“it’s a big blow,” said david bell, the cincinnati reds’ manager. “obviously we’re going to miss him a ton. i have no idea how he was playing with it … trying to play this game with a torn rotator cuff. i was lucky enough to talk to the doctors. they were very clear this has to get done in order to get joey back healthy for next season. as much as we’ll miss him now, that’s kind of what i’m looking forward to.”
what is a rotator cuff?
the rotator cuff is a cluster of muscles and tendons around the shoulder joint, the
mayo clinic
explains.
the injury occurs when one of those muscles or tendons is torn from stress. it’s especially common in people who do work over their heads, such as painters or carpenters, or those who throw things or swing their arms extraordinarily hard, such as baseball players.
rotator cuff injuries are known to disturb sleep, and are often described as a deep, dull ache in the shoulder.
what happens during rotator cuff surgery?
rotator cuff surgery doesn’t last too long, usually around two hours.
during that time, a doctor will cut into the shoulder, with the exact location depending on the area of the tear, according to
johns hopkins school of medicine
.
from there, an arthroscope — a tiny tube with a video camera on the end — may be used to pinpoint the tear. there may be more cuts as well to properly insert other tools for gripping the muscle or cutting.
then, the actual repairs can start. the muscle or tendon will be repaired or replaced with a graft tendon from another part of the body, and bone spurs may have to be removed.
bone spurs are essentially tiny spikes that grow near joint damage. they can also grow at the base of the spine. oftentimes, they go undetected for years and don’t really cause too much damage.