Sunnyvale Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Center

Shoulder Surgery in Sunnyvale, TX

Sunnyvale · East Dallas · Rockwall · Garland · Mesquite · Rowlett

Every shoulder operation this practice performs is done here, by our own surgeons. Rotator cuff repair, arthroscopic shoulder surgery, labral repair and shoulder instability surgery are matched to the surgeon whose training fits the case, which means you are not handed off to another clinic once a shoulder turns out to need more than an injection.

Schedule an appointment (214) 466-7391

Dr. John M. Hibbitts, M.D. Founding physician · 25+ years · Complex rotator cuff reconstruction, fracture repair & InSpace balloon technique

Dr. Reed Bartz, M.D. Fellowship-trained sports medicine & shoulder surgery · Steadman Hawkins Clinic, Vail, Colorado

Two Surgeons, One Shoulder Program

Shoulder Surgery Specialists in Sunnyvale and East Dallas

A shoulder surgery page usually means one surgeon. This one means two, and the distinction matters more than it sounds. Complex reconstruction and sports shoulder surgery are different disciplines, and a practice that has only one of them will eventually push you toward the operation it knows.

Dr. Reed Bartz is fellowship-trained in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colorado, and leads our sports shoulder surgery, shoulder instability surgery, and labral and SLAP repair, together with the return-to-activity care that follows them.

Dr. John M. Hibbitts founded this practice and has spent more than 25 years operating on shoulders. His experience anchors the reconstructive end of the program: massive rotator cuff tears, the InSpace balloon technique, fracture repair, and the cases that arrive after another surgeon has already tried.

Sports Shoulder, Instability & Labral Repair

Dr. Reed Bartz, M.D.

Fellowship-trained · Steadman Hawkins Clinic, Vail, Colorado

Primary surgeon for sports shoulder surgery. Arthroscopic labral repair, SLAP repair, Bankart repair for recurring dislocations, and shoulder instability surgery, each paired with a staged return-to-activity protocol built for athletes and active adults.

Reconstruction, Fracture & Advanced Technique

Dr. John M. Hibbitts, M.D.

Founding physician · 25+ years of orthopedic surgery

Complex and revision rotator cuff repair, open and mini-open reconstruction, clavicle and proximal humerus fracture repair, and the InSpace balloon technique for massive tears that cannot be closed.

Fellowship Training

Dr. Bartz's Shoulder Fellowship and Sports Shoulder Care

Fellowship is the year a surgeon stops treating shoulders in general and starts treating the shoulder specifically. Dr. Bartz spent his at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colorado, one of the reference institutions in sports medicine.

That training is why he leads the cases where technique decides the outcome. The overhead athlete whose labrum is failing. The lineman whose shoulder leaves the socket on contact. The lifter whose joint no longer feels safe under load. These are the shoulders where arthroscopic shoulder surgery earns its reputation: small portals, direct visualization inside the joint, and an anatomic repair that preserves the tissue that is still healthy.

Instability is treated as a structural problem rather than a recurring inconvenience. A shoulder that has dislocated once will usually dislocate again, and each event stretches the capsule further and can erode the glenoid rim. Labral repair, SLAP repair and shoulder instability surgery rebuild the containment the joint lost instead of managing the symptom.

Recovery is part of the operation, not an afterthought handed to someone else. Every surgical plan comes with staged rehabilitation, sport-specific movement testing and defined clearance criteria, so patients from Rockwall to Garland return to the sport, not merely to the range of motion.

Fellowship Sports medicine & shoulder surgery, Steadman Hawkins Clinic, Vail, Colorado
Academic Former Assistant Professor, University of Colorado, and team physician for university athletic programs
Published Author of more than 15 peer-reviewed publications in sports medicine and shoulder surgery

Procedures

Shoulder Procedures Performed at Our East Dallas Practice

One surgical program covering the full range, from the repair that takes an afternoon to the reconstruction other clinics refer out. Every procedure below is performed on site by Dr. Bartz or Dr. Hibbitts.

Rotator Cuff

Rotator Cuff Surgery

We match the technique to the tear rather than to the schedule. Tear size, tendon quality, how long the tear has been there and what the shoulder is expected to do afterward all change the answer.

Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair

The minimally invasive standard. The tendon is reattached to the humerus through small portals, the deltoid is left intact, and early recovery is shorter.

Mini-Open Repair

Arthroscopic assessment of the joint combined with a small incision, used for larger or retracted tears that need direct access.

Open Repair

Still the right operation for the most complex reconstructions, where Dr. Hibbitts' twenty-five years of experience carry the case.

Labral & Ligament

Labral and Ligament Surgery

The labrum is the rim of cartilage that deepens the socket. When it tears, the shoulder loses the containment that keeps the humeral head where it belongs. Most of these repairs are done arthroscopically.

SLAP Repair

Repairs the tear where the biceps tendon anchors to the top of the labrum, an injury common in throwers and overhead athletes.

Bankart Repair

Reconstructs the anterior labrum and capsule after recurring dislocations, restoring the depth of the socket so the joint stops giving way.

Shoulder Instability Surgery

Addresses the underlying capsular laxity and bone loss that keep a shoulder dislocating, rather than treating each dislocation as a separate event.

Advanced Technique

The InSpace Balloon Technique for Massive, Irreparable Tears

Not every rotator cuff tear can be stitched back together. When a tear is massive and the tendon has retracted beyond repair, the traditional choices have been to live with the pain or move straight to shoulder replacement. The InSpace balloon technique is the middle path. A biodegradable spacer is placed arthroscopically into the subacromial space, restoring smooth mechanics between the humeral head and the acromion. There is no tendon transfer and no permanent hardware, and the spacer dissolves on its own over time. For patients who were told nothing could be done, it has restored overhead function and meaningful pain relief without committing the joint to replacement.

Trauma

Fracture and Dislocation Surgery

Acute shoulder trauma needs prompt, anatomic fracture repair. We treat clavicle fractures, proximal humerus fractures and acromioclavicular separations, with fixation chosen to restore alignment and load-bearing capacity rather than simply to hold the pieces still.

Joint Stabilization

For shoulders that dislocate repeatedly after an initial injury, surgical stabilization breaks the cycle instead of managing it one reduction at a time.

Specialized Conditions

Frozen Shoulder and Impingement

Two conditions that account for a large share of the shoulders we see, and two that respond well when they are finally addressed directly.

Frozen Shoulder Release

Adhesive capsulitis thickens and contracts the joint capsule until motion is gone. Arthroscopic capsular release and manipulation restore it.

Shoulder Impingement Syndrome

Decompressing the space beneath the acromion lets the rotator cuff tendons glide freely again, which often resolves pain that no amount of rest has touched.

Service Area

Shoulder Care for Sunnyvale and East Dallas

Patients travel to us from across the eastern Dallas metro. The practice sits in Sunnyvale, which puts most of these communities within a short drive of surgery, follow-up and rehabilitation in one place.

Sunnyvale
East Dallas
Rockwall
Garland
Mesquite
Rowlett
Wylie
Sachse
Forney
Balch Springs
Seagoville

Common Questions

Shoulder Surgery Questions We Are Asked Most

When is rotator cuff surgery needed?

Rotator cuff surgery is generally recommended when conservative treatment, meaning rest, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication and corticosteroid injections, has not relieved pain or restored function after roughly three to six months. Surgery becomes the clear choice sooner in specific situations: a full-thickness tear from an acute injury, a tear in an active adult or athlete who needs overhead strength, weakness that limits ordinary tasks like reaching a shelf or fastening a seatbelt, or night pain severe enough to disrupt sleep consistently. Partial tears that keep enlarging on imaging are also strong candidates, because a small tear repaired early tends to heal better than a large tear repaired late. We evaluate tear size, tendon quality and your activity goals before recommending an operation, and we will tell you plainly when surgery is not the answer.

What is arthroscopic shoulder surgery?

Arthroscopic shoulder surgery is a minimally invasive technique performed through several small portal incisions, each roughly the width of a pencil. A fiber-optic camera called an arthroscope is placed inside the joint and projects a magnified view onto a monitor, while specialized instruments pass through the remaining portals to complete the repair. Because the deltoid muscle is not detached and the surrounding tissue stays largely undisturbed, patients generally experience less post-operative pain, a lower infection risk, minimal scarring and a faster early recovery than with traditional open surgery. We use arthroscopy for the majority of our labral repair, SLAP repair, Bankart repair, impingement decompression, frozen shoulder release and rotator cuff cases.

How long is shoulder surgery recovery?

Recovery depends on the procedure and on the tissue being healed. After arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, most patients wear a sling for four to six weeks, begin passive motion almost immediately, progress to active motion around six weeks, start strengthening near the three-month mark and reach full recovery somewhere between four and six months. Labral and instability repairs follow a similar arc, with athletes typically cleared to return to sport at four to six months depending on the demands of their position. Simpler procedures such as subacromial decompression may allow a return to desk work within one to two weeks. Every patient here receives a staged rehabilitation plan and defined return-to-activity criteria, because we clear you on measured function rather than on the calendar.

Two Shoulder Surgeons. One Appointment.

Tell us what your shoulder is doing and we will put you in front of the right surgeon. Request a visit with Dr. Hibbitts or Dr. Bartz today.

Schedule your consultation

2858 N Belt Line Road, Suite 600, Sunnyvale, Texas 75182 · 214-420-7611