• Shoulder

My work is concerned with traumatic and degenerative conditions that affect the shoulder such as arthritis, rotator cuff tears, calcium deposits and shoulder dislocation. Sports injuries include recurrent shoulder dislocation, bone loss of the glenoid and AC joint dislocation (acromio-clavicular joint). Many of these conditions are easily managed, but some require surgery.

The Cape Town LATARJET procedure involves carefully transfering the coracoid process to fill the defect in the glenoid socket. Care is taken with the shoulder capsule and to re-attach muscles that have traditionally been left to waste.

The reverse shoulder allows shoulder function to be restored even after massive rotator cuff tears and with arthritis.

• Elbow

Conditions that affect the elbow include tennis and golfers' elbow, arthritis, dislocation, instability, ulnar nerve entrapment, along with fractures.

A total elbow replacement for a flail elbow after a compex open fracture and with a brachial plexus injury.

• Wrist and Hand

Aside from trauma, the hand can be affected by Dupuytern's disease, carpal tunnel syndrome, ganglia, tenosynovits and arthritis as well as various lumps and swellings. Wrist fractures are commonly treated with plates that allow early movement and NO plaster at all - as a result, there is much less stiffness.

Early results after a complex wrist fracture treated by a volar locked plate under an arm block aneasthetic.

Some other examples of the range of conditions are below:-

Shoulder dislocation with bone loss of the glenoid. This usually requires a Latarjet procedure or similar.

AO elbow plated used for complex elbow fractures.

Complex forearm and wrist fracture that we treated with various plates, an elbow stabilisation...and plenty of physo!

Finger arthritis that was treated with a finger joint replacement.

If you have any questions or want more information - just ask! tim.cresswell@nhs.net