Shoulder Replacement
The shoulder joint is an important joint. It is the joint responsible for putting the hand in space. A well functioning and pain-free shoulder is needed during simple tasks such as reaching for an object or washing the face.
The shoulder consists of the humeral head and the glenoid. It is a ball and socket joint. It is supported by the rotator cuff muscles and joint capsule.
Pain in the shoulder joint may be caused by a variety of conditions. Conditions such as Impingement Syndromes, Rotator cuff tears, Instabilities from dislocations, Avascular Necrosis, Arthritis, and Fractures. Each of which will have its own specific treatments.
Pain from Avascular Necrosis, end-stage arthritis and certain fractures may be treated by Shoulder Replacement.
- Avascular Necrosis happens when the blood supply to the humeral head is disrupted resulting in a collapse of the bone.
- End-stage Arthritis occurs when the cartilage of the ball and the socket gets totally worn-off or damaged by inflammation. This may be caused by osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis.
- Fractures specifically certain comminuted fractures are broken bones from an injury which may have disrupted the blood supply to the humeral head.
Shoulder Replacement is a procedure performed whereby the ball and/or the socket is replaced by an implant. Shoulder Replacement may be Partial or Hemi Replacement or Total Shoulder Replacement.
A Partial or Hemi Replacement is a procedure that replaces only the ball of the shoulder. This is usually done for Fractures and Avascular Necrosis.
A Total Shoulder Replacement is a procedure that replaces the ball and the socket of the shoulder. A Total Shoulder Replacement may be either Anatomic Total Shoulder Replacement or Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement. An Anatomic Shoulder Replacement replaces the damaged bone with an implant that looks like the original humeral head (ball) and glenoid (socket). Whereas, a Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement replaces the damaged ball with a socket-like implant and the socket with a ball-like implant thus the name Reverse.
To know if a Shoulder Replacement is right for you, talk to our highly trained Joint Replacement Surgeons or Shoulder Surgeons to discuss the procedure, its indication, risks and benefits, and the postoperative course.