Rotator Cuff Repair
Arthroscopic reattachment of a torn rotator cuff tendon back to the humeral bone using suture anchors — restoring shoulder strength, stability, and pain-free overhead function.
What is Rotator Cuff Repair?
The rotator cuff consists of four muscles and their tendons (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis) that surround the shoulder joint, providing dynamic stability and enabling rotation, elevation, and internal/external rotation of the arm. Rotator cuff tears — whether from acute injury or chronic degenerative wear — cause persistent shoulder pain, weakness, and inability to lift the arm. Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair uses suture anchors inserted into the bone to reattach the torn tendon back to its footprint on the greater tuberosity. The procedure is performed entirely through small arthroscopic portals — no large incisions — with same-day or next-day discharge and a structured rehabilitation programme.
How the Procedure Works
Diagnostic Arthroscopy
The full shoulder is inspected; the tear is characterised — size, pattern (crescent, U-shaped, L-shaped), and retraction.
Tendon Preparation
The torn tendon edge is freshened with a shaver; the greater tuberosity footprint is decorticated to create a vascular healing bed.
Suture Anchor Placement
Metal or bioabsorbable suture anchors are inserted into the prepared bone footprint at the appropriate positions.
Tendon Reattachment
Sutures are passed through the tendon in a mattress or double-row configuration and tied, firmly approximating tendon to bone.
Sling & Physiotherapy
Arm immobilised in a sling for 4–6 weeks; structured physiotherapy begins at week 1 with passive motion and progresses to active strengthening.
Outcomes
Who Needs This Treatment?
- →Fully arthroscopic — no large incisions, minimal scarring
- →Suture anchor technology allows secure, anatomical tendon-to-bone repair
- →Associated impingement decompressed in the same sitting
- →Same-day or next-day discharge
- →Structured rehabilitation programme with clear milestone targets
- →Restores shoulder strength for overhead work and sport
"Rotator cuff repair requires patience from both the surgeon and the patient. The surgery takes an hour — the healing takes six months. The tendon needs to grow back onto the bone, and that biological process cannot be rushed. But when it works well, patients regain a shoulder they thought they had lost."
— Dr. Satish Reddy Gandavarapu, Senior Orthopaedic & Trauma Surgeon, Lux Hospitals, Hyderabad
Common Questions
Frequently Asked
Not sure which treatment is right for you?
Book a consultation with Dr. Vipin Reddy and get a personalised treatment plan.