As the holiday season approaches, we at the Shoulder and Elbow Clinic want to extend our warmest wishes and a very Merry Christmas to all of our patients and their families. This is such an enjoyable time of year and we thank you for continuing to support us!
Now on to the fun stuff…
This year, our research staff have dedicated themselves to 2 projects that Dr. Spencer has been working on over the last few years, and we are thrilled to announce that both of these projects have been accepted for publication during this year. We are extremely proud of our dedicated research staff and all of their hard work throughout the year to get these studies submitted and accepted for publication. The studies can be found on our Research Page, but let’s break them down here:
The first study has been a years-long project examining the effectiveness of platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections for partial rotator cuff tears. Our study examined a group of patients who had received PRP injections and compared them to a group of patients with similar tear patterns who had rotator cuff repair surgery instead of a PRP injection. This study found no significant difference between the 2 groups, indicating that similar improvements to both pain and function could be achieved with a PRP injection instead of surgery. This study provides incredibly useful insights when determining how to treat patients with these specific partial rotator cuff tears, potentially treating the rotator cuff tear without having to have surgery. Click here to read the study’s pre-proof in it’s entirety.
The second study, published here, examined functional outcomes following a unique surgical technique developed by Dr. Spencer. The technique is a specific type of surgery called a biceps tenodesis. A biceps tenodesis involves moving a damaged biceps tendon from its starting point in the shoulder to a new location on the humerus that allows the muscle to work more efficiently. When performed at the same time as a rotator cuff repair, this procedure requires extra surgical anchors specifically for the biceps tendon. However, Dr. Spencer’s technique allows the biceps tenodesis to be performed with no extra hardware, saving healthy bone and allowing surgery to be performed for cheaper. Our study found that this technique provided substantial clinical improvement for patients, indicating this technique as a viable treatment option for patients needing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair AND biceps tenodesis.
In summary, both of these studies provide useful data to drive our belief in providing evidence-based care to all of our patients. The PRP study provides insights and directs treatment options for a very specific kind of rotator cuff tear, which could allow some patients to avoid surgery entirely. The biceps tenodesis paper confirms the effectiveness of Dr. Spencer’s novel surgical technique and ensures our patients are truly receiving the best of the best in evidence-based treatment, staying on the “cutting edge” of surgical innovation.
Once again, we thank you for your continued support and wish you and your family the warmest holiday wishes and a very Merry Christmas!
Congratulations. Dr. Spencer is the BEST Surgeon in the world!! He not only is VERY skilled, he truly cares about his patients. He takes the time to explain things and is a genuine nice guy. His staff us also first class.
Congratulations, Dr. Spencer. This is exciting progress and possibly timely in my own case.
You’re greatly appreciated!
Very interesting studies and I’m not surprised by the results! Dr Spencer is the best elbow/shoulder surgeon around and I’m so grateful and blessed to have had him as my surgeon!