Shoulder arthroplasty is an effective operation providing pain relief and improvement of function in patients with end-stage degenerative shoulder disease that is nonresponsive to nonoperative treatments
Although shoulder arthroplasty or shoulder joint replacement is less common than knee or hip replacement, it is just as successful in relieving joint pain. If nonsurgical treatments like medications and activity changes are no longer helpful for relieving pain, you may want to consider shoulder joint replacement surgery. Joint replacement surgery is a safe and effective procedure to relieve pain and help you resume everyday activities.
In shoulder replacement surgery, the damaged parts of the shoulder are removed and replaced with artificial components, called a prosthesis. The treatment options are either replacement of just the head of the humerus bone (ball), or replacement of both the ball and the socket (glenoid).
When to consider Shoulder Arthroplasty?
There are several reasons why your doctor may recommend shoulder replacement surgery (Shoulder arthroplasty).
People who benefit from surgery often have:
- Severe shoulder pain that interferes with everyday activities, such as reaching into a cabinet, dressing, toileting, and washing.
- Moderate to severe shoulder pain while resting. This pain may be severe enough to prevent a good night’s sleep.
- Loss of motion and/or weakness in the shoulder.
- Failure to substantially improve with other treatments such as anti-inflammatory medications, cortisone injections, or physical therapy.
How is shoulder replacement done?
In traditional shoulder replacement surgery (also known as “anatomic shoulder replacement”), the damaged humeral head (the ball of the shoulder joint) is replaced with a metal ball, and the glenoid cavity (the joint socket) is replaced with a smooth plastic cup, similar to that in a total hip replacement. More recently, a different type of surgery called reverse shoulder replacement was introduced to benefit patients who had a current or prior rotator cuff tear.
In some patients, such as those with severe shoulder fractures of the humeral head, a partial shoulder replacement (called hemireplacement) may be recommended. This technique replaces the ball component only.
