Reverse Shoulder Replacement: Recovery process

Hi, I've been told that I need reverse shoulder replacement surgery on my dominant left shoulder. I'm interested in someone who has had this procedure and whether they still feel that they made the right choice. I'm concern what my final range of motion will be like. Currently i have good motion with minor pain and have mixed feeling whether the surgery will increase or decrease the present mobility in the shoulder.

Good evening @bernster, Welcome ....to Connect. Although we don't have medical degrees or backgrounds, our life experience has taught us about our bodies, our diseases, and specifically how to cope with and overcome our challenges.

One of my life challenges has been how to fix my right shoulder. Have you already had rotator repair? How did you hurt your shoulder? What else have you tried; physical therapy, acupuncture, medications? Have you seen a video of a reverse shoulder replacement?

Now that you have answered all of my questions and inquiries, I will answer yours. Yes, I have had reverse shoulder replacement surgery on my dominant right shoulder. My injury was a fall from a platform and down a mountain. And I wasn't bungee jumping. The essential information is that by sheer luck I ended up with an amazing surgeon who was current, up to date and a patient advocate.

As he came in to do the first rotator repair, he looked at me and said, "You know, you've got the grand canyon of holes in there". And he was spot on. So.....after the tissues healed he told me that he might be able to patch it together with a cadaver graft. However, there wasn't enough of my tissue for any connection to be made. Then he told me there was a new option.......recently approved by the FDA and developed in France. He sat me down and we watched the video. I was just blown away. To think that you can change the entire structural orientation of a shoulder. Wow! The major problem....insurance. At the time they weren't accepting folks who were likely to have post-surgery issues that would be costly. Too old, too young, too something or other.

This surgeon spent almost an hour talking to the insurer on my behalf. He won.

The surgery time came and I was introduced to an engineer from the manufacturer as well as a couple of other unusual participants. It went very well......there was the usual post-surgery discomfort. Two days later I was out to dinner with friends, learning to use my non-dominant hand without spilling everything. I was able to go back to work at my business and begin some gentle therapy within not too many days. I used a lot of ice and slept in the immobilizer with a special pillow. And here is a reminder: You cannot drive with your arm in a sling of any kind. Be careful.

So what is the status today, several years later? I have absolutely zero pain in the arm, shoulder, wrist, or hand as a result of the reverse shoulder surgery.

So what are you waiting for?????? the killer issue? No @bernster, I will be genuine here. I don't have the flexibility or range of motion I used to have. And my arm gets a little cock-eyed looking when I eat an ice cream cone. Still.......not bad. In fact, no pain is a bit of alright.

Please let me know if you would like any additional information. Hopefully, you will be able to return responses to my questions and I will see if additional information would be helpful.

May you be content and at peace.

Chris

Really good information from Chris.... I was told that I would need one of 3 options on my shoulder. Replacement, reverse replacement, or possibly lower trapezius tendon transfer. The 3rd option was available after the MRI showed little arthritis in my shoulder. The advantage of LTTT is that it is most likely to get me back on a tennis court. It takes a muscle out of my back, weaves it into 2 achilles tendons from a cadaver, and rebuilds the rotator cuffs over the top of the shoulder. Of the 4 rotator cuffs the ones on top of my shoulder were completely severed, the one in front torn (he repaired that one) and the one behind was okay. I've had rotator cuff surgery on both shoulders years ago. I'm 3 months post operative and have JUST begun strengthening PT. Prior to this it was range of motion. Currently I can move my arm, passively, pretty much everywhere. Using a dowel behind my back I can pull my hand up , mid back, above a bra strap. There was a 6 week post op in an awkward immobilizer, but the pain has been very minimal. Have taken nothing stronger than a tylenol since surgery..(and I am a wimp). Very few surgeons perform this surgery. Many can, but few know about it. Anyway..... hope this helps. P.S. I'm 67.

Good evening Chris thank for taking the time to write and great input. To answer your question no I haven't had any rotator repair surgery. Two separate doctor have indicated that probably a previous fall off my bicycle(2013) and the incident where I slipped while carrying a treadmill on to a truck which jarred my shoulder when I didnt let go of the treadmill and ended sitting down still holding unto it (2019) caused the final "Coup d'etat". I've had physical therapy and still use a good portion of ICYHOT and other roll on lotions. Yes, I've seen videos as well as read several articles on this procedure. I went for a second procedure but I was told that I'm not a candidate for them because of the severity of my injury. I have a" massive full-thickness rotator cuff tear involving entire supra and infraspinatus tendon and portion of subscapularis tendon. Also partial tear of biceps long head." In other words the only solution is a RSR procedure.
I have continued to push the envelope and do therapy three to four times a week at home with resistance bands anchored to the wall. I did go back the second time to the therapist who was not only surprised at the range of my motions but whose words continue to reverberate in my mind " with your current range of motion I would reconsider the surgical procedure, you won't be able to do all this ". This is a person with the credentials and doing physical therapy for at least twenty years. I can lift my left arm and stretch it completely extended in the air, I can raise my arm and assist the right hand in bringing object down or up with minor discomfort, I can brush my hair and touch the top of my head or the back of my neck and brush my teeth. Things I couldn't do last year. I can extend my arm and carry a cup of coffee and drink from it with no problem. All these small victories I couldn't do at one time but I continue to be creative in ways to exercise the shoulder.
The killer issue was when he said " find another form of exercise cause if you fall of the bike I can't fix you" and the second expert surgeon stated we don't do miracles but I can assure you that you will be able to lift the elbow half way up ". Well now you can see why I made my way to this board seeking enlightenment.
Yes, its been trial and error progress as when I used a pole digger one afternoon and the shoulder seized up or when I cut a small tree with a small ax and my shoulder filled with blood under the skin and it took several days to get the craze look out of my eyes never mind the discomfort and pain.
I guess I'm not sure yet what will make me jump of the cliff and have the surgery but the fear of the unknown limitation to my dominant arm holds me back.
Again thanks to you and others that have taken the time with your inputs. It helps to clear the cow webs.

Good evening Bernster... Wow what injuries. Did you read my post? Would a LTTT be a possibility. The surgeon has said that after 6 months I will have no limitations. Good luck. Sally

Morning ItSally.... Yes I did make inquires regarding the LTTT procedure but was told I'm not a candidate for this process. It appears my only option is the RSR procedure. That's probably why I'm proceeding slowly asking questions and making inquires.

Good afternoon @bernster ........whew! your decision becomes more challenging. Do I live with what I have or make a decision to tackle the unknown? I used to teach a decision-making workshop. My take away from that experience was this to the "should I or shouldn't I" decision dilemma. You cannot assure a desired outcome of saying yes or no to the reverse shoulder replacement. What you can do is make a good decision and you are on the road to being a world champion.

The elements of a good decision include:
1. Learn all you can about your options from medical sites, and research-based studies.
2. Evaluate the anecdotal experiences of folks who have "been around there and done that." What is their life like now? Over time what has happened to their functionality and pain level?
3. Evaluate the qualifications of the providers and clinicians who have given you feedback based upon your existing status. How many patients have they served or assisted?
4. Examine your own lifestyle. What flexibility do you have as a person to be able to modify or change certain activities? How will your lifestyle change over time? How strongly are you determined to do everything you can to make your outcome successful?

For me, one of the strongest statements was this: " if you fall I can't fix you." A choice for surgery demands a lifestyle adjustment. I accepted this reality and chose to moderate my lifestyle. It was not easy because of the social aspects as well as my enjoyment of the physical challenges.

Please remember that every person is unique. This is your body, your life, and in the end, your decision.

May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.

Chris

@ltsally Greetings from over here in the reverse part of the world. Thanks to @colleenyoung for giving me the appropriate directions.

Let's start by just taking a deep breath. If I am reading your post correctly, you just heard that the rather inventive surgery did not "take" for you. Did they tell you why? Please fill me in......where did you have this surgery?

What part failed, the cadaver that created the rotator cuffs? I noted that you started PT on June 26. Correct? Maybe I should just stop asking questions and let you have a chance to become acquainted with the members of this discussion and their transplant experiences.

But first......just a couple more. Did your PT notice problems? Was the problem noticed because you could not lift your arm? And oh my gosh and by golly, I almost forgot about tennis.

I am so sorry............ I was with you on this one thinking you were breaking ground on a procedure that was to leave you with no restrictions. Please share what you can. Somehow we need to take a step back and make sure you are sleeping well and feeling well. I would probably be a bit on the angry, frustrated, side emotionally.

What's next??????

May you be safe protected and free.
Chris

Hey you, I had both shoulders TSA over the past year. 2nd one was Feb 28th. Have you ever resolved the clicking? I'm trying so hard to build muscle to help stop the clicking, but I tried to lift something 2 days ago & it's Popping again. I would so greatly appreciate some extra knowledge on the recovery of TSA. Thx @basslakebabe19. & y'all who give input. Namaste💞💥🌊

Okay.... I'm the one that had the unusual surgery in May... It didn't work... so two weeks ago today , Oct. 9th, 2020, they did a total reverse shoulder replacement. Had my post surgery appt. yesterday and PT today. My arm is and has been pretty pain free since the surgery (GET A NERVE BLOCK CATHETER). I can lift my arm to 115 degrees 2 weeks post surgery... That was just an evaluation.. NOT recommended. I'm pain free and will wear the sling for another week. My goal is to get back to tennis ... we will see, but the surgery seems to have been successful. I'm 67, good weight, average height, and since 4 days after surgery have walked 10,000 steps a day. Totally supportive of this surgery. The one upside.... my right arm is now about 2.5 inches longer than my left. When I get back to tennis, it will be hard to get a ball past me on the forehand side 🙂