Does shoulder replacement surgery offer any benefits?

A brief about shoulder replacement surgery

The shoulder joint is a ball and socket type of joint, highly flexible and has a good range of motion. With advancing age shoulder is most prone to wear and tear and shows complex anatomical changes like roughened edges, decrease in joint space, loss of flexibility and pain. This becomes an important reason to seek relief by getting an artificial prosthesis fixed or resorting to other alternatives to shoulder replacement surgery.

How is shoulder resurfacing done?

Shoulder resurfacing aims at restoration of natural tissue of the joint since it involves resection of the damaged part only instead of the entire joint. This does not only give higher results in bringing back all the shoulder functions but also imparts pain relief and thus becomes one of the tried and tested procedure to be done by many physicians. 

What are the benefits of resurfacing?

As an alternative to shoulder replacement, the resurfacing is least invasive and non traumatic to the patient. By preserving the normal joint articulations, it enables patient to perform all functional movements. Not only this, the patients with osteoporosis or deformed bones can also undergo this procedure. The surgery can be revised as and when required and doesn’t carry the fatal risk of fat embolism.

When should you opt for shoulder resurfacing?

•          Osteoarthritis
•          Rheumatoid arthritis
•          Shoulder derangement.
•          Injury to muscles of rotator cuff.
•          Circulatory problems like avascular necrosis.

What are the other therapies for shoulder joint?

Pain killers

Topical ointments, gel based solutions and anti inflammatory analgesics provide temporary pain relief.

Injections of Hyaluronic acid

They give considerable amount of pain relief after at least two injections are given straight into the joint cavity.

Cortisone injections

These are steroid injections which provide temporary aid to pain, swelling and particularly the inflammatory signs. The shortcomings of steroids are that once given, they need to be repeated off and on and induce thinning of the tissues around shoulder joint.

Arthroscopy

With the help of a telescope, the joint is visualized to locate the problem and a minor surgery is performed.

Manipulation under anesthesia

The joint is anesthetized and the surgeon by specialized technique and thrusts breaks the scars and adhesions within the joint.

Physical therapy

Use of electrical modalities and exercises in a sustained manner alleviates pain and inflammation, improves stiff shoulder range and brings about healthy circulatory changes around the joint.

What are the risks associated with shoulder replacement?

•          The prosthesis can restrict joint movements.
•          The muscles around the implant are likely to weaken with time.
•          The normal bone is sacrificed unwontedly.
•          The bones may fracture during implantation of prosthesis itself and can become a bigger problem to tackle.
•          The patient may be left with pain and discomfort for long time.
•          The prosthesis may get loosened with time.