Shoulder Replacements

Shoulder Replacement

 Arthritis of the shoulder is not as common as arthritis of the hip or knee, but for those people affected, it is equally disabling.  The shoulder has more motion than any other joint in the body.  When affected with arthritis, the pain and limited motion can significantly interfere with normal daily activities.

The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease), a disease which involves the gradual wearing away of the smooth, gliding cartilage which covers the bone inside the joint, allowing the joint to move more smoothly without pain.  Currently, there is no known cure for this common problem.  Orthopedic physicians therefore have a normal, sequential approach to treatment, which initially involves conservative measures.  Physical therapy may help for a time by helping to restore some motion by stretching out the soft tissues around the joint, and by strengthening the muscles which can, to some extent, decrease forces across the joint.  Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, such as Ibuprofen and Naprosyn, help most people by taking the edge off symptoms.  Reasonable activity modification may be helpful.  Local measures such as heat, ice, or therapeutic balms may help some.  Cortisone injections into the joint can provide people with temporary relief, which can sometimes last for several months.

When conservative methods of treatment fail to provide adequate relief, total shoulder replacement is considered.  The primary goal of this procedure is to provide pain relief.  However, with improvement in design of the prosthesis as well as better understanding of the soft tissue balance around the joint, patients will experience improvement in their motion.

Total shoulder replacement or shoulder arthroplasty is the replacement of the ball of the upper arm and the socket of the shoulder blade with specially designed parts called prostheses, made of metal and plastic (polyethylene, a medical plastic).  In some cases, based on the pattern and extent of damage in the shoulder, the surgeon may elect to replace only the humerus (upper arm bone) with the stem and ball.  This procedure is called a hemi-arthroplasty.

The vast majority of patients experience relief of pain, improvement in motion, and significant resultant improvement in function and quality of life.

Douglas Straehley, MD
Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center

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