Dr. Jeffrey Halbrecht has invented an advanced procedure to repair shoulder damage, and is now working on surgical improvements for other joints

As a professional violist, Ruth Freeman's rotator cuff became so damaged she couldn't lift her arm, and had to quit her beloved musical career.
After a lifetime of complying with the demanding movements of a professional violist, the group of muscles and tendons that connect her humerus to her shoulder blade began to deteriorate. She has spent years as a real estate agent, still suffering from shoulder damage.
Recently Freeman received treatment with a new technology called Versalok, an improved suture anchoring system created by Dr. Jeffrey Halbrecht, an arthroscopic surgeon and medical director of the Institute for Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine in San Francisco. Once again she was able to move her shoulder to play a violin.
Recently she performed a recital after years of not being able to play the violin. "I feel as if I have the shoulders of a 19-year-old," she said, with a warm enthusiasm as she described the recital she performed for her previous birthday.
Shoulder cuff repair has traditionally been a difficult and obtrusive operation that required surgeons to make large incisions and to execute an elaborate procedure of drilling tiny holes into the bone in which sutured anchors are inserted. From these anchors surgeons would stitch the tendon into place, securing them with arthoscopic knots. These knots, however, had a tendency to cause irritation to the area.
Versalok eliminates the need for all the cuts, drilling and stitches.
It allows the surgeon to attach the tendon to the device, and insert the Versalok directly into the bone, eliminating the need for knots and allowing the procedure to be performed arthroscopically. The Versalok also allows the surgeon to adjust the tension on the tendon, so they can get a much better fit every time.
"More surgeons are discovering the advantages of the Versalok," said Dr. Halbrecht. "Since it only launched five months ago, the total number of patients locally who have benefited is several hundred."
There are more than 75,000 Americans each year who receive repairs to their shoulder cuffs. Injuries are mostly the result of sports or repetitive movement, such as a violinist.
Dr. Halbrecht worked with a DePuy Mitek, a division of Johnson & Johnson, to market Versalok. "It has been widely praised as a great device," he said. "Mitek has indicated that it is one of their most well received products ever."
One successful device hopefully leads to another. Dr. Halbrecht is working on a device that will treat patella (knee cap) pain.

Peter Madsen is a freelance writer in San Francisco.

--By Peter Madsen