Shoulders are highly mobile joints, but their range of motion can lead to a variety of painful conditions. If you have severe or chronic shoulder pain, Jeffrey Pearson, MD, at Orthopedic Specialists of Louisiana in Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana, can help. Dr. Pearson performs shoulder surgeries such as total and reverse shoulder replacements to address issues like osteoarthritis, and rotator cuff arthropathy. Find out how you can benefit from a shoulder replacement by calling Orthopedic Specialists of Louisiana or booking an appointment online today.
Shoulder replacement is an option you might need to consider if you have an injury or disease that doesn’t improve using non-surgical treatments.
Most shoulder problems respond well to a combination of medication, activity modification, and physical therapy. However, some patients may require support with a sling or injections of steroids into the joint.
For those whose pain and loss of function don’t improve, a shoulder replacement can be life-changing.
Several problems may lead to the need for a shoulder replacement, including:
Conditions like these can cause severe shoulder pain and make it difficult to lift your arm. If you have significant problems with shoulder pain, Dr. Pearson can assess your suitability for surgery.
There are several types of shoulder replacements, depending on the cause of your condition.
Shoulder replacement or anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty involves removing the damaged sections of bone and cartilage and substituting them with artificial components.
Your shoulder joint consists of a socket (glenoid) in your shoulder blade and a ball (humeral head) at the top of your arm bone, both of which Dr. Pearson replaces during shoulder arthroplasty.
Like anatomic shoulder replacement, reverse total shoulder replacement or reverse total shoulder arthroplasty involves removing the ball and socket and replacing them. However, in this procedure, Dr. Pearson switches the position of the components.
Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty is typically a better choice for patients with cuff tear arthropathy – shoulder arthritis that develops after a severe rotator cuff injury.
The reversal of the ball and socket in your shoulder enables you to use the deltoid muscles to move the joint rather than the damaged rotator cuff.
Revision surgery aims to address pain and loss of shoulder function when an existing implant fails. While this isn't common, the replacement shoulder may loosen, the implants might move, or infection might set in.
You may only need partial shoulder replacement in certain circumstances. For instance, if the socket is healthy but the ball needs replacing, Dr. Pearson may perform a stemmed hemiarthroplasty.
To find out how a shoulder replacement can help relieve your pain, call Orthopedic Specialists of Louisiana or schedule an appointment online today.
