"Operation was not standered operating procedure" per new surgeon.- Need advice.

Too make a 2 year on-going story short......Back in Feb. of 2000 I injuried my shoulder @ work (catv installer) from repetative use of 70lb,28ft ext. ladder doing a pole audit (32 poles in one morning), needless to say something in my shoulder broke. I've also had a nightmare of a time with workman's comp,but that's another depressing story. Anyway I've since had two surgeries (arthroscopic then open decompression), to this day I still have pain and limited use of arm. Heres where it gets interesting,the surgeon who preformed the procedures has since left his practice late last year and he left it up to me to find a new doctor. Well I did and he ordered a new MRI to be done on my shoulder. The MRI and subsequent office vist was done this last week and to my horror I found out that my previous surgeon preformed an "overly aggressive lateral acromioplasty" and is not "standered operating procedure" according to my new doctor.The MRI report quotes "The anterior acromion is markedly attenuated consistent with a fairly extensive acromioplasty". To put it in terms that I understood he removed so much bone that now my deltoid muscle does not have enough bone to properly attach too or something like that,but's that about the jist of it.Needless to say,according to my doctor, I will never regain 100% use of my arm. As I guess you can probably imagine I am somewhat distrought, hell I'm only 37 years old. My doctor tells me lateral acromioplasty's haven't routienely been preformed since the 1950's due to the fact that they don't work. Anyway I just stumbled upon this site today and I thought I'd go ahead and post. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[vrzirn]

You apparently sustained an injury to the rotator cuff and the surgeon was unable to repair it during the arthroscopic procedure. A great deal depends upon how extensive the damage and why the surgeon selected that unusual approach. An error in judgement is not cause for a lawsuit.
I do find it odd that the surgeon did not forward your records to another doctor but left it up to you.
However, I do agree with your second surgeon and suggest you immediately have all your files sent to a mal-practice attorney for review. The surgeon that retired probably has a "tail" on his insurance.
Unfortunately, the prognosis for any great improvement in your shoulder is poor; the surgery that was performed was too radical to correct successfully.
Good luck.