Total shoulder replacement aka total shoulder arthroplasty is a joint replacement surgery that’s designed to treat end-stage shoulder arthritis which is when the cartilage lining of the joint has been eroded away.

The best candidate for a total shoulder replacement is someone who has end-stage arthritis where they basically have no cartilage left in their joint in order for a total shoulder replacement to work well. A patient also needs to have a good bone on the socket side of their joint as well as a functioning rotator cuff shoulder.

Arthritis can be treated by a number of different means and the type of treatment that’s best for each person is dependent on how bad their symptoms are, how bad their arthritis is, and what their goals of treatment are. For less severe arthritis that is less into matic treatments such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and activity modifications can be very effective. For more severe cases a steroid injection may help provide some more long-lasting relief.  When all of those non-operative treatment measures have failed to improve symptoms adequately that’s when a total shoulder replacement is a reasonable option to consider.

Recovery for a total shoulder replacement can be different from person to person but is usually around 3 to 4 months before return to full function range of motion exercises that start almost immediately after surgery and patients are allowed to use their arm and simple activities throughout their day a couple days after surgery.  One of my favorite things about total shoulder replacement is the great difference I see in patients functions a lot of times people will come into the office and they can barely get their arm above their head and barely reach around their back and after they’ve recovered from their total shoulder replacement they can go back to throwing a ball and doing all the things that they love to do.