In March 2017, Helicopter Emergency Medical Service and London Ambulance Service paramedic and professional weightlifter Mike suffered a rupture of the long head of his biceps tendon while lifting weights. After medical scans confirmed his injury,

Mr Noorani explains: “Mike’s acute biceps tendon rupture usually happens in 50-year-olds. In Mike’s case it happened at a much younger age, mainly due to the heavy weights that he lifts as a power lifter. A tear in his biceps would result in significant weakness and this was not an option for him. I repaired Mike’s tendon and he went through some intensive rehab with one of the best rehab specialists in London, Barry Sigrist. This resulted in Mike’s shoulder feeling completely normal and returning to full function.”

His right shoulder had completely recovered when, in 2018, Mike began to experience some pain in his left shoulder. Despite working closely with his physiotherapist, Barry Sigrist, the issue persisted. In July 2018, he visited Mr Noorani and discovered that he was suffering from a SLAP tear (an injury to the labrum of the shoulder – the ring of cartilage surrounding the shoulder joint socket). Again, taking into account Mike’s high-level sporting activity, Mr Noorani performed subacromial decompression (keyhole surgery to repair shoulder impingement), repaired the SLAP tear and administered a PRP (platelet rich plasma) injection to promote healing.

Again, Mr Noorani explains: “Mike later presented to me for his left shoulder. On his left shoulder he was suffering a similar problem with pain in his biceps, however he had not ruptured his tendon on this occasion. In fact he had what is called a SLAP tear (superior (topmost) labral tear from anterior (front) to posterior (back)). This is an injury to the biceps tendon where it attached to the glenoid, i.e. the socket of the shoulder joint. This commonly happens in power lifters and in Mike’s case, we caught it pretty early so we were able to repair it. In addition to an arthroscopic keyhole repair, Mike had injections of biologics, i.e. platelet rich plasma (PRP) which enhances healing and rehab with Barry Sigrist, who is one of the best strength and fitness coaches in the country.”

Prior to surgery, Mike hoped he would return to full fitness; an expectation that has now been fully met. He advises patients with similar shoulder problems to consult a physiotherapist initially and to follow their instructions to the letter with their rehab programme. However, if the issue persists, he suggests that patients seek further advice from their GP and have scans done to establish the cause of the problem. He appreciates that surgery is not the answer in every case but is confident that skilled surgeons like Mr Noorani will always guide patients in making the right decision. He adds: “On both occasions from start to finish Mr Noorani has been professional throughout. Whenever I was ever worried or concerned about anything Mr Noorani’s confident approach was refreshing to listen to.”