Shoulder is the most used joint of the body; even the minutest of the tasks require hand movement and thereby shoulder movement. Shoulder replacement is not very common as hip replacement and knee replacement surgery. In most cases, shoulder replacement surgery is required when the shoulder is terribly damaged. Mostly, such type of injury is caused either by accident or sports injury.
What is shoulder replacement?
Arthroplasty or shoulder replacement is a medical procedure in which portions of shoulder joints are replaced with artificial implants to reduce pain and restore range of rotation as well as mobility. This type of surgery has a great success rate as it relives pain and stiffness post surgery.
When there is a need of shoulder replacement?
Shoulder replacement surgery is performed on people who suffer from joint dysfunction. People suffering from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, rotator cuff tear arthropathy, severe fracture from an accident or sports injury.
People showing following symptoms prefer shoulder replacement surgery:
- Severe shoulder pain
- Loss of motion of shoulder
- People that have no relief even after trying therapy and medication.
- Failed surgeries
- Difficulty in sleeping due to pain
Diagnosis
To diagnose the need of shoulder replacement doctor prescribes a series of X-rays. In some cases, advanced CT scan may also be prescribed to see severity of bone damage. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is prescribed in complicated cases where there is a need to see surrounding soft tissues. In case of any nerve damage; doctor refers to an EMG test.
Risk factors
Every surgery comes with some risk factors involved due to several reasons such as:
- Infection
- Reaction to anesthesia
- Nerve or blood vessel damage
- Rotator cuff tear
Different types of shoulder replacements
- Anatomic total Shoulder Replacement: In this, arthritic joint is replaced with a polished metal ball attached to a stem and a plastic cup on glenoid socket.
- Stemless Total Shoulder Arthroplasty Surgery: This is a bone preserving version of total shoulder arthroplasty where metallic ball is attached to the upper arm without the stem.
- Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement: As the name suggests in this type of surgery, the joint is reversed; the metal ball is placed where glenoid socket was and the plastic cup is attached to the stem.
- Hemiarthroplasty: In this the ball and the stem are replaced and then the stem is connected to the ball with the natural socket.
- Resurfacing Hemiarthroplasty: In this, the joint surface of the humeral head is replaced with a cap like prosthesis without a stem.
Why Eternal Hospital?
At Eternal Hospital, we have a highly qualified and dedicated team of doctors who are always committed to providing the latest and most advanced medical care to all our patients. Being a trusted name in healthcare, we act compassionately while ensuring confidentiality to those who need it. We have set high standards in patient-centric premium care and outstanding patient safety, and exceptional maintenance in a timely manner. In addition, we adhere to the use of up-to-the-minute innovations to offer state-of-the-art treatments to our patients with unparalleled results.
