Would like others experience on Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement

My surgeon says there will be NO PT with this Reverse TSR, just at home exercises. He is a premier shoulder surgeon in this area and I trust him. Has anyone else experienced this? It seems everyone on here who has had this surgery has had physical therapy. Any thoughts or comments? Thanks.

HI @kcoxit, How are you doing now?
A shoulder replacement was suggested for me, probably the Reverse TSR. I just saw a PA yesterday about my lack of mobility and shoulder pain. She said my shoulder was "horrible" based on Xray (arthritis) and she felt no rotator cuff when she injected me with a steroid. I've had no ability to lift my arm overhead for a couple of years.
She said recovery would be grueling for a few months.
Problem for me is I'm caregiver to my husband with dementia, and a long recovery, more pain and immobility seems out of the question right now.

My husband had RSR in November. We had also heard that the recovery was grueling. My husband is 72 and has been in a lot pain for a long time. Steroid injections stopped giving relief. We had an exceptional Dr but the recovery was a surprise. He needed pain medicine for the first week only. Then NSAIDS were enough. Very little pain week two and out. Physical therapy went really well. Did not need pain medicine. So talk to your doctor in depth and don’t listen to people that have had surgery some years ago. It has improved. Good luck to you. And, God Bless.

HI @kcoxit, How are you doing now?
A shoulder replacement was suggested for me, probably the Reverse TSR. I just saw a PA yesterday about my lack of mobility and shoulder pain. She said my shoulder was "horrible" based on Xray (arthritis) and she felt no rotator cuff when she injected me with a steroid. I've had no ability to lift my arm overhead for a couple of years.
She said recovery would be grueling for a few months.
Problem for me is I'm caregiver to my husband with dementia, and a long recovery, more pain and immobility seems out of the question right now.

On 1/25/23, I had a left shoulder arthroplasty (total left shoulder replacement) utilizing the Reverse Implant Components.
Recovery was quick and very little pain. The reattachment of my left bicep was required due the severe arthritis I had eaten away my bicep at the connection point to my shoulder, so they had to remove the diseased tissue before reattachment via a hybrid thread to "sew" it back in place and then secured a plate over the new connection. With the bicep muscle now being shorter, I was having a great deal of pain as the physical therapists worked diligently in treating my recovery of my bicep surgery. It has been almost 5 months since my surgery and I'm progressing well with strength training currently. One thing I wished I had known was the weight restrictions I've been given that will be a lifetime guide/restriction as long as I tread this Earthly plain. The 35# deadlift weight restriction and 25# overhead guideline/restriction seem realistic during my Rehabilitation, but I'll likely test those li.its by the end of 2023.

Unfortunately my rotator cuff is NOT in good shape. All four muscles of the cuff are torn and full through tears. It is not repairable but my range of motion is still very good and I have what I would consider moderate pain most days. That's why i was seeking input from others. I've talked with several surgeons they cannot do a regular shoulder replacement Good luck to you with your surgery. Thanks for commenting.

Good evening @tsc, I have just read your post to @kcoxit. I hope this member is still posting with Connect so that you can receive a response.

In the meantime Teri, I would like to share some of my experience with RSR in hopes that you will find it helpful.

My right (dominant) shoulder was severely injured in a fall from the American Legion platform down the mountain. The snow plow had removed the railing and I walked right off the deck.
My shoulder was displaced and my elbow had 3 fractures. After a hospital stay and the swelling had gone down, I had surgery to repair my rotator cuff. It failed. A second surgery was scheduled to use cadaver material to replace the damaged rotator cuff. It failed.

My insurance company would not approve an RSR until I had been exposed to opioids, acupuncture, and other known healing agents. They did not work. Finally, the RSR was approved and my surgeon spent considerable time showing me videos and helping me prepare for the surgery.

With help from the engineer of the replacement, I had the surgery. My surgeon even came to the hospital and sat with me to make sure everything went well and I could sleep the first night. All taped up, I went home the following day with high hopes.

Within three days I was out to dinner with friends and learning how to make adjustments in my daily activities e.g. learning how to write left-handed. The surgeon and our local PA chatted and decided on what turned out to be a pretty darn perfect rehabilitation program.

At this point, I have no pain, just some moderate difficulty in eating ice cream cones because my elbow sticks out a bit unevenly. This was not a grueling procedure.

I have every hope that my replacement will be with me for the rest of my life.

May you find a pain-free life and the ability to plant flowers, make ice cream, and dance around the floor whenever you have a chance.

May you be safe, protected, and free from inner and outer harm.
Chris

Thank you fo r your reply @pworley1955. Was your husband's surgery on his dominant hand side? Was he able to drive right away or did it take time? What about tasks that take hand skills like cooking? I'm asking because as caregiver those are some of the things I do for my husband.

My RSR was dominant right side one year ago. I did take pain meds for a couple weeks but the pain was manageable after that. I couldn’t drive for 6 weeks. We knew I would not be able to do much around the house so we lived on Healthy Choice micro meals for most of our dinners. My husband waited on me for most everything. I had difficulty laying down so slept on my recliner for several weeks. It would be very difficult as a caretaker. You would need help for a while, imo.