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Shoulder Replacement: Still having pain

Joint Replacements | Last Active: Jun 10, 2023 | Replies (80)

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@artscaping

Good afternoon @mdgarnett, You know what, you're right. It does seem like there are fewer standard shoulder replacement surgeries at least from my position here. I do notice posts about reverse shoulder replacements and have had one of those myself.

Here is a link from @itsally, who describes her repair as a Tapezius Tendon Transfer. She wants to play tennis again and it appears that this surgical procedure may work for her.

I had two attempts at rotator cuff repair including cadaver transplant which failed rather miserably. Therefore, none of the four rotator cuffs were functional by the time it was recommended that I "volunteer" for a reverse shoulder transplant. I say volunteer because the reverse was new at the time and insurance companies were resistant about approving something that might require a revision or other procedure.

Evidently, I was also fighting an age restriction set by the insurance company. My surgeon got on the phone and after about 30 minutes, the decision was reversed.

The manufacturer of the prothesis sent an engineer out for the actual surgery. And I was welcomed into the surgical room as if there was a celebration going on. The recovery was really well thought out by my "team" and other than the inconvenience of the immobilizer, everything went well.

I wish you well with your recovery. You may want to talk to some former recipients of a shoulder replacement. Just promise to share with us so we will be able to help others.

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

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Replies to "Good afternoon @mdgarnett, You know what, you're right. It does seem like there are fewer standard..."

I was lucky with my rotator cuff years ago. I had fairly significant damage and the surgeon was suggesting immediate surgery. I delayed it because I traveled for work and I needed 4 to 6 weeks to get my schedule adjusted to permit staying home. About a week before the scheduled date I fell on ice and completely wrecked my shoulder. I had a few days of pain and a useless arm until surgery.

The surgery went very well, virtually no pain after the nerve block wore off and about half the time in rehab as it was expected to take. I was hoping the shoulder replacement would be as good an experience but it wasn't tho' it wasn't bad. Lots of pain for a few days and more trouble sleeping. Still, I'm thankful for the availability of the procedure - any pain I experience now is a tiny fraction of what I had before surgery. Every one's experience is different but I would tell people facing the experience to not fear the process.

thanks for your note.