Has anyone had a reverse shoulder replacement?

Donk said:
Well I'm 69 and recovering from shoulder surgery as I write this. My rotator cuff tendons were completely detached as was one bicep tendon and a tendon to the shoulder blade? was partially detached. They put anchors with sutures in them into the bone and then reattached the rotator cuff. Surgeon was great and went over everything step by step both before and after the surgery including going over arthroscopic pictures post op. He made it very clear to me I had to cool it, chill for six weeks, follow instruction including wearing a brace/sling deal 24/7 for best chance of recovery. I really got the warm fuzzy from him both before and after. The first surgeon I saw I couldn't get away from fast enough! It wasn't that he was recommending doing anything much different but his attitude about the whole deal sucked - for lack of a better term.

If you're not feeling great about what the first surgeon said or his attitude then get a second opinion. It's your shoulder and you want to know you're in the best hands possible before you commit to anything.

I will be in this brace/sling deal for a total of 6 weeks. I expect or have been told 3-4 months PT minimum after that.

My pain level was pretty high before surgery. Doc said I had and showed me pictures of "one pissed off shoulder" after surgery. He did both of my nephew's shoulders and my nephew is 100% after. I'm hoping for similar results.
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When I had similar surgery the little Donjoy Iceman classic 3 they sent home with me was a Blessing. Pain relief with out pills and the resulting constipation.
It turns out chilling increases healing.
 
I had the reverse shoulder done about 14 months ago.
pain level was low. . first night , I took a pain pill just in case., didn't want to wake up in the middle of the night after the op drugs and blockers wore of..
2nd night. took 1 pill for the same reason .. that was it for pain meds.
Rehab started about a week and went well . not pain free but nowhere near as bad as the rotator cuff that I had 10 years earlier .
I have pretty much full range of motion and after 4 months went back to playing pickleball. sometimes when playing it feels like i have a pulled muscle, but its not so painful that i cant keep playing.
I m happy with the results
 
For about 6 weeks, i couldn't reach my wallet in my back pocket .. but that was a good thing.. :)
it's not perfect but range of motion is not a problem for me , im stronger now then before and could probably improve it if I had the ambition to do so.
 
SMSW said:
I'm considering a reverse shoulder replacement - it is called a reverse because the doc saws the ball off the humerus, mills a recess that gets a metal and plastic cup, and secures a ball fitting to the scapula. This procedure is recommended for rotator cuff injuries. They no longer repair the muscles for folks over 65 for rotator cuff tears...now it is replacement time.

@Uncle Phil has had two standard replacements, opposite what I am looking at, and he has shared his experience with me. If you have had this surgery, I have some questions.

My concerns are:
What is your range of motion after surgery? I have nearly total range of motion, but no strength - cannot lift a coffee pot to pour a cup w/ my left arm. My supraspinatus* muscle is torn through and one of the tendons to my bicep is also torn. The 'lifting' function of these will be replaced with the deltoid muscle. Since the geometry changes, one's range of motion may be limited. One woman who I have spoken with said she cannot reach above her waist on her back with the arm that underwent the surgery. She can reach mid back with her other arm. This might not be a bad trade-off...there are back scratchers galore. :rofl1:
How long was recovery? A friend said if they told you it would take a year to feel 100%, nobody would go through with this unless there was major pain. I have little to no pain...just lack of strength.
How long before you started PT after the operation, and how long did the PT last?
How is your strength after the operation?

A very big part of this is having confidence in your surgeon. I've had an initial interview with one of the most highly rated shoulder guys in town. My wife, who was with me, said later that the exam room could barely contain the surgeon's ego. I felt that he minimized the potential problems and the procedure. He said the operation takes 20 minutes (I'd guess preop prep and post op recovery are not included here), he said after 2 days I 'd begin light physical therapy and be back to normal in 14 weeks. I am going to get another opinion. Fortunately, Cleveland has more than a few excellent orthopedic surgeons who specialize in shoulders, and all accept Medicare (well, maybe the guys who fix professional athletes do not).
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I have had 5 shoulder replacements, 1st two were regular replacements, developed an infection in one 5 years later and had a reverse, year later the other replacement was failing, and had another reverse replacement. Two years later both are good, the second reverse I also had a torn rotator cuff. with the reverse they said the rotator cuff is not used, so being an expert in replacements, go for it! PT was not that bad within 6 months was back riding, today I can raise both arms signaling Touchdowns! lol. Lost some strength but not that noticeable.

I'm pretty much Bionic at this point in time, two total knee replacements in the last 1 1/2 yrs, wrist fusion 20 yrs ago, left hip replacement 2 yrs ago..! Doesn't keep me from riding. The TSA agents laugh when going thru the scanner..! I refer myself as Steve Austin's little cousin, the Quater Million Dollar Man..! lol..
 
Al st1100 said:
Is this a Craftsman saw? I don't see any torque specs. :rofl1:
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Interesting. I'm scheduled for a left shoulder reverse replacement at the end of October.
This was informative. My first reaction was . . . this looks nice, all clean and dry. I'm guessing there's an additional degree of difficulty when everything is bloody, wet and slippery.
In any case, i'm encouraged by the comments of all those who've shared their experiences.

Shuey

PS: I'm thinking the anesthestist is my new best friend!
 
Shuey - The somewhat biggest surprise for me was how much upper body muscle strength I lost through the procedures.
I had both of my shoulders replaced within 90 days of each other (planned by me).
I still struggle with the strength thing 4 years later even though I do some regular light weightlifting to try to overcome it.
But the pain relief and increased mobility are well worth it!
 
I saw my doc in February, and scheduled surgery for the second week in April. I also had an appt set up for March to discuss what hardware he was going to use, and any other issues. At that meeting, he asked me what pain I had - none. He checked my range of motion - and he said it was about 90%. He asked why I wanted it, I said because I cannot hang up a coat or shirt in a closet on the rod w/ my left arm - no strength. I cannot lift and pour coffee from a pot (no strength in left arm). He checked how high I could reach on my back, and then said he would not operate on me because he did not think I would be happy w/ the outcome.

In my case, a fall tore my supra and infra spinach muscles (spinatus...but I like spinach) clear across. PT increased my strength somewhat, but, after 2 months of supervised PT and another 4 months of weight training on my own, I could still only hold a 5 lb dumbbell in my hand near my ear and then press it upward. Online series of exercises suggested doing this w/ a 25 lb kettle ball. That is how much I've lost.

My takeaway from this:
* A reverse shoulder uses the deltoid muscle to lift your arm. The doc determines the attachment point to give you the range of motion you want/need. For a golfer, this is easy. For me - I wanted strength AND mobility of a young guy - not so easy.
* A reverse shoulder op will loose you some mobility. A woman told me she could no longer fasten her bra in the back. Well, that's easy. For one I don't wear a bra, for two, if I did I'd hook it in the front and spin it around.
* A reverse shoulder op will not give you back the strength you had.
* Shoulder operations/joint replacements are GREAT at solving major pain issues, which are caused by arthritis and deterioration of the OEM joint (bones). If you have no pain, the docs are hesitant to mess with the joint.
* There is some risk with all surgical procedures. My doc said that was 1%. The Cleveland Clinic's website said for all shoulder joint replacements the risk for complications was 6%. I like the risks involved in getting vaccinations - say 1 in 100,000 or 1 in 50,000. Heck, I know 100 people who have had joint replacements so that means 5 or 6 of them had problems.
* Replacement joints are not magnets for infections. However, when I asked my doc about these he said since there is no blood supply to a plastic and metal replacement joint, any stray bacteria that might happen to land on the joint will find a safe haven to be fruitful and multiply. No blood supply means no white cells to attack the bacteria.
* I have a couple of friends here in town who have had reverse shoulder replacements and are tickled pink with the results. Neither of these two guys wears a bra so no problems there.
* Expectations are all.

My doc said to come back once a year for an MRI. If my joint deteriorates any more and I have pain, he will replace it in two years. He also said by that time they will have definitive information if robotic surgery has better outcomes than humans doing the surgery. By outcomes I got the feeling he was talking about fewer complications.

Bottom line, it is your choice. I told him he gave me back my summer (no surgery, no recovery) and lowered my BP by a good 15 to 20 points. I tend to worry about people sticking sharp objects into me (and not only a little worrying).

I wish you the best of luck with the surgery.
 
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Shuey said:
Interesting. I'm scheduled for a left shoulder reverse replacement at the end of October.
This was informative. My first reaction was . . . this looks nice, all clean and dry. I'm guessing there's an additional degree of difficulty when everything is bloody, wet and slippery.
In any case, i'm encouraged by the comments of all those who've shared their experiences.

Shuey

PS: I'm thinking the anesthestist is my new best friend!
Click to expand...
I have always considered my anesthetist to be "Dear Mr. Fantasy" (by Traffic)
 
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