ATHENISTA: RPA meets FAFC: Alexander Dunn's Arthroscopic Stabilisation of the Shoulder

We have seen an explosion of reality TV shows on our screens, with a myriad of offerings that have flooded the television airwaves. Also, several medically themed shows have emerged such as "Grey's Anatomy," "House, M.D.," and "Private Practice" that aim to entertain and sometimes educate the public on the wonders of medicine. For anyone above 40 there will be a recollection of the sensational Aussie soap series the Young Doctors. The series was set in the fictional Albert Memorial hospital and primarily concerned with romances between younger members of the hospital staff. It was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation and screened on the Nine Network between 1976 and 1983.

In the spirit of this reality upon us, and more in line with the series - RPA that aims to capture the compelling around-the-clock drama of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney - Athenista sought to inform the faithful readers of the blog about the intricacies of the surgical procedure - arthroscopic stabilisation of the shoulder.

Why? - because it is the exact operation that our first team keeper Alexander Dunn has recently undergone. A form of laproscopic (key hole) or minimally invasive surgery that is increasingly common amongst those mad cats in the cage, the goal keepers - the custodians of the goals in association football.

Among footballers, upper limb extremity injuries are, without question, less common than lower limb extremity injuries. Also, when upper extremity injuries occur, footballers tend not to lose as much training or game time when compared with lower extremity injuries. Upper extremity injuries primarily involve the goalkeeper position more often than any other player position.

Our first choice keeper Alex Dunn went for an early shower for the season after the brutal reality of no finals football was confirmed. The upside of this is that it enabled Alex to head off for his shoulder surgery.

Athenista Blogger caught up with Alex to see what the purpose of procedure actually was and how his recovery is coming along.

Hi Al, nice speaking to you again mate and thanks for updating us on your recent shoulder operation and your recovery.

No worries mate fire away.

What kind of operation was it?

The operation was an Arthroscopic Stabilisation on my right shoulder. I first injured my shoulder during pre-season training in late January, as the season progress my shoulder continued to pop out of socket and then go back in (sublux), probably the worst case was during Cockburn in the Semi Final of the Night Series and again in Round 5 against Balcatta where it stayed out of socket for a good 5-10 seconds before returning into place.

What did they do?

Basically they made 2 small incisions, on the front and the back of the shoulder, drilled a canal into the joint. Then found the big laberal tear of my cartilage then he pulled the cartilage back into place and anchored it onto the bone.

What was the aim of the surgery?

I have been told that your shoulder joint is like an egg in a small cup, so when you stretch, hyper-extend etc, the cartilage lining the joint stops the shoulder coming out of place. Because I had a big tear in that cartilage whenever i hyper-extended for saves, there was no cartilage there to stop the joint from popping out. So stitching the cartilage back into position this will hopefully make my shoulder 100% again and avoid these sublux’s from occurring again.

Who did it and where?

I got referred to Mr Ben Hewitt, who specialises in shoulder surgery and I have been told he is the best shoulder surgeon in WA, so I was lucky to get him. The operation was done at Bethesda Hospital in Claremont.

How does it feel?

Its been just over a week since the operation, at first it was very sore but now its feeling good, a bit stiff and restrictive, everyday its feeling better and better. I saw the Dr yesterday and he was happy for me to keep my arm out of the sling when at home and at work as long as I’m not doing much movement with the arm. Because I am right handed I just have to be careful as I forget sometimes that I’m not meant to use that arm.

What is the expected recovery like?

From the date of the operation, I have to be in a sling for 6 weeks. Like I said before I saw the Dr and he said I can come out of the sling a week early which is good news as the sling is a nuisance. After I am out of the sling I will need 6 weeks of extensive rehab to strengthen all of the ligaments, tendons and muscles in the shoulder up. As I had weak shoulders I will need to make them stronger than before to avoid this injury happening again, but that will be an ongoing thing and I will be ready to go come pre-season.

Thanks for the update Alex - speedy recovery and enjoy the summer mate!

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