A new, python-inspired device might close that gap. Rotator cuff surgeries have failure rates between 20 and 94 percent. With the likelihood of retearing, doctors sometimes decide not to operate.

The Gripping Strength of a Python’s Teeth Could Help It Heal. The device attaches to the shoulder bone and the tendon like the snake grabs its prey. A Burmese python Hillary Kladke/Getty Images.

The powerful grip of a python’s bite is helping researchers heal a common shoulder injury that afflicts millions of Americans. Medical researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center ...