Anyone here have it done? I'm not talking rotator cuff repair, but rather full ball and socket replacement. Thoughts and experiences are appreciated. Cheers, Dave
Feel your pain .I need both of mine done. The Dr. told me to hold off as long as possible at 59 he says if I live long enough I will have probably have to get them done again.
62. I hadn't planned on living this long, so I'm not sure a second round of replacement would be in the offing. I'm only looking at one - left side, fortunately as I'm right handed. 6 mos+ on the recovery from what I understand. 900,000 knee replacements annually vs 53,000 shoulders. I guess a joint is a joint, but . . . . Cheers, Dave
Both. The desert racing stint with the high speed launches and corresponding hard landings didn't help things. Surprisingly, it is my right side that suffered from T1 at Daytona in 2001, and it does not give me any problems. It is the left side that needs replacement. Right on. Chromium carbide cap on the humerus is no doubt better than the original material. The titanium in my ankle has performed magnificently. The drawback is the long recovery and almost complete lack of use for an extended period, no motorcycling for 4 months, no bicycling, etc., etc. If I'm undergoing that stuff, I want a guarantee . . . . Anybody done this? Cheers, Dave
Surely there's a forum somewhere, there seems to be a forum for everything these days and people love talking about their health issues.
MAKE SURE YOU ARE IN THE LATERAL POSITION NOT THE BEACH CHAIR!!!!! Make sure your Anethesiologist does NOT use CRNA's they are uneducated and dangerous....
I have a good friend at work who just did this. He fought with his shoulder for a decade or more. He tried everything to avoid a replacement as he is only 59 years old now. Even including a couple of other surgeries. He finally decided to get it done and is the happiest I have seen him in a long time. Just a few days after surgery his pain was much lower than it had been in YEARS. He did a bunch of research on where to go. Most of his family are doctors and I think they helped in the search. The clear winner was Dr. Gobezie at the Cleveland Shoulder Institute. I guess they do hundreds of shoulders each year. https://clevelandshoulder.com/ The other thing he talked about a lot was the need for a reverse shoulder. They put the socket on your arm and the ball on your torso.
I had a full shoulder replacement one year ago. Waited way too long just because of my misgivings about that type of surgery. Best decision I have ever made. I have full, painless use of my arm now. Wish I had done it years ago. Mine was a standard replacement. If you have a lot of rotator cuff damage, they will do a reverse replacement and put the ball on your shoulder and the socket on your arm. Do all your PT. Seems to make a big difference on the success of the surgery.
Thanks guys. helpful info. Rotator cuff is good. Socket is mush; Ball has big bone spurs. TSWebster - How long was the rehab? Time in sling, time in PT, time to what you considered full, regular use of that side? Many thanks. Cheers, Dave
Spent six weeks in one of those sling/brace things. Rehab/PT lasted about three months. Doctor released me for any activity I was comfortable doing at six months. There was still some discomfort with some motions at that time but it gradually disappeared and I’d say by ten months it was all gone. I was sixty five when I had the surgery. Doc said it should be good for at least fifteen years. If they do the reverse replacement, the shelf life is a little shorter. One thing to consider in your future activities is, that though the replacement is as strong as your actual shoulder, repair of a damaged replacement is not easy and possibly not as effective as the original replacement.
Thank you Steve. Yep, one big concern for the future is falling off a motorcycle at speed and landing on the repaired shoulder or tumbling. Crashing has been taking on new meanings as I age. Giving up ladder work was easy (welcomed), but racing motorcycles will not be as easy (or welcomed). Cheers, Dave
October 15. Gets me past the Vintage Festival participation at Barber, and starts the rehab as early as possible in advance of the next season. Standard, anatomical, shoulder replacement. Chromium cobalt ball on end of humerus and some plastic/synthetic liner inside the glenoid cavity to replace the missing cartilage. 3 months rehab to basic movement, without strength; 6 months to "full" use, whatever "full" may be in life-after-replacement. Doc sez life-after-replacement should be significantly better than currently and a high percentage use of what the shoulder should be. It ain't a knee or a hip - folks are ambulating, albeit in very limited fashion, within 24 hours. This is 6 weeks of no arm movement. Soooooooooooooooooooo, we'll see. Thanks for following up. More to come . . . probably from an oxycodone induced haze . . . initially. Cheers, Dave
I didn't know they did shoulders, with all the muscles/tendon concentration in that area, I thought it would have been messy...
900,000+ knees per year vs 53,000 shoulders. Big difference. But then, we don't walk on our hands . . . . Will do. Many thanks. Cheers, Dave
Looking oh so much forward to an eventual ankle replacement. Those are a fairly recent option I'm told. Considering there's more weight on the ankle and, arguably a more complex joint than the knee, should be fun.... Meanwhile, best of luck!
