4 Signs You Might Benefit From Knee Replacement Surgery
You’ve been hobbling around on achy knees for some time now, and you’re wondering whether you should consider knee replacement surgery. Here, we look at some signs that point in this direction.
What to Expect When Undergoing Shoulder Replacement Surgery
If you're reading this, we’re going to assume that you’re dealing with a shoulder issue that’s imposing some serious limitations on your life. It’s often only when a shoulder is out of commission that you realize just how much you rely on the joint.
For some patients, the only option for a functioning and pain-free joint is to replace the badly damaged parts. Just as you can undergo knee replacement and hip replacement, shoulder replacement procedures are also available.
In fact, between 2011 and 2017, shoulder replacement surgeries increased by more than 100% in the United States, and researchers place the current number of shoulder replacement surgeries to between 174,00 and 350,000 annually.
As a practice that features board-certified orthopedic surgeons, the team at New Braunfels Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine has no small amount of experience with shoulder arthroplasty, which is the medical term for replacement.
If you’re looking at resolving your shoulder pain with shoulder replacement surgery, here’s what we want you to know.
Types of shoulder replacement surgery
We’ll begin by describing a few different procedures that we offer when it comes to shoulder replacement, including:
Total shoulder replacement
During this procedure, we replace your humeral head (the top of your upper arm bone) with a new metal ball, and we insert a plastic socket in your shoulder to host the new head.
Hemiarthroplasty
We replace only the humeral head with a metal implant.
Resurfacing hemiarthroplasty
We resurface the humeral head without using a stem that goes down into your arm bone. This technique is meant to preserve your bone.
Reverse total shoulder replacement
This procedure is fast becoming the most common approach for shoulder replacement. With a reverse procedure, we switch the locations of the ball and socket — we place the socket on the end of your humerus and we attach a metal ball to your shoulder.
We often use this technique when there’s severe rotator cuff damage or advanced arthritis. By reversing the ball and socket, we can bypass your rotator cuff to tap stronger connective tissues, namely your deltoid muscles, to move your arm.
Preparing for your shoulder replacement surgery
No matter which approach we take for your shoulder replacement surgery, there will be some recovery time during which you won’t have full use of that arm. We suggest that you get as much done as possible before your surgery, such as preparing meals in advance and making sure that you don’t have any major chores or obligations for a couple of weeks.
It’s also a good idea to enlist some help for everyday chores during your rehabilitation — you won’t be cleared for some activities, such as driving, for a few weeks, so plan ahead.
The day of your shoulder replacement surgery
On the day of your surgery, please follow our instructions on timing and food and water intake. We also suggest that you leave valuables at home and wear comfortable clothes and shoes that are easy to get in and out of — think button-down shirts instead of ones you need to pull over your head.
In most cases, we perform shoulder replacement surgeries on an outpatient basis, which means you can go home under someone’s care. We use general anesthesia or sedation, so you won’t be aware of the surgery at all and you’ll be a little groggy heading home.
Recovering from shoulder replacement surgery
If you’re planning on using recovery time for binging your favorite TV shows, yes, there can be some of that. But we also want you to start using your shoulder fairly quickly. You will likely be wearing a sling for a few weeks, but physical therapy should begin soon after your procedure.
Rest assured, we’re with you throughout this entire process and we’re available for any questions you might have. We also provide you with complete aftercare instructions and we work with your physical therapist to come up with an appropriate rehabilitation plan.
If you have more questions about shoulder replacement surgery, please contact New Braunfels Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine in New Braunfels, Texas, today.
You Might Also Enjoy...
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Why Ultrasound Guidance Is Changing Treatment Outcomes
Diagnosing and treating carpal tunnel syndrome — which affects up to 10 million Americans at any given time — is more effective and easier on the patient than ever thanks to the power of ultrasound.
Living With Knee Arthritis in Winter: Pain Management and Mobility Tips From Orthopedic Experts
Hundreds of millions of people around the world are hobbled to varying degrees by knee pain and inflammation due to arthritis. Here are some best practices for managing the pain and preserving mobility.
Shoulder Arthroplasty Recovery: Tips to Regain Strength and Range of Motion Faster
Your shoulder got to the point where replacement made the most sense. With that decision behind you, you want to look ahead to learn what you can do to quickly regain the use of a shoulder that’s stronger and moves better. Here are our recovery tips.
Healing Faster With PRP Therapy
Most people want to get to the other side of an injury as quickly as possible, but you can’t just will your body’s healing system to work on your schedule. With the help of PRP therapy, we can move things along.
You Don’t Have to Play Tennis to Get Tennis Elbow
About half of tennis players will have issues with tennis elbow, but this overuse injury also can develop in people who don’t frequent the courts. Here’s a quick look at tennis elbow — from risk factors to solutions.