2015-Rnd 3 Carlton vs Essendon

[LP]

Shoulder surgery is very hit and miss.
As part of my med student training I spent 3 months working in Beijing at a top orthopaedic hospital there.
One of the surgeons had recently returned from the US after doing 2 years of training, specifically in shoulder repairs. One day I was asking hime about it and asked him what was the main thing he learned, he laughed and said "don't have shoulder surgery, it doesn't work". Obviously he was being overdramatic for comedy sake, but the results are not great.

I'm not sure if Thomas had had shoulder problems in the past, but I wouldn't advocate surgical management for a shoulder after the first dislocation unless there was some serious strucural damage involved.

I know several people who've had shoulder surgery for issues ranging fro minor wear to complete frozen shoulders, mostly coming from rowing, cricket or football injuries. All of them tell me they would not have done it if they had known the sort of issues that would develop. Problems included further frozen shoulders, nerve damage, withered muscles, loss of sensations, loss of strength, feelings of instability, arthritis and pain.

From what I have gleaned going into the surgery they thought it was going to be a fix, a good as new scenario. It was a fix but not even close to good as new. It's was a fix like a hip replacement is a fix for someone who can no longer walk, sure they walk again but it's not the same as new!

The irony is that for several of my friends the surgery was described as a faster alternative to intense physiotherapy but not better than physiotherapy, so they really had the surgery as a sort of shortcut! A couple of them who had the surgery, and due to complications, ended up doing more physiotherapy than they would have done if they didn't have the surgery!