Unique new procedure , new lease on life .
Unique new procedure , new lease on life .
It started when Lauren Iorio was 14 . “ I dislocated my shoulder while snow skiing . I had standard labral repair surgery that year ,” she said . “ I was good for a couple of years , but then it started dislocating again when I was playing basketball or soccer . It was really painful when it went out of joint . I would have to go to the emergency room to get it put back in place .”
The frequent dislocations resulted in a labral tear , which causes loosening of the shoulder , making it unstable .
The dislocations increased , but Lauren powered through them . Then she got married , and had kids . “ It got to the point that it would pop out just reaching for the seatbelt , or rolling over in my sleep . It was causing a lot of pain . I thought , my youngest is two and a half , he can walk . I ’ m a bedside nurse . I have to take care of my arm now .“
As luck would have it , her husband works for an orthopaedic company , and had recently watched Sam Akhavan , MD , AHN Director of Orthopaedics
Sports Medicine , perform a labral scaffold procedure , which is a minimally invasive , outpatient procedure that he developed to repair the damage caused by frequent dislocations , and stop them once and for all .
“ My husband came home that day and said , ‘ This is what you need . It ’ s perfect for you ,’” Lauren said . She made an appointment with Dr . Akhavan , and had an MRI , which showed bone loss and labral tear . Dr . Akhavan told her she had three surgical options . Standard labral repair , which has a high fail rate . Laterjet bone block treatment , which could increase her risk for developing arthritis . And the labral scaffold that he developed . They agreed on the labral scaffold .
“ Everything happened exactly as Dr . Akhavan said it would . It was the best thing I ’ ve ever done . I ’ m mad I waited so long because it ’ s exactly what I needed .”
Now her arm is stable enough to keep up with her three boys , and her patients . “ I ‘ m back to doing everything . I can reach up and over my head . I find myself not even paying attention to it . It feels normal , like there was never anything wrong with it .”
“ Everything happened exactly as Dr . Akhavan said it would . It was the best thing I ’ ve ever done .”
— Lauren Iorio