Shoulder replacement

[flyfisher]

Turns out I need to have a full shoulder replacement. Options are traditional with the normal ball and socket orientation, or reversed. Initial conversations with the Dr says the traditional option has better range of motion, and the reversed has longer service. The Dr had ordered CTI scan to determine which option is best for me. The Dr says he wants to help me meet my health objectives. I want to continue working out with pushups, pull-ups, bag work type exercises. Anyone have recommendations or which option is better? My Surgen is a KC Royal team Dr, so I have confidence in his abilities.

I’ve had neck issues for quite awhile, and finally had neck surgery to fix those issues. Seems like the neck issues hid the shoulder problems by compressing the nerves so I could not feel the pain. I currently can’t even hold a cup of coffee on that arm.

[TFA303]

No recommendations, but following for my own reference.... Hang in there, sir.

[Papa]

Both options were presented to me. According to the doc, the reversed orientation was for those with rotator cuffs that were too badly worn or damaged to properly retain the ball. My surgery was in November 2019, but complications including immediate followup surgery for a detached bicep, pronounced swelling of the arm and kidney stones (!) delayed recovery well past the 6-8 months originally projected.
Currently I lift once or twice a week, row on a Concept Model B, run 6K or so or ride a stationary bike. I'm very very slowly increasing my weights, with some setbacks.

Examples include 5 sets of 30# dumbell curls, 6-10 reps, followed by five sets of 25# dumbbell drag curls-10 reps, followed by five sets of 30# bent over rows, 10 reps. Going over to lift tonight and the goal will be 100# on the Swiss bar, 10 reps plus per set, and Hex squats of 200# plus, six sets of five. Slow, slow progress. But I am long in the tooth and slow to heal.

Patience is critical.

[BillyOblivion]

Initial conversations with the Dr says the traditional option has better range of motion, and the reversed has longer service.

Do you have numbers to do the math with? What are replacement options like if you wear out the first one?

[flyfisher]

I don’t have the numbers on the range of motion, longevity, or activities/limitations of each options yet. I’ve just started my research. The Dr said if I wear one out, they have to do another surgery with all of it’s recovery joy.

[Papa]

They told me 25 years on this one. If I need to replace it at 91, I'll do so.

[mike28w]

My only advice is about after the surgery.... A lot of folks won't go through rehab because it "hurts too much". They end up with a "frozen shoulder". I used to anesthetize those folks so the doc could move the arm around and break up the scar tissue that had formed around the joint.

[flyfisher]

I am a true believer when it comes to rehabilitation. Everyone of the people I know that had to get a procedure redone was because they didn’t do the rehabilitation. They either did too much too soon, or two little too late. In this case, I will follow directions to the best of my abilities.

[flyfisher]

They told me 25 years on this one. If I need to replace it at 91, I'll do so.

25 years? Yea, I’ll take that. I’ll be in my 80s.

[Papa]

Hoping by then we'll have some useful advances in joint and bone replacement and, more importantly, healing.

61023

[Mr. Anthony]

It's supposedly just a matter of time until I'll need a new shoulder (was told I should probably get surgery when I was like 18). It feels basically 100% right now, though, thanks to years of taking good care of it. I don't even think of it as my "bad" shoulder any more--just every once in a while something happens to it and it feels crappy again for a few weeks.

I figure I'm going to put it off until one day it just fails spectacularly. Hopefully at that point we'll have the tech to make it a bionic upgrade. Super strength, laser targeting system, whatever.

[BillyOblivion]

Hoping by then we'll have some useful advances in joint and bone replacement and, more importantly, healing.


We will, but it will be allocated by Intersectionality Points, and, well, we're fucked.

[BKern]

I had a total reverse replacement in May 2016. I was, at the time, working as a package handler for UPS handling 6-8 thousand pounds of packages per shift.

I was off work for eight weeks after the surgery. You should get full range of motion with the replacement. I hit full range the third day of rehab. Rehab was eight weeks and was not particularly stressful. I was beginning (slowly) to do pushups by the seventh week post surgery and hit 100 a day by Christmas.

The worst and most lasting result of a reverse replacement was that they took out the infraspinatus (rotator cuff) muscle on the back of the shoulder. It took two years to get to the point where rotating my arm up from a bent elbow worked without great effort. It works now but sounds really crunchy when I do it.

As far as working out, pushups, pullups, barbell curls are all ok. Dumbbell curls are wonky, bench presses have no stability on that side so I can't put up any meaningful weight. Oddly, kettlebell snatches work fine. If I still had a rotator cuff, I would probably not be able to tell it was a replacement.

[SEANSTRAIT]

Ask your surgeon about regional anesthesia. No sense in being in more pain than necessary.

[mike28w]

Ask your surgeon about regional anesthesia. No sense in being in more pain than necessary.

Excellent idea ! I would ask !