Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery Abroad: Lithuania
Price in GBP
Price in EUR
- Rotator cuff repair surgery – 2.600 £
- consultation with the surgeon
- necessary health tests
- surgery
- anaesthesia
- hospitalisation
- 24/7 personal assistance during your stay
- transfers to / from the airport, hotel and clinic
- all documents translated to English
Get your surgery for free by claiming a refund from your local health board. The clinic helps patients with the documents needed to claim a refund after following the EU directive route for medical treatment abroad. It applies to patients who are insured under the systems of one of the EU countries and may not get the surgery due to long waiting times.
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Refund for EU patients
Get your surgery for free by claiming a refund from your local health board. The clinic helps patients with the documents needed to claim a refund after following the EU directive route for medical treatment abroad. It applies to patients who are insured under the systems of one of the EU countries and may not get the surgery due to long waiting times.
Our surgeon Liudas Bazaras
- More than 10 years working experience
- 700 surgeries per year
- Fluent in English
- Member of European Wrist Arthroscopy Association
- Trainings abroad: Hungary, Sweden, France, Canada, The USA, The UK
- Read more
Rehabilitation package
The rehabilitation centre is located at a SPA resort town called Druskininkai. It is equipped with modern facilities. The professionals there have years of experience working with people after various surgeries and injuries.
Rehabilitation in Lithuania – from € 130 / £ 116 per day
- personalized rehabilitation course
- room with TV and private bathroom
- three meals a day
- all medication needed
- transportation to/from the rehabilitation centre
An individual rehabilitation program is prepared for each patient depending on the type of surgery, general patient‘s well-being, health status and other factors.
Our rehabilitation centre
Our clinic
What sets us apart from other clinics?
Our clinic works with highly professional and educated surgeons. They have 10-20 years of experience in the field of orthopaedic surgery. They each perform 500 surgeries per year. Moreover, our surgeons are members of various prestigious surgical societies both Lithuanian and international. Our joint replacement surgeon S. Tarasevicius is an author of 150 scientific publications in different medical journals. Find more information about our surgeons here.
Our clinic works according to the highest standards set by the European Union. This helps to guarantee the quality of medical service.
During your entire stay in Lithuania you will receive personal care as well as transport to and from the clinic, hotel, and airport. You will not have to worry about a thing. You will be assisted from the moment of plane landing in Vilnius or Kaunas airport till your departure.
We have no waiting line so we can schedule your surgery as soon as you are ready to do so.
Everyone in our clinic speaks English, including nurses, assistants and the surgeon.
2-3 hour regular flights operate from all main airports in the UK & Ireland. Lithuania is closer than you thought. You can find the list of direct flights here. Please note that airlines constantly add new flights and new destinations, therefore feel free to contact us if you need help choosing the flight that suits you best.
Lithuania has been a part of the EU and NATO since 2004. Lithuania has one of the fastest growing economies in the whole region and the second fastest internet speed in the world. Lithuanian medical schools have trained many medical professionals who are highly appreciated and employed by many foreign hospitals, among which hospitals in the UK. Our clinic works according to the highest standards set to the medical institutions by the European Union.
COVID-19 situation
Our clinic is open and operates in accordance with all safety requirements. All the procedures are implemented as usual. You can read about the latest COVID-19 updates here.
Direct flights to Lithuania
What is the rotator cuff and what is its function in shoulder anatomy?
The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that provide shoulder movement and stabilize the joint between the upper arm bone (also known as the humerus) and the shoulder blade. There are four muscles that make up the rotator cuff :
- the supraspinatus,
- the infraspinatus,
- the teres minor
- the subscapularis muscle.
The tendons of each of these muscles connect to the arm bone. Not only does the rotator cuff allow you to rotate your arm, it also makes it possible for you to lift your arm above the level of your shoulders.
What is a rotator cuff repair and how is it performed?
Even though some rotator cuff tears may be treated with conservative methods, there are cases that require surgical intervention. There are three main ways to surgically treat a rotator cuff tear, and the choice of the best method depends on various factors, including the severity of the tear and the unique elements of your shoulder anatomy.
Even though technology has advanced to a point where less invasive methods are chosen more often, certain indications such as a complex or a large tear still exist for performing an open procedure. During an open repair, your surgeon makes an incision over the shoulder and detaches the deltoid shoulder muscle. Using open repair to treat a rotator cuff tear may benefit those who also need to fix any additional problems with their shoulder.
Modern methods allow surgeons to insert a camera (called an arthroscope) into the shoulder joint, therefore avoiding the necessity to make a large incision. The inside of the joint is displayed in a monitor, which helps the surgeon to be more precise during the procedure.
Unlike open repair, the incision for this procedure is comparatively small – from 3 to 5 centimeters long. Nonetheless, this technique involves repairing the torn tendon while looking at it directly rather than through an arthroscopic camera. However, arthroscopy is included if there is a need to evaluate and treat any other type of damage within the shoulder joint.
Repairing the rotator cuff involves using suture anchors (small rivets), which are used to attach the tendon to the bone. There are different types of anchor sutures available – they can be either made of metal or dissolvable material.
Rotator cuff tear diagnosis and symptoms
After a rotator cuff tear, the tendons are no longer completely attached to the humerus. The tear can be either partial (the tendon is damaged but not fully separated from the bone) or full – thickness (the tendon is completely severed from the bone). Rotator cuff tears can occur due to multiple causes which include injuries, lifting something too heavy or simply wearing down the tendons with repetitive movements over a longer period of time (also known as a degenerative tear). Depending on the nature of the damage the symptoms may vary. However, pain is usually present in both acute and degenerative tears. The pain may occur during specific shoulder movements or even at rest and during the night. Over time, the severity of the pain increases, and you may notice that over – the – counter painkillers do not relieve it. Besides that, you may feel weakness in your arm, especially when attempting specific movements. Last but not least, you may also feel a crackling sensation in your shoulder joint when moving your arm.
There are various ways to diagnose a rotator cuff tear:
- At first, your doctor will ask about all of the symptoms you have noticed.
- It is also necessary to perform a physical examination, such as moving your arm in different ways and testing your arm strength.
- After that your doctor will confirm the diagnosis by running other tests such as X – ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or an ultrasound.
Preparation for the surgery
More often than not, your physician will first attempt to treat the damage to your rotator cuff with conservative methods, such as rest, ice packs and physical therapy.
In other cases surgery is recommended as a primary choice of treatment (continued pain being the most frequent reason for such a choice). If so, you will have a consultation with your surgeon during which you will be able to discuss any concerns or questions you may have regarding the procedure.
Moreover, your surgeon will evaluate your overall health, collect your medical history and ask you about any type of medications you are taking or had taken in the past (including over – the – counter drugs and herbal supplements).
Additionally, your surgeon will brief you about the steps you will have to take to get ready for the procedure. In most cases certain medications, such as non – steroidal anti – inflammatory drugs are to be avoided before the surgery.
Besides that, patients are required to stop smoking well in advance before the surgery, as it may interfere with the healing process.
Hospitalization and the first few days after the surgery
You will be required to stay at the clinic for a few days after the surgery. Each procedure differs in its recovery process – the recovery after an arthroscopic repair takes less time than after an open one. Nonetheless, your shoulder will be swollen and painful, in addition to feeling some degree of fatigue for the first few days. Moreover, your shoulder function will not be immediately restored after the operation. Pain management will be the main focus of the first few days post – surgery. Therefore, your surgeon will prescribe the necessary painkillers and any other necessary medications
The importance of physiotherapy
You will have to limit your physical activity for up to five weeks after the operation – be sure to avoid lifting any weights, as it stresses the repaired muscle.
You will have to wear an arm sling (also known as a Dezo brace) at all times after the surgery. A sling makes sure that your arm is comfortable and protects your shoulder joint while it is still healing. Depending on the repair, the arm sling is to be worn for up to six weeks following the surgery. As time passes, you will be able to take the sling off for a couple of hours during the day and slowly increase the time without the brace.
In addition, sleeping may be a bit more difficult while your shoulder is healing. It is recommended to sleep in a semi – upright position or place something under your upper arm in order to support it. It is important to mention that you cannot take off your arm sling during sleep.
Furthermore, medication is sometimes not sufficient for postoperative pain management. In these cases your surgeon may suggest cryotherapy. Studies show that cryotherapy (a treatment that involves using low, near – freezing temperatures) is beneficial for patients who have undergone shoulder surgery, as these patients report less pain, swelling and better rehabilitation results than the patients who managed their pain with medications only.
It could be said that half of the success of a knee replacement surgery depends on the post-op physical therapy. Physiotherapy exercise routine may be either home-based or monitored by the health professionals in rehabilitation facilities. Studies have shown that light to moderate regular exercises show short-term improvements in patients’ physical function, whereas more intensive ones have positive long-term outcomes. In order for a certain therapeutic approach to give good results the right combination of physiotherapy methods should be selected for each patient individually.
Physiotherapy
At first, physiotherapy is necessary to reinforce tissue healing, reduce pain and inflammation, and to decrease the chances of postoperative stiffness development. Eventually rehabilitation will help regain shoulder function and full – range movements. Physiotherapy after a rotator cuff repair is divided into stages:
- Passive motion stage. This means that the muscles of your rotator cuff must move without putting stress on the repair. Therefore, your physical therapist will move your arm for you and, if necessary, provide instructions on how to move your own shoulder without actively contracting the muscles.
- Active motion stage. The active motion stage begins when your tendons have healed to an extent where you are able to move your arm actively. However, it must be stressed that you should not move your arm against resistance.
- Strengthening stage. Often referred to as one of the most important steps of rehabilitation.This stage involves using specific exercises with light weights or resistance bands to strengthen your rotator cuff muscles, as they become weak because of the injury, surgery and immobilization.
- Full activity phase. Reaching this stage can often take up to six months depending on the extent of the injury. Nonetheless, this is the stage where one reaches full recovery – each case is individual and different patients regain their full shoulder function at different times.
Returning to sports and normal physical activity after rotator cuff repair
As full recovery is most often reached after six months, the level of normal physical activity should increase alongside physical therapy. Additionally, you should wait for six months before you return to no – contact sports. Returning to contact sports can take longer – from nine months to a year.
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