Shoulder and Elbow

Sometimes the pain you're feeling is more than "just tennis elbow." A decreased range of movement, and other problems in your elbow or shoulder can profoundly impact your ability to live a normal, pain-free life. Many people don't realize that their elbow and shoulder problems are orthopaedic conditions that can be treated.

Nebraska Medicine's orthopaedic doctors are experts at diagnosing, treating and rehabilitating both simple and complex conditions that cause pain and loss of mobility in the shoulders and elbow. We take the time to listen to your concerns, understand the activities that are important in your daily life and develop a treatment plan that will quickly get you back to work and play.

Why choose Nebraska Medicine for your shoulder and elbow care:

Experience and Expertise

When you need advanced orthopaedic treatment, Nebraska Medicine has the experience and expertise you are looking for to get the best possible care. Our team, which includes the University of Nebraska Medical Center's (UNMC) Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, is staffed by experienced surgeons, scientists, biomechanical engineers and researchers, and teams of nurses, therapists and support personnel, provides top-quality care to more than 35,000 patients each year. 

Integrated Care to Get You Moving Again

Our orthopaedic surgeons and rehabilitation services use an integrated team approach. Our multi-disciplinary team includes a shoulder and elbow specialty-trained physician, orthopaedic surgery residents, therapists and nurses. We provide a comprehensive evaluation and management of a wide range of shoulder and elbow problems, including arthritis, dislocation or instability, fractures, rotator cuff and tendon tears, joint stiffness and complications due to unsuccessful previous surgery. We consider non-surgical and surgical treatment plans, ranging from exercises to full reconstructive surgery with the goal of maximizing joint function. We treat a variety of common shoulder and elbow conditions, many with successful surgical procedures. These include:

• Elbow Pain
• Elbow arthritis
• Elbow dislocations
• Elbow fractures
• Shoulder arthritis
• Shoulder fractures
• Shoulder dislocations
• Shoulder infections
• Shoulder instability
• Shoulder Pain
• Throwing Injuries
• Rotator cuff and tendon tears

Better Treatment for Better Results

We offer the most advanced diagnosis and treatment options that continue to improve results. For instance, in the past, hip replacement principles were applied to shoulder replacements because they are both ball and socket joints. These patients would often experience several months of recovery with limited range of motion. As our specialists have continued to study these two procedures, they have found dissimilarities between the two and continue to revise the methods used in shoulder replacement. They have made advancements with the bone incorporation into shoulder implants, making the use of bone cement unnecessary.

Some of our Treatments Include

• Arthroscopy
• Shoulder (and reverse shoulder) replacement
• Shoulder arthroplasty
• Cuff tear arthroscopy

The Most Experienced Surgeons

Our expert surgeons perform more than 2,000 joint replacements each year and place strong emphasis on decreasing a patient's risk of infection during and after surgery through a variety of methods all centered around giving you the best surgical outcome possible.

Providing the Best Outcomes Possible

Our expert surgeons perform thousands of surgeries each year. Studies have shown that the greater the volume of surgeries performed at a hospital, the better the outcomes. Our doctors are also very experienced at choosing the appropriate candidates for surgery. Choosing the right surgery for the right patient with the right implant and right physical therapy contributes to better results, happier patients and greater longevity.

Leading the Way in Technology and Research

Our specialists, who are also part of the University of Nebraska Medical Center's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, conduct groundbreaking technological and clinical research that is transforming the future of orthopaedic surgery. The department’s orthopaedic research laboratory, is one of the largest academic facilities in the country conducting technological research to aid the orthopaedic industry. Through the collaborative work of our engineers, surgeons and technologists at our world-class Biomechanics laboratory, we are performing cutting-edge research to create "smart" implants that last longer and perform better. We are also doing innovative work on wear testing of joints that is helping establish national and international standards for testing of knee replacement systems.

Our Dedication to Research and Clinical Trials

Our orthopaedic surgeons are leaders in research and are pioneers in ushering in the latest orthopaedic treatments and procedures to best address patient needs. This means you have the opportunity to take part in some of the most current clinical trials and the newest and most cutting-edge treatment options.