Stephen J Franzino, MD

I had shoulder surgery 18mo ago to treat pain in my shoulder blade and numbness in a finger. It had been strongly recommended as the course of action by four shoulder specialists and after spinal injections had failed to show any effect.
Unfortunately, the shoulder surgery did not help with these issues. To make matters worse, since the surgery my health has dramatically suffered. Besides the incredibly lengthy and painful physical therapy, I developed numerous side effects: chronic pain in both shoulders, muscle imbalances throughout, various muscle strains, elbow tendinosis in both arms, joint pain in the hands, and severe lower back issues. The pain in the operated shoulder is particularly bad. The left arm now goes numb/​tingly in certain positions. I am still experiencing these new issues and the original complaints 18 months after the surgery.
I also lost 15lbs within 2 weeks of surgery and then quickly gained 30lbs as I was no longer able to exercise like I did before to due reduced mobility above mentioned side effects. After the surgery my body fat quickly doubled (from 10 to 20), my resting heart rate increased significantly (from 50s to 70s) and my RMR collapsed. I’ve not been able to reverse any of these changes.
PHYSICIAL THERAPY
The coordination with PT was ineffective. I was told after the surgery that I needed to get physical therapy right away. Since it can take weeks to get a first-​visit appointment at a good physical therapist I don’t understand why this was not communicated to me way ahead of the surgery.
The initial physical therapists did not seem to understand the notes and neither side communicated with each other in a timely and clear manner. This did not help with making progress in my rehab and created confusion in me as I was getting contradictory messages from the surgeon and physical therapists.
I eventually switched to the physical therapist that I had wanted to see, but couldn’t get an appointment initially, because my shoulder was freezing up (I even received the diagnosis of a frozen shoulder by a second opinion surgeon that I saw, which was then refuted by Franzino and three physical therapists that I saw for a second opinion). The last round of physical therapy was incredibly painful but more effective.
TODAY
18 months later I’m finally making SLOW progress with help from a chronic pain management doctor to treat my shoulder blade pain and finger numbness and reverse the damage caused by unsuccessful diagnosis and the effects of the surgery. She independently arrived at the conclusion that my issues are most likely due to a muscoskeletal issue in the left shoulder blade and rib cage region. We’re focusing on mobilizing that region through body manipulation, stretching, and strengthening and so far I’ve noticed a direct correlation between loosening up the region and the numbness in the finger.
COMMENTARY ON THE DISCIPLINE
This section of my comments is not regarding Franzino, but my experience with the discipline as a whole, which indicates systemic risks.
Before and after the surgery I saw various other shoulder specialists. The more specialists I saw the more differing diagnosis I received. I was told by doctors that the surgery was unnecessary, that it was absolutely necessary, that it could not have treated these symptoms, that the tear wasn’t successfully repaired, that I had experienced a re-​tear, that my risk of a new tear or the tear worsening is higher because of the surgery, that the surgery needs to be undone and redone, that I need new surgery detaching and reattaching the biceps, or that I should not consider surgery again. I have no possibility of making heads or tails of these contradictory professional opinions and they do paint a frightening picture of the state of diagnosis in this field of medicine.
The most jarring experience was when I saw a shoulder specialists at UCSF to find a shoulder specialist closer to work/​life. Although I had told UCSF that I needed to see someone regarding my chronic pain in the shoulder blade area, the doctor that I met told me that he specialized solely on shoulders. He said that he didn’t know anything about the bone next to the shoulder and that he didn’t even know where to start with an issue like that.
All along this diagnostic journey I always pointed out that the numbness in the finger started exactly when I hurt my shoulder blade. This was dismissed out of hand by almost every doctor that I saw. I was told that there was no possibility that there was a connection between the two. Instead, we first explored a neck injury and then a shoulder joint injury. However, every single physical therapist that I saw has commented on the tightness of the left shoulder blade region.

Multiple visits to Dr Franzino for sports related injuries. He has the most up to date equipment and techniques. And when he had fixed me up, he referred me to an awesome specialist. Great experience!

Napa had suffered a terrible earthquake and my husband and I were 6000 miles away when we learned our daughter had her dresser fall on her foot. The hospital was packed and Dr. Franzino made a house call to see her. After examining her he brought a boot and crutches back to the house and set an early morning appointment in his office for an x ray. He’s one of a kind and a doctor we would recommend highly. Thank you Dr. Franzino for your kindness.