Matthew A. Pifer, MD

08/24/2023

Excited for this awesome meeting!

If you cannot attend the upcoming Pinnacle Shoulder Meeting in Bend, Oregon 9/13-9/15/23, you can participate via virtual attendance and still gain knowledge on the management of complex shoulder conditions! Virtual attendance still allows you to claim 16.5 AMA Category 1 CME Credits. https://beemed.com/econgresses/161

(Image courtesy of BeeMed)

08/19/2023

The nutritional status of total joint arthroplasty (TJA) patients has become an increasingly recognized risk factor for surgery. Malnourished patients undergoing TJA are at an increased risk for delayed wound healing, prosthetic joint infection, longer length of stay, and higher mortality rates. There is currently no consensus on the best screening tool but laboratory tests such as albumin, prealbumin, transferrin, Vitamin D levels, and total lymphocyte counts are used to help identify patients at risk.

https://journals.lww.com/jaaos/abstract/2023/04010/screening_and_management_of_malnutrition_in_total.1.aspx

(X-Ray Image provided by Brian Holloway, MD)

08/15/2023

Results published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery found patients who underwent anatomic total or reverse shoulder arthroplasty had “significant and rapid” improvements in sleep disturbance after surgery.Researchers performed a retrospective analysis of patients who reported slee...

07/26/2023

07/17/2023

Please use the sling! (as your doctor tells ya)

Do patients actually wear their slings?

In this month's Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Weir and colleagues published a paper in which sling compliance was assessed with a temperature sensor. This study demonstrates that patient self-report of sling use is inaccurate and that female patients and patients with lower body mass indices are more likely to use the sling. Sling use improved postoperative pain scores as well as repair healing rates after cuff repair.

https://www.jshoulderelbow.org/article/S1058-2746(23)00261-6/fulltext

06/22/2023

3 Facts about Golfers’ Elbow:

1. It occurs most commonly in your 40’s
2. You don’t have to play golf to get it
3. Most of the time it gets better with exercise



(Photo: Mayo Foundation)

06/05/2023

Many reasons why I do not recommend a balloon spacer.

Rice-Body Synovitis, Foreign Body Reaction, and Rotator Cuff Failure After Subacromial Balloon Spacer Augmentation of a Rotator Cuff Repair

https://tinyurl.com/6kavk576

05/20/2023

The ads promise miraculous pain relief and improved mobility without surgery for arthritic and injured joints, but does regenerative medicine live up to the hype? Here’s what the experts at have to say about the effectiveness — and safety — of orthobiologics like PRP and stem cell therapy: https://bit.ly/3OgbG1A

05/14/2023

We will continue with our focus on shoulder stability this week. Patients over the age of 40 can sometimes develop a tear of the rotator cuff with a dislocation event. This is in contrast with younger patients, who can experience a tear of the labrum. Typically, surgical repair of this type of rotator cuff tear is recommended to restore shoulder function.



(Image: OrthoInfo)

05/11/2023

The “Bankart lesion” can be considered the essential lesion of shoulder instability. This labral tear results in the loss of the depth and width of the shoulder socket. As such, concavity compression fails to maintain shoulder stability. The compressive effect of the rotator cuff is unable to maintain the stability of the joint without the normal concave surface of the socket. Repair of the labrum can be performed and is often successful at restoring stability to the shoulder.



(Photo: Tim Lenters, MD)

04/29/2023

ASHLAND — Eagle-eyed viewers of the most recent episode of the critically-acclaimed Apple TV comedy show "Ted Lasso" may spot a piece of merchandise from right here in Ashland.

04/02/2023

Poor posture and stress in day-to-day life can lead to increased tension in the neck and upper back, resulting in shoulder stiffness. Here are some easy exercises to help relieve tight shoulders. https://rb.gy/9stnhu



(Photo: Google.com)