When a severe injury or arthritis damages your shoulder beyond repair, total shoulder replacement surgery could relieve your pain and restore joint function. The highly skilled surgical team at Northland Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in North Kansas City, Missouri, specializes in performing successful joint replacement procedures using advanced techniques for a faster recovery. To find out how they can help you, call Northland Orthopedics & Sports Medicine today and schedule an appointment, or complete the online booking form.
You might benefit from total shoulder replacement surgery if you have a shoulder condition for which there isn't any other suitable treatment, or when other therapies haven't worked.
For most patients who have painful shoulder problems, physical therapy, activity modification, and medication are usually very successful. More persistent shoulder pain often responds to steroid injections into the joint if initial treatments fail.
For patients with conditions like rotator cuff injuries or labral tears, it's often possible to make repairs using minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery. Only if there are no less invasive options left would the Northland Orthopedics & Sports Medicine team suggest total shoulder replacement.
In most cases, patients who require total shoulder replacement have osteoarthritis. This condition develops over many years or may arise sooner if you injure a joint. It involves the gradual wearing away of slippery cartilage, a durable material that coats the bones in your joints. When the bones lose their protection, they rub together painfully.
Other conditions that sometimes require total shoulder replacement surgery include:
Shoulder instability is also a common problem when you suffer repeated dislocations and rotator cuff injuries. However, if you have shoulder instability, your surgeon at Northland Orthopedics & Sports Medicine might recommend reverse total shoulder replacement instead to help stabilize the joint.
To perform your total shoulder replacement, the Northland Orthopedics & Sports Medicine team first removes the damaged or diseased parts of the joint. This takes place under a general anesthetic, so you won't be conscious during the operation.
Next, your surgeon cleans and prepares the healthy surfaces that are left, to make them ready for the implants. One part of the new joint is the head of your humerus (upper arm bone), which is ball-shaped. The other is the socket (glenoid), which is part of your shoulder blade. Together, they form the ball-and-socket shoulder joint.
Your surgeon sticks the new pieces in place with bone cement or press-fits them into position. Then they check to make sure everything is perfectly in place and working before closing the wound. As you recover from your operation, you undergo expert physical therapy to ensure you regain as much use of your shoulder as possible.
To find whether you could benefit from a total shoulder replacement, call Northland Orthopedics & Sports Medicine and schedule a consultation or book an appointment online today.
