Shoulder procedures with Dr. Andrew Dold
Dr. Andrew Dold is a board-certified sports medicine surgeon in Frisco, Texas, who performs arthroscopic (minimally invasive) shoulder surgery for athletes and active adults. Most shoulder problems are treated first without surgery; when surgery is needed, the goal is to relieve pain and restore strength and motion.
- Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: reattaching torn tendons to the bone
- REGENETEN bioinductive implant: a collagen implant used with selected rotator cuff tears
- TENDON SEAM rotator cuff repair: a newer knotless repair that sews the tendon to bone with a continuous seam of small anchors
- Shoulder stabilization (labral repair): for dislocations and instability
- SLAP and biceps tendon repair: for labral and biceps injuries in overhead athletes
- Subacromial decompression: for impingement that has not improved with therapy
- AC joint surgery: including distal clavicle resection for AC joint arthritis
- Clavicle fracture fixation: for significantly displaced collarbone fractures
See all shoulder and elbow conditions or request an appointment.
Choosing the right shoulder treatment
Most shoulder pain improves without surgery. When surgery is the right choice, Dr. Dold performs it arthroscopically (through small incisions), usually as outpatient surgery. Here is what the research shows for some of the most common shoulder problems.
Rotator cuff tears
Not every tear needs repair. For small and medium tears, a randomized trial with 10 years of follow-up found better results after tendon repair than with physiotherapy alone.1 Cortisone injections may give small, short-term relief for rotator cuff pain.2 Dr. Dold considers your age, the size of the tear, your strength and your goals before recommending surgery. See rotator cuff tears.
Shoulder dislocations
After a first dislocation, the chance of the shoulder dislocating again is higher in younger patients and in men, according to a review of the research.3 For young athletes in contact sports, early stabilization surgery is often discussed; many other patients do well with rehab first. See shoulder dislocation.
SLAP tears
In a randomized trial of type II SLAP tears in patients who were mostly in their 40s, neither labral repair nor biceps tenodesis did better than a sham operation.4 For most adults, therapy comes first, and surgery is reserved for selected patients, such as overhead athletes whose symptoms continue despite rehab.
Recovery
After rotator cuff repair or stabilization surgery, the arm is usually in a sling for several weeks, followed by months of physical therapy to restore motion and strength. Dr. Dold reviews your recovery timeline before surgery so you can plan for work, sport and daily life.
Research cited
- Moosmayer S, Lund G, Seljom US, et al. At a 10-year follow-up, tendon repair is superior to physiotherapy in the treatment of small and medium-sized rotator cuff tears. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2019;101(12):1050-1060. PubMed
- Buchbinder R, Green S, Youd JM. Corticosteroid injections for shoulder pain. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2003;(1):CD004016. PubMed
- Olds M, Ellis R, Donaldson K, et al. Risk factors which predispose first-time traumatic anterior shoulder dislocations to recurrent instability in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2015;49(14):913-922. PubMed
- Schrøder CP, Skare Ø, Reikerås O, et al. Sham surgery versus labral repair or biceps tenodesis for type II SLAP lesions of the shoulder: a three-armed randomised clinical trial. Br J Sports Med. 2017;51(24):1759-1766. PubMed
This page is general information, not medical advice for your situation. Individual results vary.
Dr. Dold is a consultant for Smith+Nephew. REGENETEN and TENDON SEAM are trademarks of Smith+Nephew or its affiliates.
