News - Page 4 of 7 - Dr. Matthew DiPaola

Slipping on Ice Can Lead to Serious Shoulder Injury in Buffalo, NY

Winter can be unpredictable in Buffalo, NY. That can sometimes spell bad news for your shoulder. Even though snow can be beautiful it can sometimes lead to slippery conditions that can result in unexpected problems. One of the most common types of injuries that I see in the winter are shoulder injuries after a slip … Read more

Do Rotator Cuff Tears Get Bigger Over Time?

by Matthew DiPaola

I have noted in other posts that rotator cuff tears can cause a lot of confusion. Let’s assume that your doctor has diagnosed you with a rotator cuff tear. He or she presents you with a few options: physical therapy, injections, surgery. You have a small tear. You are in a lot of pain, but … Read more

How Long Will Rehabilitation Take After Rotator Cuff Surgery? The Answer Usually Depends on One Key Factor.

by Matthew DiPaola

Being told that you need rotator cuff surgery can be an intimidating prospect. Physical Therapy after Surgery One of the main concerns is how much physical therapy you will need after surgery. How long will therapy take? And when will you finally be back doing what you want to do? The truth is, most people … Read more

One Exercise That Has Been Proven to Help Tennis Elbow Pain

by Matthew DiPaola

There is a certain exercise that I assign all of my tennis elbow patients. You will find it in the video below. It’s the one exercise that has proven effective by medical science in treating tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis is the fancy way of saying it). The trick to the exercise is pace: SLOOOOOW on … Read more

Safe Surgery

by Matthew DiPaola

Our goal at my New York practice is obviously NOT to make headlines, but to give you the best possible care. We have a multi-pronged system to ensure that we operate on the correct limb on the day of surgery, which I outline below. Step 1: Informed Consent It starts with the consent. Informed consent … Read more

How to Keep Your Glasses from Fogging When Wearing a Face Mask

by Matthew DiPaola

Here’s a video post that is timely for our COVID19 times. It’s a little trick that I use in the OR to prevent my eye shields from fogging in the OR when I wear a mask. Tape the bridge of the nose. This video shows how.

Anchors: Do They Come Out?

by Matthew DiPaola

As we mentioned in a previous post, most suture anchors stay in your bone for life. The technology has advanced to such a degree, that they are extraordinarily reliable and rarely come out. While we don’t have exact numbers, our experience as surgeons tells us that it is rare for them to “back-out” of bone … Read more

Anchors Away: Tiny Devices That Can Help Your Shoulder in A Big Way

by Matthew DiPaola

When I am explaining rotator cuff surgery to patients, one of the most common questions I get is, “How do you repair the tear?”

My answer typically involves an explanation of some basics about rotator cuff tears:

Four Types of Patients

by Matthew DiPaola

One of the most interesting parts of my job is that I get to interact with so many different types of people on a regular basis. Their different personality types color many of the decisions we make in the office more than most people realize.

When you are studying to be a doctor, much of the initial schooling focuses on the hard sciences: anatomy, physiology, biochemistry. But once you get through that and are a practicing professional, you find that the emphasis shifts significantly.