The Solution for Severe Shoulder Pain
30 de minute, evaluare clinică, plan personalizat.
The shoulder is the joint with the greatest mobility in the body — and precisely for this reason, when it no longer functions correctly, the impact is immense. Simple gestures like dressing, combing your hair, or lifting a glass become painful or impossible. Sleeping on the affected side is a distant memory.
Shoulder arthroplasty — replacing the joint — is indicated when the pain is severe, mobility is severely compromised, and conservative treatments no longer provide relief. It is a less known procedure than knee or hip replacement, but with equally good results in correctly selected patients.
The procedure typically lasts between 90 and 120 minutes, but can be longer depending on the complexity of the case and anatomical particularities.
Shoulder replacement is considered when other treatments have been exhausted:
Wear and tear of the cartilage between the humeral head and the glenoid cavity, which causes chronic pain and progressive stiffness. It is the most common reason for shoulder replacement.
When a massive and irreparable rotator cuff tear leads to secondary osteoarthritis and a complete loss of shoulder function. This requires a special type of prosthesis (reverse).
Loss of blood supply to the bone, which leads to its collapse.
Especially in the elderly, where bone reconstruction is no longer viable.
When previous surgeries (cuff repair, debridement) have not provided relief.
As with the knee or hip, shoulder replacement is the last step, not the first. The conservative options I explore first are:
They can relieve pain in the early-to-moderate stages of shoulder osteoarthritis.
→ Learn moreMobility and periarticular muscle strengthening exercises remain fundamental, especially in adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) or tendinopathies.
Anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, and activity modification.
When these options no longer work and the pain becomes constant and disabling, replacement surgery is discussed as a realistic option.
This respects the natural anatomy of the shoulder: a spherical metal head replaces the humeral head, and a component fixed to the glenoid (the socket of the scapula) replaces the joint surface of the shoulder blade. It is indicated when the rotator cuff is intact or functional.
This reverses the joint's geometry: the sphere is fixed to the glenoid, and the concave component to the humerus. This design allows the deltoid muscle to take over the function of lifting the arm, compensating for the absence of the rotator cuff. It is indicated in cuff tear arthropathy, complex fractures, and the failure of other interventions.
The reverse prosthesis was a revolution in shoulder surgery—it offered a functional solution to patients who, in the past, had no viable surgical options.
The decision between an anatomic and a reverse prosthesis depends on the condition of the rotator cuff, bone quality, age, and the patient's activity level. This is decided during the consultation, based on the clinical examination and imaging studies.
Shoulder replacement offers significant pain relief and improved mobility, but expectations must be realistically calibrated.
Dacă ai dureri cronice și te gândești la operație, prima consultație nu te obligă la nimic. Aducem împreună radiografiile tale, examenul clinic și opțiunile non-chirurgicale și chirurgicale. Decizia rămâne a ta.
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30 de minute, evaluare clinică, plan personalizat.