ORTHOPEDICS/SHOULDER & ELBOW/THERAPY & SURGERY
A shoulder switching surgery is a therapy alternative for serious shoulder joint arthritis.
To remind, Arthritis is a disorder that can cause eroding to the normally smooth cartilage joint coating.
As the cartilage is destroying, the protective coating between the bones is progressively lost; when this occurs, painful bone-on-bone arthritis is developing.
Serious shoulder arthritis is usually painful and can cause shoulder motion restriction
While this disorder may be calmed with some simple nonsurgical therapies including medicines and lifestyle alterations, some other severe conditions may require surgical intervention.
From the Shoulder arthritis frequent signs we can note: Pain with activities, motion range restriction, shoulder Stiffness, joint Inflammation, Tenderness around the joint, Grinding feeling or catching within the joint.
Therapy
Shoulder arthritis simple therapies are usually performed before considering shoulder-switching surgery.
Surgery
Complete shoulder switching surgery lessens pain by replacing the damaged bone and cartilage with a metal and plastic implant.
The shoulder joint is a ball-and-socket joint, similar to the hip joint:
The ball is the arm bone (the humerus) top, the socket is within the shoulder blade (scapula). This joint allows a wide motion range at the shoulder.
When shoulder switching surgery is performed, the ball is removed from the humerus top and replaced with a metal implant.
This surgery is shaped like a half-moon. The socket portion of the joint is shaved clean and replaced with a plastic socket that is cemented into the shoulder blade.
Switching control
Patients, who have performed simple therapies for shoulder arthritis, and did not obtain adequate relief, may opt for shoulder switching surgery.
It is important for patients who consider performing a shoulder switching surgery to know that the objective of such surgery is to alleviate pain and not increasing strength or motion.