My shoulder kept dislocating after an injury. I had arthroscopic surgery to tighten up the joint. The doctor used laser therapy. It’s only been three months and my shoulder is dislocating again. Should I have the laser treatment again?

Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation advise against it. A small study of 25 shoulders showed a high re-injury rate. This was especially true for patients with loose joints throughout the body. You may benefit from another, different operation.

Using the shoulder too much, too soon may be the cause of problems after laser treatment. The best treatment program after laser hasn’t been decided yet. Several studies have reported a problem with loss of tissue stiffness in the early days after laser treatment. Since many patients are pain free, they return to normal activities too soon. This stretches out the fibrous tissue around the joint and can lead to chronic dislocations.