Even though not as common as hip or knee replacement surgery is, shoulder replacement surgery is a procedure that nearly 70,000 American have each year to get rid of their excruciating and debilitating shoulder pain once and for all and restore shoulder mobility.
Many injuries and conditions, including osteoarthritis, rotator cuff injuries, fractures, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteonecrosis, can damage your shoulder joint to the extent that joint replacement is the only way out.
Let’s discuss what shoulder replacement surgery involves, what are your shoulder replacement options if you are considering it, and where you can go for this surgery in Carmel, IN.
Shoulder Replacement Surgery
You may have already got an idea from the name of the procedure that in shoulder replacement surgery, your shoulder skin is opened,andthe damaged shoulder joint is removed and replaced with an artificial joint.
But you may not know that not all shoulder replacement surgeries are open surgeries – as in some cases, your orthopedic surgeon may use minimally invasive techniques to remove the damaged joint and replace it with metal or ceramic prosthetics to minimize disturbance to healthy tissues.
What’s more? If only a part of your shoulder joint is damaged, removing and replacing the entire joint is unnecessary. Instead, only the damaged part of the joint is replaced with an artificial joint.
Let’s discuss the different types of shoulder replacement surgery and what the procedure of each type involves.
Total Shoulder Replacement
If you have bone-on-bone arthritis of the shoulder joint and have intact rotator cuff tendons, this procedure is for you.
In this procedure, the entire shoulder joint is removed and replaced with a highly polished metal ball attached to a stem (the stem keeps the humeral head in place) and a plastic socket. The prosthetic – ball and socket – may be either cemented (if the bone is soft) or press fit (if the bone is of good quality) on the bone.
Stemmed Hemiarthroplasty
Hemiarthroplasty is the replacement of only the ball of the shoulder joint. It is recommended in people whose humeral head is severely fractured, but the socket is intact.
When the head of the humerus is replaced with a metal ball and stem, this is called stemmed hemiarthroplasty.
Resurfacing Hemiarthroplasty
This joint replacement surgery option involves replacing only the joint surface of the humeral head with a cap-like prosthesis without a stem.
Since this procedure preserves bone, it is often used as an alternative to stem shoulder replacement in those who suffer from arthritis of the shoulder.
Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement
This procedure is reserved for people who have completely torn rotator cuffs and had a previous shoulder replacement that failed.
As the name implies, the ball and socket are replaced in the opposite order in this procedure. For instance, the ball is attached to the shoulder blade, and the socket is attached to the upper arm bones.
Shoulder Replacement in Carmel, IN
If you have pain in your shoulder and are located in and around Carmel, Indiana, consider visiting our exceptional shoulder surgeon at Total Shoulder. Our board-certified and skilled shoulder surgeon Dr. Stephen Jacobsen has built an excellent reputation for delivering unparallel outcomes for shoulder replacement surgery and other procedures to help patients restore their shoulder function and mobility.
To know more about our services or schedule a consultation, call us today at (317) 705-4392 or fill out our convenient online appointment request form.
