Shoulder Replacement · Shoulder arthroplasty
Reverse total shoulder replacement
Shoulder Arthritis — Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
The condition
Shoulder arthritis is the wearing away of the smooth cartilage that covers the ball and socket, causing pain, grinding, stiffness, and loss of function. A reverse replacement is often chosen when the rotator cuff is torn or weak, the socket is badly worn, or a standard replacement would be less reliable.
The surgery
Reverse shoulder replacement is done through an incision at the front of the shoulder. The positions of the ball and socket are switched: a metal ball is fixed to the socket side, and a cup is placed at the top of the arm bone. This lets the large deltoid muscle, rather than the rotator cuff, lift the arm. This improves the function but there may be some mildly limited motion in getting your arm behind your head/up your back.
Recovery at a glance
- Sling
- Ranges from comfort-only use to 4–6 weeks, depending on what is repaired at surgery. Removed for hygiene and therapy exercises.
- Daily life
- For 6 weeks: no lifting or pushing up from a chair with the surgical arm; then no more than 1–2 lb until 12 weeks. No reaching behind your back for 12 weeks. No driving while taking narcotic pain medication.
- Lifting & overhead
- Strengthening begins at 12 weeks with light weights. Most patients can reach overhead by ~3 months; reaching behind the back often stays limited.
- Activity
- Golf at 3–4 months and tennis at 4–6 months. Full recovery 1 year. Heavy overhead lifting and high impact activities are avoided long-term.
A general guide. Your restrictions and timeline may change based on what is found and done at surgery.
Risks & benefits
Benefits: Most patients have major pain relief and can again lift the arm for daily activities. Risks are uncommon and include infection, blood clots, dislocation, a stress fracture of the shoulder blade or a fracture around the implant, loosening or wear of the implants over time, injury to nearby structures (such as nerves or blood vessels), stiffness, persistent pain, and the need for further surgery. These will be reviewed with you in detail before surgery.
Patient Surgical Information
Open, save or print. Bring your questions to your pre-op visit.
Before & after every surgery