Shoulder Replacement: Alternative options for arthritis?

@win sturgeon - are you a doctor. Could you kindly tell us how many have benefited from stem cell for arthritis. Did you have patients with shoulder arthritis? Thanks.

no, just a patient. But i have looked seriously into this and i have friends who have stemcells on various parts of their bodies. I have noticed athletes of all levels using stem cells. Good luck to you.

I first looked at the Mayo clinic on stem cells for arthritis. I am sure they have data. I used Regenexx and i know they have data.

I am 89 hearts old and have severe shoulder pain and very loimitred range of motion. My doctor feels that replacement surgery is too risky. he has given me my first steroid shot.Is there any possibility of using any other therapy?

Hello @davidcooper, Welcome to Connect. You mentioned you just received your first steroid shot for your shoulder. Did it help with the severe pain and limited range of motion? Did your doctor suggest any alternatives or therapy?

Good afternoon @davidcooper, I want to add my welcome to Connect. I see that @johnbishop has asked you about the effectiveness of steroids. Did you also notice a personality change?

I think I understand the risk to your well-being because of replacement surgery. There is one therapy I have found that improves the quality of my life and that is MFR, myofascial pain release therapy. While it won't go in and change your bone structure it can improve your range of motion. I just got home from my Monday session and I feel better, much better. I have two sessions a week. MFR is different than standard physical therapy. It is gentle and pretty long-lasting.

Sometimes attending to the connective tissue all around the shoulder can moderate the pain. Give it a try. If you need to find an MFR therapist, you can use this website........ http://www.myofascialrelease.com.

Let us know of other questions you might have that are waiting for answers.

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

is there anyone out there that has had success over time with PT for a torn rotator cuff in 2 or 3 places but not 100% torn , regained enough ROM to function ok and avoided surgery ? If so, how long was your healing process, and did sleeping discomfort diminish?

Not exactly what you are asking, but before my rTSR, I developed a frozen shoulder on that side, oddly it was without pain, I just slowly lost the ability to raise my right arm up enough to touch my ear. I went in for PT, and over a period of about 6 weeks was able to regain about 80% of my reach, which both PT and I were satisfied with. Impossible to say what caused the frozen shoulder, later pre-surgery MRI’s did show frayed areas in the rotator cuff. I do remember having middle age shoulder problems that I never saw a doctor for which eventually resolved themselves. After PT, I had about a year of acceptable use of my arm before I lost the ability to raise my arm up again, but this time it was also accompanied by constant nagging arthritic pain day and night. After one particularly painful incident, I decided to do the reverse TSR and have never regretted it.

I know recovery from rotator cuff surgery takes quite a long time, but I wonder about PT having good results if the pain from the tears themselves is not addressed. This is probably something to discuss with a surgeon or a certified PT professional.