 Great
Results with Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair
William T. Pennington, M.D.
The Orthopedic Institute of Wisconsin
When your job involves taking care of multiple children under the age of ten,
the thought of having major surgery and months of physical therapy is
devastating. That’s exactly what Jackson resident Lisa Borisch faced four years
ago when she tore the rotator cuff in her right shoulder. But thanks to William
Pennington, MD, a shoulder and knee specialist with Aurora Health Care in
Washington County, Lisa had surgery on a Friday and was caring for kids the
following Monday.
“When I first hurt myself, I went to an orthopedic surgeon in another town
who wanted to cut my shoulder from top to bottom,” recalls Lisa. “Although I was
in a lot of pain, I really didn’t want to go through that operation if I didn’t
have to. I tried physical therapy, and one day, a therapist suggested I make an
appointment with a new specialist in Washington County. That was my lucky day.”
At that time, Dr. Pennington had just completed a one-year fellowship in
arthroscopic shoulder surgery with the physician who actually pioneered the
technique. Although Dr. Pennington’s primary practice location was at St. Luke’s
Medical Center in Milwaukee, he and several colleagues in orthopedics had begun
bringing their services to Aurora Health Care facilities in Washington County.
At Aurora Medical Center in Hartford, they now perform the same state-of-the-art
surgeries they offer at St. Luke’s… like arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.
As a result of his training and experience, Dr. Pennington is one of few
physicians in Wisconsin who performs arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs. With
this minimally invasive approach to surgery, the physician makes four
quarter-inch-size incisions instead of a long, deep incision across the top of
the shoulder and through the muscles to get to the site of the injury. The
surgical instrument is an “arthroscope,” a pencil-thin tool equipped with a
light and camera lens that projects images inside the shoulder onto an overhead
monitor while the surgeon performs the needed repairs. It’s the same goal as
open surgery, but there is less trauma to surrounding muscles and tissue.
Patients experience a faster, more comfortable recovery with less scarring both
inside and out. Dr. Pennington feels that the arthroscopic technique also allows
surgeons to get a better look at all sides of the rotator cuff tear. “With an
open incision, we don’t get that three-dimensional view of the true anatomy,” he
says.
“We have seen excellent outcomes with Dr. Pennington’s arthroscopic rotator
repair,” says Rose Nelson, a physical therapist and supervisor of the Aurora
Rehabilitation Center in Hartford. “Patients come into rehab with much better
range of motion and they seem to move through the rehab process quicker.”
Lisa is a great example of arthroscopic surgical results withstanding the
test of time. “It’s been four years since my surgery and I’ve had no trouble at
all keeping up with my childcare children,” says Lisa. “I have full mobility of
my shoulder and no pain whatsoever. I can push, pull, lift and carry. I can even
cross monkey bars with the kids!”
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