Treatment for Sports Injuries

Dr. Shapiro will use diagnostic tests, including digital X-rays, to determine whether you have a fracture and the severity of the fracture, and then provide treatment options as needed, including casts, braces, traction, and/or surgery.

If you require surgery for your injury, Dr. Shapiro has more than 20 years’ experience in minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery. He specializes in:

• Arthroscopic Knee Surgery
• Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair
• Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery
• Achilles Tendon Repair
• Ankle Surgery
• Elbow Surgery

Knee replacement is a common treatment for osteoarthritis, and Dr. Shapiro is Sarasota’s expert in minimally invasive knee arthroplasty, including total knee replacement and partial knee replacement. He is one of the few local surgeons performing quadriceps-sparing, minimally invasive, computer-assisted knee replacement-resurfacing surgery.

For knee injuries, Dr. Shapiro performs anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction, meniscal repair, and advanced knee-preserving surgeries such as meniscal transplantation and cartilage transplantation.

Shoulder replacement is often recommended for shoulders with severe osteoarthritis or rotator cuff tears. Dr. Shapiro performs shoulder arthroplasty, including total shoulder replacement surgery and reverse shoulder replacement surgery.

For shoulder injuries, Dr. Shapiro specializes in arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, labral repair, and capsule reconstruction for instability.

Dr. Shapiro is one of the few surgeons statewide who routinely performs advanced knee-preserving surgeries such as meniscal allograft transplantation. This procedure is typically performed when more than 80% of the knee meniscus has been removed from a young patient with no significant arthritis. The reason is to help prevent severe wear (arthritis) from occurring within 10 to 20 years from the original surgery.

During meniscal allograft reconstruction, a new meniscus is placed into the knee using knee arthroscopy. Allograft refers to a meniscus taken from a donor. Performed as an outpatient surgery under general anesthesia, patients will use crutches and wear a brace for 6 weeks. Athletes who participate in sports that involve cutting may be able to return to their sport after 3 months.

A cartilage-preserving procedure such as cartilage transplantation is used to repair or replace articular cartilage in the knee that has been damaged by injury or daily wear and tear. Knee articular cartilage is the smooth tissue that covers the ends of the bones that form the knee joint.

Due to lack of blood flow to cartilage in the knee, this tissue does not heal itself well and damage can progress to osteoarthritis if it's not treated.

During the surgery, which is performed arthroscopically if possible, Dr. Shapiro will make one or more incisions in the patient's knee and clear away all of the damaged tissue. He will then place new cartilage into the joint. It is matched to the surface area of the defect and pressed into place.

Depending on the size of the cartilage defect, Dr. Shapiro may use cartilage from the patient’s own knee joint (autologous transplant) or from a donor (allograft).