Say no to reverse shoulder replacement

I'm in need of a replacement now. I was ready to get the procedure, I have the brace and then it hit me. I have severe arthritis that has kept me from many motions and the scans show it clearly. I did some thinking and reading about the procedure and I recalled the surgeon telling me I wouldn't be able to pick up over 25lbs and the recovery was lengthy. I'm 73 and still try to keep up with home maintenance and realized I would be at risk of falling as I age. It would just be a matter of time before I'd take a dive and have to have another surgery to fix it and do a lengthy PT. I looked at other ways to cut down on the pain and have been using a high dose of turmeric combined with a heated vibrating strap on pad (Amazon for about $30) which I use about four hours a day. I was surprised how long the battery lasts. So I put the surgery on hold. That was about a month ago, shoulder hurts but the arthritis in my hands and knees has improved noticeably. I'm a chronic pain sufferer from a big spine surgery five years ago. Had a hip replacement in 2022 that's real good so far and just had 3 hernias fixed in February. It seems like there's always something a surgeon will tell you should be fixed. Good to take a second look. Good luck. Pain Management might be helpful.

I’ve had 2 reverse shoulder replacements in the past 5 years. No problems. Sorry you are suffering

Sorry are having so much trouble. I had reverse replacement 3-months ago. I am 76 and have been a gymnast and weight lifter, to which I attribute the bone on bone and severe arthritis in my shoulders (both). Since the surgery, I did 10 weeks of PT three times a week - it helped, but I still have limited flexibility in terms of reaching behind my back - no improvement there. I have little to no pain, other than when I overextend behind me, but it is in the muscle. I returned to the gym after 2-months and after a slow start, I am at about 70% of what I was lifting before surgery, although with a lot of pain, now not so much.
Recovery was much different than when I had a hip replaced three years ago - that has been very successful - I leg press 500 pounds and have no pain.
My left shoulder has the same bone on bone and arthritis nodules as the right. The surgeon says I need to replace the left shoulder, it hurts doing certain motions. Will I do that? Not sure I will at this time ... maybe later, if the pain and mobility gets worse.
Just my take, I believe I was fortunate to be in good shape before the surgery.

My reverse replacement was done about 18 months ago because of a fracture. My range of motion is limited due to the fact that my deltoids have not kicked in. I’m not complaining,I have adjusted. As far as not being able to reach behind your back,I was told because of the mechanics involved in that type of surgery,that’s something I will never be able to do. Everyone’s recovery and abilities are different and maybe eventually,you will achieve that goal. Good luck in your recovery.

I'm so sorry that you're having to go through this! Quick question--- did you have a specific trauma leading to the replacement or was it a gradual march into misery?

Y'see, I've been told that reverse total shoulder replacement was more difficult for a patient who'd experienced trauma causing the need for surgery. So, as someone *only* suffering from RA and OA, it was much easier.

Sixty-nine at the time of reverse shoulder replacement, in January...

Oh, I understand the pain of which you speak. For the first few days, I cursed my surgeon with every invective I could conjure, making up a few new cusswords when I overused the old standards. No wonder he scheduled a followup a week later, when I suddenly felt extraordinarily decent for the first time in months. Brilliant. He even let me out of the sling at that point. Yeah, it still hurts, but it seems to get better weekly. I consider myself lucky there because my 2024 back surgery results were meh and my hip replacement needs to be redone.

Each case is different. I have a friend who was stuck in his sling for months and I actually snuck mine back on when I saw him, right after I was allowed to remove it so he wouldn't feel bad.

And as much as I hate to admit it, physical therapy reallyreallyreally helped. Fortunately, my therapists had already heard many of my traditional ouch words. They've gotten me to the point that my only (big) challenge is reaching behind me, especially in dressing. And it does still hurt, especially after overuse, but nothing like before. And like someone else mentioned, I'm putting off doing the other shoulder (my surgeon said his oldest patient was a 99 year old nun ... I wonder if she used ouch words...) because it does hurt and I could have an outcome like yours.

Sorry for rambling and I truly hope you're doing better!

Thank you for the reply,blitheone. Mine initially came from a fall out of a helicopter ( it wasn't like black hawk down).
So mine was a traumatic injury.
I had rotator cuff surgery along with many others.The rotator cuff was completed then revised. Then disappeared. I was in pain and my orthopedic doctor discussed the reverse shoulder replacement. I lived a couple if years with a bad shoulder, and I finally agreed to have the RTSR September of 24. As my last entry stated, it has not improved my life. I'm. still of the opinion that this surgery was not for me.
Ive accepted that I will never have a painless shoulder.
Once again, thank you for your reply.

My reverse shoulder replacement surgery was Oct. 17, 2024. I had a fall the previous June and my surgeon wanted me to see what PT would do to improve range of motion and strength. The PT wasn't painful but I didn't show much improvement. I had the surgery and now I have numbness in lower arm and hand a good share of the time. Every evening my shoulder ranks between discomfort and somewhat painful. If I had known it would be a constant irritating feeling I don't think I would have had the surgery.

Who did your reverse shoulder replacement surgery? This is a newer procedure and it is possible your surgeon was not optimally experienced.
I had a reverse shoulder replacement surgery at Mayo (Rochester) in 2023. It was not painful at any time and I now have full function. I consider it a fabulous surgery and am most happy. My surgeon teaches others to do this surgery. At my recent visit, he said the newer protheses are so good that I am unlikely to ever need revision surgery. Good news!!! By the way, I did not do physical therapy but did gentle exercises on my own. I also did not do formal physical therapy for my knee replacements or for my hip. I mainly walked - results are similarly great. No pain and no problems.

It was done by a well known orthopedic surgeon with very good reviews and years of joint surgeries. I live in Nebraska. Mayo Clinic in Rochester would be the ultimate place.

It sounds like you did have a wonderful result. To have 'full function' is amazing - I've never heard anyone say that was their result. Maybe part of the difference was all of my tendons/ligaments/ rotator cuff were damaged or torn completely from my fall.
Do you know what brand of prosthesis was used?

It is amazing that you didn't have PT for any of your replacements. I definitely needed it for my bilateral knee replacements.
Glad you are doing so well.

I posted several weeks ago after my RTSR. It's 6 weeks post-op today. The first 3.5 weeks were rough, but things are much better now.
For me (and I've had a hip and knee replacement in the past) doing your PT exercises at home, in addition to in-person appointments, is crucial.
I know it's going to take a while to retrain my deltoid muscle to do its new tasks, but my progress is good, with very little (1-3) pain.
For reference, I am a 73 y/o active female.
Hope this helps others.