If you have severe pain, stiffness and disability, a shoulder replacement should reduce your pain and help you to move your shoulder more easily.
If you have severe pain, stiffness and disability, a shoulder replacement should reduce your pain and help you to move your shoulder more easily.
A shoulder replacement involves replacing the shoulder joint if it has been damaged by injury or worn away by arthritis. When arthritis affects the shoulder it causes the lining of these joint surfaces to wear, causing pain and stiffness.
During a shoulder replacement, both the head of the humerus and the socket are replaced with artificial surfaces. Artificial shoulder parts are usually made of metal or plastic, or a combination of these.
All of these measures become less effective as your arthritis gets worse.
Your surgeon will make a cut on the front of your shoulder and remove the damaged ball (head of the humerus). They will replace the ball and sometimes also the socket. The new ball is made of metal and the socket is usually made of plastic (see figure 1).
The shoulder replacement is fixed into the bone using a special coating on the arm side of your shoulder joint.
The operation usually takes an hour to 90 minutes. A variety of anaesthetic techniques are possible.
Presented by Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Jamie Buchanan, this video offers advice on shoulder pain and the surgery options available.
General complications
Specific complications
This document is intended for information purposes only and should not replace advice that your relevant health professional would give you.
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