Total Shoulder Replacement Surgery: Symptoms and Procedure

People suffering from arthritis can develop pain in shoulder. Total hip replacement and knee replacement is well known among the masses. But a person suffering from severe shoulder arthritis can also undergo total shoulder replacement. It is the best solution to reduce the pain and improve shoulder motion in the person suffering from this situation. When an individual suffers from severe arthritis, movement of shoulder becomes quite painful and can even be restricted. The pain can be reduced by some medications but it is not the long term solution for the patient. So the best solution in such cases is total shoulder replacement surgery.

If a person is suffering from severe arthritis pain, movement is restricted then it is better for the patient to undergo this treatment. Shoulder joint replacement is the best solution for the treatment of severe arthritis of the shoulder joint. By undergoing Total Shoulder replacement surgery, patient can get relief from pain by replacing the damaged bone and cartilage with a plastic and metal implant.

Some of the symptoms of shoulder arthritis are:

• Limited motion of shoulder
• Swelling of the joint
• Pain with activities
• A feeling of grinding or catching within the joint
• Stiffness of the shoulder
• Tenderness around the joint

What is Shoulder Joint Replacement?

Total shoulder joint replacement is the procedure to replace bone and socket of the shoulder with metal and plastic implant to reduce pain and improve the movement in the patient. Orthopedic surgeon performs this surgery under general anesthesia. In this surgery, the surgeon replaces the ends of bones in a damaged joint. This helps to create new joint surfaces. Surgeons replace the ends of the damaged arm bone and the shoulder bone or cap them with artificial surfaces lined with metal or plastic. Cement is used to hold the shoulder joint component or other material that allows new bone to grow into the joint surface for the time being to hold in place of cement.

Orthopedic surgeons normally replace the top of the upper arm bone with a long metal piece that has a round head. If the cup-shaped surface of your shoulder bone that cradles your upper arm bone is damaged then doctors will smooth it and then cap it with a metal or plastic piece.

These days' surgeons use new methods for quick recovery. This method is called a reverse total shoulder replacement which is done on people who have severe painful arthritis in their shoulder. In this procedure damaged bone is removed and smooths the ends, and then the rounded joint piece are attached to the shoulder bone and use the cup-shaped piece to replace the top of the upper arm bone. Then stitches are taken to close this.

The patient recovers within 4 to 6 weeks of time. Shoulder replacement surgery is performed by skilled orthopedic surgeons in hospitals. Success rate of total shoulder replacement surgery is around 90 percent so individuals suffering from severe shoulder arthritis can undergo this surgery.