Shoulder Surgery

A few years ago I hurt my shoulder playing golf.  A few days in a sling and taking Aleve got me back to a somewhat workable condition.  But every year my shoulder pain gradually returned, a little worse each time and lasting longer and longer until my range of motion without pain became severely restricted.   

Dr. Mark Ernst at the Saskatoon Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center (104-311 Ludlow St E Saskatoon, SK S7S 0A10, 306-651-0800) using ultrasound and xrays diagnosed calcium deposits in my shoulder and the need for some decompression and rotator cuff repair.  I agreed to surgery and a date was quickly booked at the Prairieview Surgical Centre in Saskatoon.    

Dr. Mark Ernst graduated from the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine in 1992. He completed his orthopedic residency at the University of Saskatchewan in 1997. In addition, he completed a Sports Medicine, Shoulder & Knee Fellowship at the University of Calgary Sports Medicine Center in 1998. He also completed a Diploma in Sports Medicine in 1999, and is an active member of the Canadian Academy of Sports Medicine. Dr. Ernst works as the orthopedic consultant for the Saskatoon Blades (WHL), Saskatoon Hilltops (CJFL) and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. Dr. Ernst is currently a clinical assistant professor in the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine. His clinical interest and expertise includes arthroscopic surgery of the knee and shoulder, ligament reconstruction, and athletic related injuries.

Prairieview Surgical Centre, Saskatoon

Prairie View Surgical Centre is set up to take over 7,000 surgery referrals a year from Saskatoon hospitals. The centre is owned by an Alberta-based private healthcare company called Surgical Centres Inc. which already runs four clinics in Alberta and B.C.  The Saskatoon centre has 7 operating rooms for certain types of procedures which helps to free up hospitals for more complicated surgeries.

CLICK THE LINK BELOW FOR A YOUTUBE VIDEO 

INSIDE MY SHOULDER DURING SURGERY

http://youtu.be/8W0W6HN3s7o

Sling and Cryotherapy five hours after surgery.

The surgery took an hour or so under a general anesthetic.  Other than nausea for a few hours after waking up, all went well.  Now I'm in this specially fitted sling for a couple of weeks and tied down for 2 out of every 3 hours with a cryotherapy cold treatment unit strapped to my shoulder,

The sling was custom fitted the day before surgery by specialists in the same office as Dr. Ernst and the cryptherapy unit can be purchased or rented from them, which I did, for two weeks.  

Bandages following arthroscopic surgery

Bulky bandages removed two days after surgery.