Shoulder Replacement Surgery

You use your shoulder hundreds of times a day. Over time, it can wear out, causing pain and stiffness. Shoulder replacement surgery at EvergreenHealth offers you a long-lasting solution. A fellowship-trained shoulder surgeon can exchange your arthritic or damaged joint for a natural-feeling implant that lets you do everyday tasks comfortably again. Let us help you make your life as easy, active, and pain-free as it should be.

Do I Qualify for Shoulder Replacement?

Shoulder replacement may be a good option if you haven't seen enough relief from joint pain after trying nonsurgical measures, like physical therapy or medication. The surgery treats joint damage due to arthritis or a bad shoulder injury, either of which can cause:

• Painful bone spurs and cysts (lumps)
• Difficulty reaching above your head or behind your back
• Stiffness that makes it hard to do simple tasks, like putting on a shirt or carrying groceries

Schedule a personal joint replacement consultation with a caring orthopedic surgeon at EvergreenHealth to ask questions and learn about your best treatment options.

Types of Shoulder Replacement

Shoulder replacement procedures replace the worn-out surfaces of your joint with materials such as metal and plastic, which move smoothly and painlessly. Depending on your condition and symptoms, your surgeon may recommend:

• Anatomic shoulder replacement, or the traditional approach, which keeps the position of your new joint's ball and socket the same
• Reverse shoulder replacement, which switches the position of the joint's ball and socket so you can raise your arms higher after a severe rotator cuff tear

EvergreenHealth orthopedic surgeons are highly experienced in both procedures, so you can rely on us for excellent treatment and compassionate care, every step of the way.

Technology Offers Personalized Approach

EvergreenHealth's surgical team uses 3D imaging and sophisticated computer software to plan every detail of your procedure, so you get precise care tailored to your unique joint. This technology helps us determine what kind of implant you'll need and exactly what the surgeon must do to treat your injury. That helps you get the most benefit from surgery over the long term.

Anesthesia & Pain Relief

Before surgery, you'll likely receive general anesthesia, which causes you to sleep and prevents pain, along with sophisticated joint blocks around the shoulder.

After surgery, you'll get prescriptions for non-narcotic pain medications that work in different ways, so you feel the most relief. Your surgeon may also recommend using an ice therapy machine at home to safely deliver consistent, pain-relieving cold therapy to your shoulder. This approach can reduce your need for opiate/narcotic pain medications.

Rehabilitation & Return to Activities

It takes time to rebuild joint endurance and strength, especially if your shoulder movements were limited for a while before surgery due to pain. Count on EvergreenHealth's team to help you get moving again soon after surgery. Skilled physical therapists and occupational therapists will teach you how to gently and safely take care of yourself as you recover. Partnering with our rehabilitation therapists for several months of therapy will help you ensure long-term success and make your implant last up to 15 years.

Anatomic Shoulder Replacement Recovery

You'll need to wear a shoulder sling for about six weeks as the tissue around your new joint heals after a traditional shoulder replacement. You may be able to start lifting small amounts of weight and doing strengthening exercises after 10 weeks. Look forward to simple activities, like swinging a small golf club, after three or four months. Within a year, your shoulder should move and feel much more like it did before your injury or arthritis.

Recovery Timeline

• Day of Surgery: The surgery will take two hours and you will wake up in the recovery room. After an hour in the recovery room, you will go to your hospital room to see your family. They will be given something light to eat and drink at first before eating regular meals. You will be able to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom. If you are feeling comfortable, you can go home that same day. If you are having too much pain or are not feeling well, you will stay the night and go home the next morning.
• First 2 weeks after surgery: You will wear a sling at all times except during showers and you stretching exercises. You cannot reach to pull up your pants or lift anything. You can use the hand to type if you move the keyboard to your lap. You will start stretching exercises three times a day by following the exercise videos on this website.
• 2-6 weeks: You will start formal therapy after your first postop visit in the office. You will wear a sling as a reminder not to reach or lift the arm so that you protect the repair of your shoulder. If it doesn't heal because you moved it too soon, you will not get a good result.
• 6-12 weeks: You will stop using the sling. You can reach and lift a coffee cup with the arm. Stretching will be continued three times a day and you will start stretching behind your back.
• 3-6 months: You will gradually return to normal activity as pain permits, starting with activities around the house and then eventually returning to golf and tennis no earlier than 4 months after surgery. You will start a gentle strengthening program in therapy and after a month, you will graduate from therapy to a home exercise program.
• One year: By this time, most patients have made a complete recovery.

Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement Recovery

You'll wear a sling to support and stabilize your joint for about two weeks after reverse total shoulder replacement. You should be able to carry a few pounds after about six weeks and lift small items above your head in three months. After six months, you'll be mostly recovered and likely feel very satisfied with how your shoulder comfortably feels and works.

Recovery Timeline

• Day of Surgery: The surgery will take two hours and you will wake up in the recovery room. After an hour in the recovery room, you will go to your hospital room to see your family. They will be given something light to eat and drink at first before eating regular meals. You will be able to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom. If you are feeling comfortable, you can go home that same day. If you are having too much pain or are not feeling well, you will stay the night and go home the next morning.
• First 2 weeks after surgery: You will wear a sling at all times except during showers and you stretching exercises. You cannot reach to pull up your pants or lift anything. You can use the hand to type if you move the keyboard to your lap. You will start stretching exercises three times a day by following the exercise videos on this website.
• 2-6 weeks: You will stop wearing the sling and you will start a home stretching program. You are not allowed to lift more than a coffee cup with the arm. If you start to lift too much too fast, you could get a stress fracture of your shoulder which can take a few months to heal.
• 6-12 weeks: You can start to lift 5lbs with the arm and gradually return to your normal activity. You should not need formal therapy unless you are having trouble with your stretching exercises.
• 3-6 months: Most patients are feeling much better and can sleep on the shoulder.
• One year: By this time, most patients have made a complete recovery