Need a mesothelioma lawyer? We will fight for you!
› $150,000,000 verdict in personal injury case
Deciding to have rotator cuff surgery can be trying decision. On one hand, it can relieve pain and increase mobility in the shoulder. But shoulder surgery can carry risks, some that may worsen the condition and may require more surgery. Before choosing to go under the knife, consider your options, says the e-zine Revolution Health.
Swimming is often touted as the perfect exercise, working several muscles throughout the body with such low impact that it makes injuries less likely than in other sports. But a recent study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine reported that 71 out of 80 elite male swimmers experienced shoulder pain. The pain from this “swimmers shoulder” comes from either tendonitis or from the pinching of the rotator cuff muscle. The culprit? Repetitive overhead movements, such as those from the main swimming strokes such as freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke and backstroke.
Pain pumps are devices used to deliver a steady amount of medication to a wound site for up to 72 hours following surgery. They are often used in shoulder surgery. The balloon-shaped part of the device rests outside the body and is attached to catheters that feed into the shoulder tissue. Once the medication has been used, patients are instructed to simply pull out the catheter.
Three decades ago, Chuck Short dislocated his shoulder joint while pole-vaulting. The nagging pain and limited use eventually led his doctors to recommend a total shoulder replacement. Much had changed in the 30 years since Short originally injured his shoulder. Back then, he would nave needed to stay in the hospital for three to five days. But thanks to innovations in medical technology, Short was able to go home a mere two hours after surgery. The reason? A pain pump that rested outside his body but had a tiny catheter that fed into his wound site. The pump administered gradual doses of Novocaine into his shoulder for up to 72 hours.
Pain pumps are devices designed to deliver medication directly into the surgical site to manage pan after surgery. While effective for pain management, physicians began seeing more and more patients suffering from a debilitating condition known as chondrolysis following use of shoulder pain pumps. This concern was validated in a recent study by The American Journal of Sports Medicine, which identified a specific type of chondrolysis, Postarthroscopic Glenohumeral Chondrolysis (PAGCL), associated with the use of shoulder pain pumps. As a result, hundreds of people harmed by the devices have filed suit against the manufacturers of pain pumps.
Pain pumps are devices that are used to deliver medication to a surgical site. Medication is stored in a balloon that rests outside the body. A catheter is fed from the balloon and implanted into the surgical site, where it delivers medication for up to 72 hours. Once all the medication has been released, the patients simply pulls the catheter out.
Intra-articular pain pumps were never meant to harm people. But according to mounting lawsuits against the makers of pain pumps, the manufacturers knowingly put patients at risk.
Four complaints have been filed in federal court in Philadelphia against Stryker Corp., maker of medical devices including postoperative pain pumps, for causing serious arthritis. The Kalamazoo, Michigan-based company is accused of actively concealing or misrepresenting information about the safety and efficacy of its pain pumps.
![[ Beasley Allen Law Firm Logo ]](http://www.painpump.net/wp-content/themes/system-unity/images/logo.png){kind=logo}