Dr. Muffadal Gombera is a Board Certified & Fellowship-Trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, arthroscopy, and the treatment of injuries to the shoulder. At Fix My Shoulder, Dr. Gombera specializes in shoulder-specific conditions and treatments. He helps patients of different age groups. To know more about Dr. Gombera’s services, read below:
Shoulder Anatomy
The shoulder is the most flexible joint in the body enabling a wide range of movements including, forward flexion, abduction, adduction, external rotation, internal rotation, and 360-degree circumduction.
Shoulder Conditions
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Shoulder Arthritis
The term arthritis literally means inflammation of a joint but is generally used to describe any condition in which there is damage to the cartilage. Damage of the cartilage in the shoulder joint causes shoulder arthritis. Inflammation is the body's natural response to injury.
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Shoulder Injuries
Shoulder injuries in baseball players are usually associated with pitching. While this overhand throwing activity can produce great speed and distance for the ball, when performed repeatedly, can place a lot of stress on the shoulder. While pitching, the arm is thrown outward and backward to generate speed. This action forces the head of the humerus forward, stressing the surrounding ligaments and tendons. These stresses can lead to injuries, causing pain and inflammation.
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Rotator Cuff Tear
Typically, if you have a rotator cuff tear, you will feel pain in the front part of your shoulder that extends down your arm. Overhead actions such as lifting, reaching, or throwing can make the pain worse. You may also feel pain while sleeping on the affected shoulder. Feeling arm and shoulder weakness when you reach behind your back or perform routine tasks is also a common symptom.
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Shoulder Labral Tear
Injuries to your shoulder that tear ligaments can cause the labrum to be pulled off of the rim of the bone around the socket. This causes the ball of your shoulder to slide out of the socket, leading to misalignment or dislocation of the shoulder. The most common symptom of a labrum tear is a sharp popping sensation felt in your shoulder when you move your shoulder.
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Shoulder Impingement
Shoulder impingement is a common pain condition in active individuals, particularly as you get older and your bones become more susceptible to injury. This condition is similar to other shoulder injuries and is often associated with rotator cuff or shoulder bursitis.
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Shoulder Dislocation
Your shoulder joint is called a ball-and-socket joint because of the design of the shoulder. The ball-shaped top of your upper arm, or humerus, fits snugly into the socket of your shoulder blade. When the humerus “ball” becomes dislodged from the shoulder blade “socket,” a dislocated shoulder is the result.
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Frozen Shoulder
Your shoulder is made up of several moving parts encased in a connective tissue. When this connective tissue thickens, it tightens around the shoulder joint and restricts movement. Although there isn’t an exact known cause for frozen shoulder, it’s associated with periods of immobility in the shoulder region.
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Shoulder Fracture
A break in a bone that makes up the shoulder joint is called a shoulder fracture. The clavicle and end of the humerus closest to the shoulder are the bones that usually get fractured. The scapula, on the other hand, is not easily fractured because of its protective cover by the surrounding muscles and chest tissue. A shoulder fracture is usually diagnosed based on a thorough physical examination, and imaging studies such as X-rays and CT scans.
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Shoulder Pain
Pain in the shoulder may suggest an injury, which is more common in athletes participating in sports such as swimming, tennis, pitching, and weightlifting. The injuries are caused due to the over usage or repetitive motion of the arms.
Shoulder Procedures
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Rotator Cuff repair
Rotator cuff repair is a surgery to repair an injured or torn rotator cuff. It is usually performed arthroscopically. An arthroscope, a small, fiber-optic instrument consisting of a lens, light source, and video camera. The camera projects images of the inside of the joint onto a large monitor, allowing your doctor to look for any damage, assess the type of injury and repair it. Large rotator cuff tears may require open surgery.
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Shoulder Arthroscopy
Shoulder arthroscopy is a subset of shoulder surgery that Dr. Gombera performs using an arthroscope, a tiny surgical camera. Dr. Gombera inserts this camera into the shoulder through a small incision, allowing him to observe the injured area.
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Shoulder Joint Replacement
Arthritis of the shoulder can cause pain, swelling and stiffness in the joint. The condition is treated by removing the damaged articulating parts and replacing them with prostheses. Mufaddal Gombera, M.D.
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Minimally Invasive Shoulder Surgery
The minimally invasive approach is generally preferred when the problem can be rectified by replacement of only the humeral head. The benefits of minimally invasive surgery include less damage to the soft tissues and underlying muscles, enabling a faster recovery with less pain and a smaller scar. Blood loss during the surgery is also less and complications after the surgery are fewer when compared to the open technique.
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Shoulder Labrum Reconstruction
Traumatic injury to the shoulder, overuse of the shoulder associated with excessive throwing or weightlifting can cause a labral tear. It may also result from a weakened labrum due to aging.
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Shoulder Fracture Care
A break in the bone that makes up the shoulder joint is called a shoulder fracture. The clavicle (collarbone) and end of the humerus (upper arm bone) closest to the shoulder are the bones that usually are fractured.
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Treatment of Throwing Injuries of The Shoulder
Throwing injuries of the shoulder are injuries sustained as a result of trauma by athletes during sports activities that involve repetitive overhand motions of the arm as in baseball, American football, volleyball, rugby, tennis, track and field events, etc.
If you wish to be advised on the most appropriate treatment, please call to schedule an appointment or click to request an appointment online.
