Treatment is warranted if your shoulder pain interferes with your regular activities, keeps you from sleeping, and keeps you from having fun. A total shoulder replacement surgery can relieve shoulder stiffness, edema, discomfort, and movement restrictions.
A comprehensive physical examination, imaging testing, and a medical history review are necessary to decide if you are eligible for shoulder replacement surgery. You shouldn’t have shoulder replacement surgery without giving it much thought because it is a significant step in your treatment.
Here are the indicators that you may be eligible for total shoulder replacement surgery.
You have special conditions.
Stiffness in the shoulder joint, which severely restricts arm range of motion in patients who are strong candidates for shoulder replacement surgery, is common. Moving more slowly can hinder your ability to perform daily tasks like getting dressed and taking a bath and your capacity to complete your job.
Severe pain can be annoying, and imaging studies may reveal extensive arthritis or other unfixable issues with the joint. Perhaps you’ve severe fractures, osteoarthritis, rotator cuff tear arthropathy, previously failed shoulder replacement surgery, osteonecrosis, or traumatic or rheumatoid arthritis. The surgery is advisable in such cases.
Conventional treatments have failed.
To save you the discomfort, recovery time, and downtime related to major shoulder surgery, doctors should explore all conventional therapy alternatives before recommending that you have a shoulder replacement. Surgery may be ideal, though, if other treatments like stretches, exercises, injections, painkillers, and lifestyle changes don’t help your shoulder feel better.
Your rotator cuff is healthy.
Total shoulder replacement is not advisable if you have a severe, irreparable rotator cuff injury. In that case, your doctor may discuss with you other surgical choices.
You are a nontobacco user.
If you are a smoker, you risk having issues after surgery. We request you stop using it entirely or reduce tobacco use before surgery. Note that the surgeons must cut through tendons during a shoulder replacement procedure to install the prosthesis and heal them later. Smoking hinders connective tissue’s ability to repair optimally, particularly the rotator cuff.
Your nerves are healthy.
One of the main shoulder muscles is the deltoid. For shoulder replacement surgery to be successful, you must be healthy, and the deltoid may not be a candidate for replacement surgery if it has sustained considerable injury. You might not be a candidate for surgery if there is damage to the nerves that travel from your spine to your arm, hand, or shoulder.
You are ready to commit to post-surgical rehabilitation
Physical therapy and possible long-term activity restrictions are part of the long-term rehab process after surgery. Active people often put a lot of strain on their new shoulders and are more likely to need revision surgery. Talk about your physical objectives after shoulder replacement surgery to ascertain whether the results meet your expectations.
conclusion
Although a major step, shoulder replacement surgery can relieve your pain and restore function to the joint. However, you must consult extensively with your doctor to determine whether it is the best option.
