Shoulder Replacement Surgery: Signs, Types and Recovery Guide

Is shoulder pain disrupting your sleep? Learn the signs you may need shoulder replacement surgery (arthroplasty), from rotator cuff disease to severe arthritis. Our expert-backed guide covers types of surgery, Medicare coverage, costs and the recovery timeline.

While hip replacements and knee replacements often dominate the conversation around joint health, shoulder replacements are quietly becoming more common. In 2022, 193,500 Americans chose to get shoulder replacement surgery, also called arthroplasty.

If your health care provider has said that you may be a candidate for shoulder replacement surgery, it helps to know what to expect before and during surgery, what you can do for the best recovery possible and what costs are involved.

What Is Shoulder Replacement Surgery (Arthroplasty)?

Shoulder replacement surgery involves replacing all or part of your shoulder with an artificial shoulder. Specifically, it replaces the ball and socket joint, or the glenohumeral joint, of the shoulder.

“This is the joint responsible for your ability to move your arm and to rotate it in a circle, forward and back,” says Dr. Brian Lee, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon/elbow and shoulder specialist at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics in Los Angeles and an orthopedic consultant for the PGA Tour. “With muscles, tendons and cartilage surrounding the joint’s bone surfaces, the shoulder is a powerhouse of stability and mobility.”

It’s typically used when other types of treatments no longer help shoulder-related pain or your ability to use the shoulder is very limited.

A few common causes that may lead to shoulder replacement surgery include:

• Rotator cuff tears or disease. The rotator cuff is the muscles and tendons around the shoulder that assist it in moving and give it stability.
• Severe arthritis. “This is because severe arthritis damages the cartilage around the shoulder joint,” says Dhara Shah, a spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association and a board-certified clinical specialist in orthopedic physical therapy in Atlanta. “When cartilage is damaged or worn away, it’s bone-on-bone, limiting movement and causing pain and stiffness.”
• Shoulder fracture. Shoulder replacement surgery may be an option if plates, screws or other fixation devices used for a fracture can’t help.
• Osteonecrosis. This condition that disrupts blood supply to the bone. Osteonecrosis can destroy the shoulder joint and lead to arthritis.

Signs That You May Need Shoulder Replacement Surgery

Shoulder pain and stiffness are common signs that something could be wrong with your shoulder.

"In my practice, one of the most common reasons patients seek care is persistent pain at night,” says Dr. James M. Gregory, a shoulder and elbow surgeon and an associate professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and associate program director for the Orthopedic Sports Medicine and Shoulder Fellowship at UT Health Houston. Other common signs include:

• Shoulder pain that disrupts sleep
• Difficulty lifting or raising the arm
• Loss of function with routine activities

If conservative treatments like oral medicines, physical therapy and injections aren't helping, it may be time to consult a surgeon.

Source: health.usnews.com