Kate L. Iwamoto, M.D., is a pediatrician with Mercy Family Care Physicians in Downtown Baltimore.
Mercy's team of cancer doctors diagnose and treat melanoma, a very serious form of skin cancer.
Cardiologists at The Heart Center at Mercy treat patients with heart conditions including heart attack, heart murmur and heart disease.
Mercy offers emergency care on the Downtown Baltimore campus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (410-332-9477) with access to a trained emergency medicine team, diagnostic services and consultations with specialists.
In case of an Emergency, Dial 911 and follow the instructions of the EMS (Emergency Medical Services) team.
Mercy Medical Center's downtown campus includes our Main Hospital - The Mary Catherine Bunting Center, McAuley Plaza and The Weinberg Center.
General visiting hours at Mercy are 11:00 am to 8:30 pm. Hours vary by floor, please check with the nursing staff or call 410-332-9555.
This 3D medical animation demonstrates how a torn rotator cuff can be repaired with arthroscopic techniques. This is a minimally invasive procedure that involves an arthroscope and small surgical tools.
Dr. Vipul Nanavati at The Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist and Hand Center at Mercy in Baltimore specializes in diagnosing and treating shoulder conditions such as rotator cuff injuries. Dr. Nanavati and his fellow orthopedic surgeons at Orthopedics and Joint Replacement at Mercy work with patients to determine the best treatment options for their shoulder pain and weakness due to rotator cuff injuries.
The rotator cuff consists of muscles and tendons that connect the upper arm and shoulder blade and hold the ball of the arm bone into the shoulder socket. A rotator cuff injury occurs when these muscles and tendons become irritated or damaged. Tendonitis or bursitis can cause the rotator cuff muscles and tendons to become inflamed. Lifting or pulling heavy objects, repetitive movements or falling on the shoulder can cause strain or tears of the muscles and tendons. With age, bone spurs or calcium deposits can develop in the rotator cuff causing pain.
Symptoms of a rotator cuff injury include:
An orthopedic surgeon can diagnose a rotator cuff injury during a physical exam. Sometimes diagnostic imaging, such as an x-ray, MRI or ultrasound scan, may be performed to view the extent of the rotator cuff injury.
Rotator cuff injuries most often can be treated with physical therapy. Corticosteroid injections also may be used to relieve shoulder pain. For large rotator cuff tears, surgery may be the best treatment option. Rotator cuff tears can be repaired through traditional open surgery or arthroscopic surgery and sometimes bone spurs or calcium deposits are removed at the same time. When rotator cuff injuries begin to cause severe arthritis, a partial or total shoulder replacement may be necessary.
An OR nurse gets treatment at Mercy for her torn rotator cuff and now is back to swinging her grandchildren in the air without any pain.
Dr. Vipul Nanavati, Director of The Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist and Hand Center, is an orthopedic surgeon specialized in the repair and reconstruction of injuries to the upper extremities.