Standard Shoulder Replacement Here I go again...

[jwadds]

I had bilateral hip replacements May 3, 2019. Now that my hips are almost back to normal, I started to address my shoulders which had taken a back seat to awful hips.

X-rays show bilateral, moderate to severe glenohumeral osteoarthritis and mild to moderate acromioclavicalar osteoarthritis. My left side I can hardly reach up to shampoo my hair.

So now I’m researching for an OS who does shoulders.

I’m wondering at what point did people get their shoulder replaced? Was their OA moderate or severe? and are there procedures that are less invasive than TSA that will alleviate the pain?
I don’t want my shoulders to get as bad as my hips were, but not looking forward to another long rehab and I would definitely not be able to do simultaneous bilateral with shoulders.

 

[Mojo333]

Hi @jwadds
Had to pop in and say..Sorry to hear your shoulder is so painful...
Our own @Jamie had her shoulder replaced this year so I'm sure she can answer some of your questions...

I don’t want my shoulders to get as bad as my hips were, but not looking forward to another long rehab and I would definitely not be able to do simultaneous bilateral with shoulders

can't imagine anything else bilateral...even give much props to double kneesies AND hippies for that matter.
I imagine you wish it would give you some time to enjoy those new hips so I will be thinking of you as you go forward.
Big Christmas Hugs(couldn't wait to throw this guy on someone...my both at once pal!)

 

[Jaycey]

@jwadds So sorry you are facing more surgery! Hopefully Jamie can answer some of your questions. She waited 5 years for her TSR. @SportHog also had his surgery around the same time. He has not been on the forum recently but I've tagged him for you.

 

[Jamie]

Hi and welcome to BoneSmart. If you're having trouble getting your arm up to wash your hair, it does sound like you may need that shoulder replaced. I had to wait 5 years for my left shoulder that was done this past February because I was taking care of my husband. Once he died, I could finally address my problem. Thankfully I had a great surgeon who was able to preserve my bad shoulder with some arthroscopic surgery during my care giving period so that I could wait.

The thing with waiting is that you can risk damaging your rotator cuff muscles at some point. Should that occur and if there is a significant tear, then you would need a reverse shoulder replacement instead of a standard one. Reverse replacements work and they are a godsend to people who need them, but you do have some loss of rotation with them. It's best to avoid that when you can.

The worse part for me was the first 6 weeks where you are pretty much immobile with that arm. No surgeon will do a bilateral shoulder replacement, as you would not be able to function in recovery. So, if both are bad, you'll need to do them one at a time.

My surgeon required an immobilization brace immediately after surgery for that 6 weeks, but we worked out a way where I could leave it off for most of the day and primarily wear it at night. The purpose of the brace is to protect your tender new tissues and prevent accidental damage to the good work your surgeon has just done. I followed his rules explicitly as there was a danger of tearing the muscles from bone if I chose to use that arm when it should really be immobilized in the sling during the day. It worked and my range of motion in that shoulder is back to normal. Now I'm working on strength as having it bad for so long meant a lot of muscle atrophy.

 

[djklaugh]

@jwadds Welcome to the multi joint replacement crew As for which shoulder to do first ... I had my right shoulder (dominant side) done first and left shoulder was done about 4 years later. At the time of the first shoulder surgery my insurance (and medical care organization- HMO) said they only did shoulder replacements for severe pain. But by the time of the 2nd one their criteria had relaxed and they'd added "severe dysfunction" ... for me in each case I easily (alas!) met all their criteria.

As Jamie said the first 6 weeks or so are difficult though personally I found it less difficult than doing BTHR. Thankfully shoulders are not weight bearing joints! Shoulders do require PT afterwards as muscles and tendons do have to be majorly traumatized in the replacement process. For me I am very pleased with the out comes of shoulder replacement! I can do pretty much every thing I need to do in life ... except hook a bra behind my back. Oh well front closure ones work just fine :0

Best wishes to you with yet another adventure in joint replacements

 

[jwadds]

Thanks for all the encouragement and helpful tips. I’ve done some research and have narrowed it down to 2 surgeons. So we’ll see how long it takes for me to get into see one.

For some reason my left non-dominant side is worse, so I’d like to get that one done first. Lol @djklaugh, I haven’t been able to do up my bra for at least 20 years... I use the, put it on backwards and spin it around technique.
I randomly get impingement, where I can’t raise my arm above counter height. Also will randomly get searing pain reaching for things. It’s quite breathtaking and I can’t figure out why it happens sometimes and not all the time. Frozen shoulder (ie no range of motion) is constant for the last 20 years that I’ve just learned to live with it.
thanks again for all the support, will advise when I’ve got a date to see an OS... I suspect it won’t be until the summer.

 

[SportHog]

Hi jwads. I just happened to check in and saw jayceys comment.
I had my right shoulder done in Feb. 2019 and the post op excersises were difficult for the first
month but I persisted and finally was able to do most things after about 6 weeks. The thing
I missed most was sleeping on my right side but I finally was able to do it. Good luck in
finding a surgeon and with the surgery. Cheers, Ross

 

[jwadds]

The thing
I missed most was sleeping on my right side but I finally was able to do it.

lol @SportHog that is what I found most difficult with my BTHR, not being able to sleep on my side! I'm definitely not a back sleeper, so was brutal to have to do that for 5+ weeks. I used to roll on my side even though it was too painful to sleep, just to get the sensation. Not looking forward to that again!

 

[Jamie]

When you have difficulty sleeping on your side after surgery, many people do a kind of "cheater" side sleep. I know I did with both my knees. You put pillows down the bed so they are behind your back and bottom, then kind of roll into them so you are partially on your side and partially on your back. That may work for you.