Reverse shoulder replacement surgery

I would like to hear more info about massage as well. Mentioned it to my therapist yesterday and he said it was a good idea.

Helen, I got my first massage yesterday. I really liked it. My shoulder/arm was really sore this morning. She told me it would be. It’s from a massage place that knows about scar tissue. The funny thing is she said she didn’t feel any scar tissue. She said it’s usually crunchy and she didn’t feel that with my shoulder. So who knows what’s going on with me. I go back to the doctor in October. He will do another X-ray. So we will see what that shows.
Thanks,
Retha

I got my first massage yesterday. I really liked it. My shoulder/arm was really sore this morning. She told me it would be. I have already scheduled my next massage. It’s from a massage place that knows about scar tissue. The funny thing is she said she didn’t feel any scar tissue. She said it’s usually crunchy and she didn’t feel that with my shoulder. So who knows what’s going on with me. I go back to the doctor in October. He will do another X-ray. So we will see what that shows.
Thanks,
Retha

Retha, I’m glad you liked the massage,not surprised you were sore the next day. I thought I had scar tissue,too,because I feel my upper arm is heavy and it’s very sensitive to pressure. My dr told me it was not scar tissue because he was able to move it certain ways. He says everyone is sensitive in different ways and to different things.Does your arm feel the same way? I asked the dr to have an mri to see why the tissue was heavy and hard but he declined. Let me know how your massages affect your arm.
Helen

Good evening Retha and friends. I, too, am a Reverse shoulder recipient. You can read other posts about the details and recovery here on Mayo Connect. Here are a few of my "mustdo's" and memories. Perhaps a couple might be helpful.

The cause of my shoulder injury was a fall off the American Legion parking platform and down the mountain. We found out that the fencing had been removed by the snow plow driver and not replaced. I was waving goodby to my dinner friends and fell right off. It would have been nice to have had a little more snow that day.

The ambulance arrived in what seemed forever, pinned my temporary sling to the ceiling light and headed to the closest hospital at the bottom of the mountain. X-rays were taken and it was discovered that my elbow on the same arm had three breaks.

The elbow healed and the shoulder didn't. My orthopedic surgeon for another incident took charge and decided to investigate what at that time was a new operation....developed in France and being used at the Univ of Washington. He actually flew up to learn about it, talked to the medical engineers and then sat and chatted with me, showed me videos of the surgery, and got my permission to proceed. When the insurance company refused to cover the surgery, he personally took over the battle and won.

The engineer flew out from the East and when I was rolled into the surgery room, it seemed like a party was beginning. I was thrilled to wake up and hear the success story. My surgeon actually sat in my room that night just to make sure everything went well.

Then came the recovery. I lived in a very small mountain town. We had one gentleman who was a PT and also a tax accountant. He and the surgeon researched and implemented the post-surgery exercises.

My best friend and business associate drove up and stayed with me for a week to help with showers, dressing, and recovering. Sleeping positions were a challenge.

Jump forward to today and I can honestly tell you I have absolutely no pain or discomfort. I was able to run my art gallery, take care of my grandchildren, and go on adventure hikes with my friends.

I think that your options are much better today because there is more knowledge about the "size of the replacements", the "post-physical therapy", and the continuing research on the surgery.

Good luck to you all. Be the best you can be.
Chris

Mercy! I’m glad you are doing well now. That’s quite story! It made me teared up! Glad you are able to do the things you love to do! I’m hoping to be pain free one of these days! As long as I do my PT I’m sure I will get there. Thanks for sharing your story!!
God Bless,
Retha

Help! I had my RSA on 1 August 2024. I am in physical therapy. I am doing well in most of my ROM exercises.
My problem is external rotation. My arm wings out high when I bring a fork to my mouth to eat. I am unable to perform a 90 angle with my elbow at my side. My physical therapist isn’t quite sure why I’m having this problem. I see my ortho next week for answers and an X-ray.
Has anyone with a tRSA has encountered this problem?

Hello @myracorbo - I combined your discussion with an existing discussion titled, "Reverse shoulder replacement surgery" - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/reverse-shoulder-replacement-surgery-1/.

@rethajones, @artscaping, @nonnahelen, and @queenie2030 all shared their experiences with a reverse shoulder replacement.

@myracorbo - It is good you have an appointment with your ortho upcoming along with an x-ray to potentially spot any barriers you are running in to beyond your control. Has your PT been able to move your arm in all directions during PT when you relax and are not trying to use your muscles yourself? How is your pain level?

Yes when relaxed. No pain other than the stretching.
Laying down and stretching, bending my arm back at about a 40-45 degree angle, no pain (other than the stretching) but limited movement. My problem is the same as @fredaardvarks.
I tried reaching out to him about his progress but no answer.

My

PT does move my arm in all directions. However they can not move it all the way up when I’m laying down. That does hurt a lot. Some of the ways they move it doesn’t hurt but then other ways it hurts bad. I’m relaxing.
Thanks
Retha