Delray Medical Center is offering a new shoulder replacement technique that preserves part of the rotator cuff, which the hospital’s orthopedic surgeon says can help some patients return to activity sooner.
The procedure, called “Inhance Intact,” keeps the subscapularis tendon, a part of the rotator cuff, in place. Dr. Vani Sabesan, an orthopedic surgeon at the hospital, said the approach avoids cutting through muscle, which traditional shoulder replacement often requires. That can mean less pain and fewer movement restrictions after surgery, she said. Patients can begin moving the shoulder the next day.
Sabesan said active people can often return to their routines within two to six weeks. The operation takes about one to two hours and is mainly for patients with shoulder arthritis. She said it suits active adults of all ages, including patients in their 80s.
One patient, Stephen Wolfe, a former Penn State cheerleader who lives with arthritis pain, said he had put off surgery for years because he feared a long recovery. He said he is now pain-free for the first time in 14 years and is back to going to the gym.
