Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Much has been reported lately about chondrolysis of the shoulder, or Postarthroscopic Glenohumeral Chondrolysis (PAGCL). So what is chondrolysis and why is it getting so much face time? Chondrolysis is the destruction of the cartilage in a joint. It is generally a rare condition anywhere in the body, but it has been most often heard of in hip joints most often from birth defects. Before the 1990s, chondrolysis in the shoulder was never seen.

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Patients who used pain pump devices to relieve pain from shoulder surgery are at risk for permanent joint damage, according to recent studies. Pain pumps are balloon-like devices that are filled with anesthetics that deliver medication directly into the surgical space via a catheter. The medication is slowly released into the joint space for up to 72 hours following surgery and then the catheter is removed by the patient.

While this use of pain pumps was a convenient way to relieve pain from surgery, it also resulted in a surprisingly high number of cases of a painful and debilitating deterioration of cartilage in the shoulder joint known as chondrolysis, specifically Postarthroscopic Glenhumeral Chondrolysis (PAGCL). The condition is permanent and many who suffer from it require shoulder replacement surgery.

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Gregg Zaun will have shoulder surgery next week, which will end the season early for the Milwaukee Brewers catcher. It may also mark the end of his career. “I’m not in a situation anymore where I need to play. I don’t need to play. I don’t need to play Major League Baseball to validate myself as a person,” Zaun said before the Brewers’ game against the Chicago Cubs. “Do I want to play? That’s a different story. It’s too uncertain to tell. I’m really upset about having surgery and my season being over.”

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