it difficult sleeping on the affected
side. Treatment for this is usually physiotherapy
but you may require steroid injections into
your shoulder in order to facilitate your
rehabilitation. However, some cases do
not respond very well and this will be the time
that you will be referred to a shoulder specialist
for arthroscopic (keyhole) surgery. This will
usually be undertaken as a day-case and
recovery will be around eight to 12 weeks.'

Rotator cuff tears

'These present in a similar manner to shoulder
impingement and can occur without any
history of injury to the shoulder. Small tears
respond well to physiotherapy but failure
to regain a significant range of movement with
physiotherapy may indicate a larger tear.
'In my practice,' continues Mr Cheng,
'I would normally arrange a scan of your
shoulder to confirm the presence of a tear as
well as to gather more information regarding
the possible outcomes of surgery, which would
be an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. The
rehabilitation can take up to a year.'

Calcific tendonitis

'In this condition the inflammation of the rotator
cuff muscles is due to the presence of calcium
deposits. Currently, we do not know why this
happens but it can cause bouts of severe
intense pain in the shoulder. The condition
has a natural history and will improve with
time but this can take a while to resolve.
'Physiotherapy and steroid injection may
alleviate some of the symptoms but if the pain
remains significant then you may need to have
the calcium deposits removed arthroscopically.'

Frozen shoulder (aka
adhesive capsulitis)

'This happens when the capsule that surrounds
your shoulder becomes inflamed and tight
resulting in loss of movement in your shoulder.
This can cause severe pain especially at
nighttime and most will describe the pain
as being constant aggravated by certain
movements such as reaching out to the side
and the inability to reach your back.

21100-104736 KennethCheng DPS.indd 31

MEET THE
EXPERT

Mr Kenneth
Cheng (MD,
MBChB,
MRCSEd, FRCSEd
(Trauma & Orth)
Having qualified from the University
of Glasgow Medical School in 1998,
Mr Cheng completed his orthopaedic
training in west Scotland and was
awarded the Inter-Collegiate Specialist
exam in Trauma and Orthopaedics
in 2010. 'My clinical practice is
exclusively in upper limb surgery,'
says Mr Cheng. 'Assessing and
treating conditions affecting the
shoulder, upper limb, wrist and hand.'

'There is currently research looking at the
possible causes of this condition but it is
more common in those who have diabetes.
All cases will resolve with time but this can
take up to two or three years. Physiotherapy
and steroid injections may help control your
symptoms. I will often discuss arthroscopic
surgery with the patient if their symptoms
are severe, as surgery will, in most cases,
improve the pain levels and ultimately result in
gaining a greater range of movement.
'These are only a few of the most common
conditions affecting the shoulder. There are,
of course, injuries such as shoulder instability
which can occur after shoulder dislocations
or in those involved in repetitive overhead
activities such as tennis and baseball. Severe
arthritis could be treated with a replacement.'

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Mr Kenneth C K Cheng (Ltd) MD, MBChB,
MRCS(Edin), FRCS (Edin)
Email mr.kenneth.cheng.ayr@gmail.com
Call 07747 507567
THE AYR HOSPITAL,
Dalmellington Road, Ayr KA6 6DX
Call 01292 614861
BMI CARRICK GLEN HOSPITAL
Dalmellington Road, Ayr KA6 6PG
Call 01292 288882
BMI ROSS HALL HOSPITAL
221 Crookston Road, Glasgow G52 3NQ
Call 01418 103151
GLASGOW NUFFIELD HOSPITAL
25 Beaconsfield Road, Glasgow,
Scotland G12 0PJ
Call 01415 301241

22/01/2015 12:14
At Home with Dr Christian Jessen

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