About the Procedure
The rotator cuff comprises four muscles and their tendons: supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis, which can become torn or damaged due to acute injuries, chronic degeneration, or repetitive stress.
These tendons stabilize the shoulder joint and allow a wide range of shoulder movements. When one or more of these tendons are torn or inflamed, it can lead to pain, weakness, and altered shoulder function. Rotator cuff repair is an operative procedure to fix these tendons.
Surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff most often involves re-attaching (stitching) the tendon back to its original site on the head of the humerus (upper arm bone) using strong implants called Suture Anchors. Some partial tears, however, may need only a trimming or smoothing procedure called a debridement.
Experts in Orthopaedic Surgery
Our surgeons specialise in the latest approaches to the surgical repair of torn rotator cuff tendons to restore shoulder strength and function. Our goal is to reduce recovery times, minimize pain, and achieve the best possible outcomes.
Dr. Gallay completed a BSc with Honors in Physiology and a Medical degree at McGill University. Thereafter, he trained in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Toronto and completed a Fellowship in Upper Extremity Reconstructive Surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital.
He joined Lakeridge Health Ajax & Pickering Hospital in 1997, formerly Rouge Valley Health System, and served as both the Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Chief of Surgery. He has been a longstanding Consultant Shoulder Surgeon at Sunnybrook hospital’s WSIB Specialty Program. Currently he is the corporate Strategy Lead and Associate Medical Director for the Department of Surgery and the Medical Director of the OWN-WSIB Specialty Program at Lakeridge Health.
Although Dr. Gallay’s clinical passion has always been Arthroscopic and Reconstructive Surgery of the Shoulder, he is also equally passionate about improving the healthcare system through the development of novel models of care. He is a recognized provincial clinical champion for value-based health care having completed studies at HBS under Porter and Kaplan and as an active contributor to the IHI community. He is currently working on his Masters in Health Care Management at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Over the last decade, Dr. Gallay’s healthcare system learning has been enriched by having been the President of the Ontario Orthopaedic Association, a member of the 2008 Ontario Medical Association Negotiations Team and various subsequent trilateral working groups with the Ontario Ministry of Health (MOH) and Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs). He has served on Health Quality Ontario’s Panel on Quality Based Procedures for Degenerative Conditions of the Shoulder, co-Chaired the recent Bundled Care Working Group for Shoulder Arthroplasty, and has been a member of key MOH committees dedicated to improving Musculoskeletal Access to Care for Ontarians. Lastly, in 2016, Dr. Gallay co-founded The Shoulder Centre Model of Care, a value-based and regional primary/specialty shared-care program, which received Ontario Ministry of Health demonstration project funding becoming one of the three priority MSK models of care in Ontario. Along with his partners at The Shoulder Centre, Dr. Gallay collects and uses Patient Reported Outcome Measures and Evidence Based Medicine to continuously develop and refine surgical techniques, and physiotherapy aftercare protocols based on outcomes data.
Specialty
- Shoulder Arthroscopy, Arthroplasty, and Reconstruction
Degrees
- M.D., F.R.C.S.(C).
Training
Dr. Joel Lobo completed his medical school and residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Toronto. Following his residency, he completed a Trauma and Upper Limb Reconstructive fellowship at St. Michael’s Hospital where he specialized in Shoulder and Elbow surgery. Subsequently, he completed a Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy fellowship at the Toronto Western Hospital, caring for players and staff from professional sports teams in Toronto. He currently practices at Lakeridge Health Ajax and Pickering Hospital and is the the Medical Director and co-founder of The Shoulder Centre.
Consultancies
Dr. Lobo is a consultant surgeon for the WSIB’s Shoulder and Elbow Surgical Specialty Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the Ontario Workers Network. He is a former Division Head of Orthopaedic Surgery at Ajax Pickering Hospital.
He is an educational consultant for Arthrex, Inc. He regularly instructs at surgical skills labs in Canada and the United States to teach advanced arthroscopic reconstructive techniques in the shoulder and knee to residents, fellows and other practicing international orthopaedic surgeons. He is on the educational committee for the Arthroscopy Association of Canada and a member of the Canadian Orthopaedic Association, Canadian Shoulder & Elbow Society, and Arthroscopy Association of North America.
Specialty Interests
Since the development of The Shoulder Centre, his practice has become focused to include the reconstruction of sports-related knee injuries, as well as Arthroscopic reconstruction of the Shoulder and Knee with a special interest inand All-Inside ACL reconstruction using Quadriceps Tendon, Complex shoulder instability and labral repair, and Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. He is an international leader on Superior Capsular Reconstruction of the Shoulder. Along with a sportsmedicine practice, Dr. Lobo has an special interest in the treatment of injured Police Officers, Military and Fire Personnel, Paramedics and First Responders as a result of his training with Dr. Anthony Miniaci, formerly at The Toronto Western Hospital and now at The Cleveland Clinic.
The Shoulder Centre & Patient Reported Outcome Measures
Dr. Lobo is the Medical Director at The Shoulder Centre at Lakeridge Health. Along with his partners at Durham Bone and Joint Specialists, Dr. Lobo collects and uses Patient Reported Outcome Measures and Evidence Based Medicine to continuously develop and refine surgical techniques, and physiotherapy aftercare protocols based on outcomes data. This initiative has been recognized by the Provincial Government in Ontario, published in textbooks and medical journals, and presented at Health Quality meetings internationally.
Read more at
Transforming Shoulder Care by Hopital News
Specialty
- Sportsmedicine and Arthroscopic Reconstruction of the Shoulder and Knee
Degrees
- M.D., F.R.C.S.(C).
Training
- M.D., 1997, University of Toronto
- Orthopaedic Surgery Residency 1997 – 2002, University of Toronto
- Orthopaedic Trauma & Upper Limb Reconstructive Fellowship, 2002, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto
- Orthopaedic Sportsmedicine Fellowship, 2003, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto
Dr. Meaghan Rollins joined Ajax Pickering Hospital in September 2018. Dr. Rollins completed her orthopedic residency at the University of Manitoba and subsequently went on to complete two upper extremity fellowships, at McMaster University and at the University of Ottawa, focusing on shoulder, elbow, and wrist pathology.
As a shoulder subspecialty surgeon, Dr. Rollins works with The Shoulder Centre at Ajax Pickering Hospital, which is a Regional Program providing both operative and non-operative clinical services to shoulder patients and is specifically designed to improve the health system through accountable shared-care specialist/primary care network partnerships.
As an ambassador of The Shoulder Centre, Dr. Rollins works closely with Durham region physicians to help increase knowledge in managing shoulder patients within the local community.
Dr. Rollins is passionate about all aspects of orthopedics, with a special interest in upper extremity arthroscopy, trauma, and reconstruction.
Specialty
- Arthroplasty, Arthroscopy and Upper Limb Reconstruction
Degrees
- M.D., F.R.C.S.(C).
Dr. Marcin Kowalczuk is an Orthopaedic Surgeon with subspecialty fellowship training in upper extremity reconstruction, sports medicine and trauma.
Dr. Kowalczuk completed medical school and his orthopaedic surgery residency training at McMaster University. Following his residency, Dr. Kowalczuk completed a sports medicine and arthroscopy fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh where his training included working with members of the medical staff for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Steelers. Upon returning back to Canada Dr. Kowalczuk completed additional subspecialty training in upper extremity reconstruction and trauma at the University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center.
His surgical expertise includes:
- Rotator Cuff Repair
- Shoulder Instability
- Anatomic Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
- Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
- ACL Reconstruction
Specialty
- Upper Extremity Reconstruction, Sports Medicine and Trauma
Degrees
- M.D., F.R.C.S.(C).
- B.MSc.
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Only a referral from a Family Doctor, Walk-In-Clinic, or Urgent Care Centre is required to be seen at Durham Bone & Joint Specialists.
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