Shoulder Replacement Surgery

Shoulder Replacement is a surgical procedure in which all or part of the glenohumeral joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant. Such joint replacement surgery generally is conducted to relieve arthritis pain or fix severe physical joint damage.

Shoulder replacement surgery is an option for treatment of severe arthritis of the shoulder joint. Arthritis is a condition that can cause the normally smooth cartilage lining of the joint to erode. As the cartilage wears away, the protective layer between the bones is lost—when this happens, painful bone-on-bone arthritis can develop. Severe shoulder arthritis is often painful and can cause restriction of shoulder motion. While this may be tolerated with some simple treatments including medications and lifestyle adjustments, there may come a time when surgical treatment is necessary

The surgical procedure used to examine or repair the tissues inside or around the joint is called as shoulder arthroscopy. Arthroscopy is also called as key-hole surgery. The arthroscope is a tiny camera that is used in the surgery to examine or correct the tissue of the shoulder joint.

Symptoms

Common symptoms of shoulder arthritis include:

• Pain with activities
• Limited range of motion
• Stiffness of the shoulder
• Swelling of the joint
• Tenderness around the joint
• A feeling of grinding or catching within the joint