What should I know about shoulder replacement surgery?
Written by:Diseases such as osteoarthritis, arthritis or suffer a fracture in any of our bones can cause not we regain full mobility. Surgery to apply a prosthesis can be one of the best options. In the following article, Dr. Valdes Casas explains what the shoulder replacement surgery and which patients is addressed.
What patients implantation of a shoulder prosthesis is recommended?
When the patient does not improve with conservative treatment and accepts the pain and the limitations it causes the illness of his shoulder, either by osteoarthritis, arthritis, a sequel to a fracture or tendon rupture irreparable. The goal is to eliminate pain and restore mobility.
What is the operation for the placing of a shoulder prosthesis?
In this intervention we replace the damaged joint surfaces by artificial prosthetic components. If the shoulder tendons are damaged placing special prosthetic tendons need not be required for operation.
What types of prostheses exist?
Several types of prosthetic device in accordance with the existing condition and age of the patient.
• In a patient with advanced osteoarthritis that causes intense pain with loss of joint function and tendons in good condition, the surgical indication is placing a full anatomical shoulder prosthesis, the classic type, replacing the two surfaces joint.
• A patient with joint destruction secondary to a massive rupture of the rotator cuff will recommend placing a reverse shoulder prosthesis. In this type of prosthesis, unlike conventional spherical part prosthesis is implanted in the scapula and the cavity in the humerus.
• For young patients with humeral bone in good condition have new prosthesis without humeral stem, less aggressive to not violate the canal of the humerus. They may be the classic anatomical type, the type inverted for patients with severely damaged tendons or simply hemiarthroplasties where the humeral part is exchanged.
How is postoperative?
To significantly reduce postoperative pain intervention, besides performed under general anesthesia, brachial plexus anesthesia through a small injection into the root of the arm is called interscalene block. The patient to wake up from general anesthesia has no pain because the arm is anesthetized. The shoulder is waking up slowly and managing nursing facility is required to have a postoperative analgesics as how possible.
Are the results of shoulder prostheses are good?
The results are very good, similar to other joint prostheses such as hip or knee. The current rate of complications with current techniques is very low.Patients recover a very good function after being a few weeks with the immobilized arm and having made a good rehabilitation program conducted. The experience of the surgeon, a correct selection of the type of prosthesis and good cooperation of the patient is essential.
