Help! I need a new shoulder!

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spacefaer

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Has anyone on here had a new shoulder joint?

I spoke to the specialist today,about the results of the xray/ultra/MRI investigations I've been having.
Turns out I havw "severe" osteoarthritis in my shoulder (which would account for rhe pain and lack of strength and mobility I've had for a couple of years!)

I've been referred to a surgeon now to discuss the possibility of putting a new shoulder joint in. Until today I didn't even know this was an option!

Can anyone advise on how successful this is and how much downtime it genuinely needs?

Dr Google is saying 4-6 months before back to full strength and fitness ...
 
Google is about right. There are also a few different types of shoulder replacement you can have so find out which one and what the expected outcome is. It can differ between people

But for example, if you are having a reverse shoulder replacement it’s quite common movement does not exceed 90 degrees.

Good luck!
 
Thank you. I'll have to wait to speak to the surgeon to know more about what they want to do.

I think if I was going to be left with only 90° movement, I wouldn't bother as it's better than that now. Or I'd wait until it got worse, I guess!
 
There are a few different things they can do depending on the condition of your shoulder and the surrounding muscles. A replacement will definitely help with pain relief long term but sometimes that comes at the cost of function, however not always. If you make it clear to the surgeon what you want to be able to do afterwards they usually will try their best for you if there’s enough shoulder to get the result you want.
But start strengthening now if you haven’t already. The more muscle you have there, the better
 
Thanks. I have limited mobility now - mainly because it hurts. I can use my other arm to lift it etc and its fine - so it can move, but doesn't want to. If I do too much, it hurts, if I rest it it then hurts.

It's amazing how much I've adapted without noticing it. I throw rugs on from the off side as I can't do it from the near eith my right arm. Rest my elbow on the wall at shoulder height so that my hand is in the right place to put my scrunchie in .... little things!

So I'm wary of doing "strengthening " things, as it'll hurt and I dont want to damage the joint further. It's currently bone on bone with active new bone remodelling.
 
I had one at 21. I had bone on bone rubbing before. It's now 16 years later and it's been great. I have about 80% range of movement, pretty near normal strength and no sign of it needing to be redone in the foreseeable future.
 
I had a titanium shoulder replacement about 10 years ago, I did lose a lot of muscle and now do not have full range of movement in that shoulder, having said that you learn to adapt to what you can do and it was the right thing to do at the time. It took me about 6 months to fully recover and you must keep up the physio.
 
spacefaer said:
Thanks. I have limited mobility now - mainly because it hurts. I can use my other arm to lift it etc and its fine - so it can move, but doesn't want to. If I do too much, it hurts, if I rest it it then hurts.

It's amazing how much I've adapted without noticing it. I throw rugs on from the off side as I can't do it from the near eith my right arm. Rest my elbow on the wall at shoulder height so that my hand is in the right place to put my scrunchie in .... little things!

So I'm wary of doing "strengthening " things, as it'll hurt and I dont want to damage the joint further. It's currently bone on bone with active new bone remodelling.
Click to expand...
Your description could be exactly of my shoulder (dislocated shoulder and broke top of humerus, about 5 months ago). It moves it I lift my arm but I can't move it all the way up (slowly improving). Same exactly for putting hair up. Use a mounting block to get the saddle on. Haven't had to try rugs yet... damn annoying!
 
Best thing I ever did. Mine was after an accident but I couldn't lift my arm at all. The recovery was pretty rough and the physio is hard but three years later I don't even notice it any more and I'd say I'm back to 90% normal.
 
Encouraging replies. Thank you
(Apart from how hard and lengthy the physio is urgh!)
I must admit I was a bit gob smacked at the diagnosis as it wasn't what I had been expecting- i thought it was a tendon/soft tissue issue 🙈

I've got time to get a bit more information though now as getting the surgeon's appointment is about 3 months apparently
 
Beg, borrow or steal one of these

Aircast Shoulder Cryo/Cuff and Cooler | Health and Care

Buy the Aircast Shoulder Cold Therapy Cryo/Cuff with Cold Therapy Cryo/Cuff Cooler Saver Pack at Health and Care for £106.94. Cryotherapy for shoulder injury.
www.healthandcare.co.uk

It made a huge difference to how comfortable I was, as did a wide recliner to sleep on. It took me a good month to be able to lay down flat.
 
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